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Lux
I slipped out of Killian’s car and around the back of the club while he argued with James, trying to ignore my past and future as they merged before my face in a flurry of fistsand long-buried screams. Hands flew sideways, and by pure miracle neither collected the other in a hearty bitch slap, though their distraction did give me the perfect opportunity to slip away.
Both of the shifter males had a thing for protection, which equated to grandstanding. I didn’t have the time or energy to fight either tonight.
Nor did I have enough for running, but the moment my building came into sight, I put on a fresh burst of speed, taking the dilapidated stairs three at a time. My thighs burned. I pushed harder, but came nowhere near the level of exertion required to satisfy the need Killian awoke within me.
I made it into my small unit, hands shaking, the key jammed into the lock on my fifth try. Stumbling to the bathroom, I attempted to wash away every touch and caress that burned its path into my body. Killian’s ghost would leave me no matter what I tried, his phantom whispering sexy, precious words through my mind in the most intimate touch even if the man himself sat several blocks away.
My Little Bird.
Pretty girl.
His endearments mightbe a dime a dozen for all I knew. Killian played with new subs and regulars alike on a weekly basis, though he had no allegiance to any one in particular as far as I, or anyone else in the club, knew.
Though I hated complimentsof any sort, having them thrown in my direction in a careless fashion made it worse, somehow. If he hadn’t meant them, I might break.
Because those short, sweet words mattered so damn much to me.
No matter how hot I turned the water on, how scalding thesteam, or how hard I scrubbed at my skin with a tough bristled brush, I couldn’t wear away the pleasure he’d embedded in my soul.
Come for me, Little Bird.
I groaned, sliding my hand between my thighs to play with the tenderized bundle of nerves there. Phantom kisses bruised already swollen lips, and I breathed in his heat though he was long gone.
The memory of his obvious arousal drove me. I pinched at my clit the way he had, imprisoning the sensitive bud between my knuckles. When that became too much,I used the copious slick of my own desire to swirl circles around that hard nub until my legs shook.
Cold tiles held me up as I came hard, choking on his name, determined not to let it out. I’d guard him as my secret, something for us alone. My body slipped boneless to the shower floor. Scalding water pooled around me as I cupped myself as he had, the memory of a day where I came from pleasure alone for the first time in years at the front of my mind, encompassing everything.
Resting my head against the tiles, I let the water run over me until it turned cold.
And still I didn’t move.
****
“We’re almost out of JD,” I called to James over my shoulder, reaching back into the storeroom as I counted bottles on what might end up being a busy Wednesday night. “And we need more house white brought up.”
“Ah—” James shot me a pained glance over his shoulder and mouthed,save me, bitch.He turned back to the line of women who all jiggled their best assets—sometimes their mouths, sometimes not—and engaged them in dulcet tones that was half the reason for us selling out of the house white.
I sighed andpushed myself up. My thighs still protested from the picnic run earlier in the week. I hadn’t stretched enough afterward, and I hadn’t run since I’d had my small but wonderful breakdown in my shower the night after my experience with Killian.
I couldn’t admit to calling our time together anything else, since I hadn’t seen or heard from the man in question after stressing all day about coming into contact with him after running off.
“Fine. I’ll get the wine myself.” I pushed up from my crouch and stretched my hands over my head. A few things popped, and someone whistled.
Fuck. Off.
My collar seemed to tighten around my throat for an instant, constricting my airflow. Fists clenched, I added a few extra expletives behind that last thought I kept in my head. Maintaining a blank expression, I refused to make eye contact with anyone else until I found a pair of familiar forest-green eyes staring my way.
My facade dropped inan instant. I poured a top-shelf whiskey into his favorite square, crystal cut glass and pushed my way between patrons, weaving my way toward the VIP lounge. Rafe took the drink with a murmur I didn’t catch while I waited off to one side.
He took a few sips, then patted the side of his chair. “Sit, Lux. For a second. I can’t have you kneel, and standing is awkward as fuck.”
“Yes, Sir,” I sassed him, planting my hip against his armchair.
Rafe had never been my Dom. In fact, no one at Fray had. The last person who played with my trust eroded it, and I was as surprised as Killian that I’d offered him a limited version of my surrender.
Playing with James offered me a safe option, one I could control. The switch knew my hard limits and respected them. Boundaries were everything to me, and I played well within my own fence.
