Page 35 of Oklahoma Storms
He lifts his hands in surrender. “Just saying.” He grabs the antique gold handle to close the door and pauses. “She’s your fated mate, Oakley. Yes, you’ll need to do some work, but damn, the effort will be worth it. We have to get you healthy again, and in order to do that, it means accepting that you aren’t meant to be alone.” Jazz closes the door enough to leave it cracked, a human habit he hasn’t broken yet.
He could hear me with the door shut if I needed him due to our superior hearing ability.
I stare at myself, wondering how I can win her over when I’ve disappointed her so many times.
Sighing, I shed my ruined clothes onto the black hexagon-tiled floor and step into a shower large enough for a small group of people.
The hot water blasts onto my sensitive skin, and I arch my back in reaction, hissing. The quick pain turns to relief, and I stand there for minutes, allowing the water to run over me.
I rub my jaw, then slip my fingers between my lips to touch where my fangs are and snarl in pain. Fuck, everything hurts. How the hell am I going to have the energy to impress Nariko when I can barely move?
“I wish you were here, Banks. You’d know what to do. You’d know how to help.” I hang my head, the water pounding against the tense muscles of my shoulders.
Banks was the happy-go-lucky type. He was always up for an adventure and had a smile on his face. There wasn’t a situation that he couldn’t handle or see the positive in. If it were raining, he’d say,“The earth needed to be fed before we can enjoy the day it gives.”
If it was too hot, he’d say,“It’s Mother Nature warning us to take it easy today.”
If a tornado ripped through the pastures, he’d say,“The skies have rage too. Just like us. It releases something dangerous, but so do we when we get out of control. All we can do is wait for the calm and hope everyone makes it out alive.”
The calm.
The peace that comes at a cost.
I don’t know if I’ve experienced the calm yet, and it’s been twenty years.
Nariko.
Maybe she’s my calm to the self-inflicted destruction.
I close my eyes, allowing the steam to infiltrate my lungs as I think about her. She’s so goddamn beautiful.
One look at her, I never want to set my eyes on anything else this fucking doomed world offers.
I imagine the wind blowing through her hair, the long strands tempting me to wrap the length around my hand to pull her to me for a heated kiss.
“Fuck,” I whisper, the aches and pains lessening just at the thought of having her near me.
My hand travels down my chest, my rough callouses scratching my skin, but in my mind, it’s her touch trickling down my stomach. She’s curious. She’s exploring me. Her delicate fingers tracing over every edge, through every valley, almost as if she’s appreciating me.
Shaky, uneven breaths escape me, the imagery becoming too real the harder I think of her.
Nariko drops to her knees in front of me, skimming her nails across my hips. My skin awakens from her touch, goosebumps spreading across every inch of my body.
I’m the one being consumed.
She skates her nails down my thick thighs, my knees becoming unstable from her caresses.
“Do you want me to suck your dick, Cowboy?” She teases me, flicking her tongue around the crown.
“Please. Let me feel your mouth,” I reply to her in real time, uncaring if Jazz can hear me.
“I don’t know if you deserve it.” Nariko grips the base, her finger and thumb unable to touch. It’s close, but the sight of mycock in her hands reminds me of how much bigger I am than her—in all the ways that matter.
“I fucking don’t. I don’t deserve you. I’d give anything to feel you wrap your lips around my cock. What do you want? And it’s yours.”
“When you come, I want you to say my name. I want you to remember how good I made you feel. That it’s me and no one else.”
“There will never be anyone else. It’s you. It’s always meant to be you.” I wrap my hand around my hard length, giving it a firm stroke. Precome dribbles from the slit already, the clear bead wanting to drop onto her tongue.
