Page 9 of Hard & Haunted

He keeps up the painfully slow rhythm, strumming my sensitive bundle of nerves and keeping me on the sharp edge of something more, something profoundly deeper than anything I’ve ever experienced.

I realize he’s waiting for a response. I blurt out the first thing that pops into my head. “I made you jealous?”

Another gravelly chuckle rumbles up from somewhere deep inside Onyx, and he presses just the tip of his thumb into my tight opening. I gasp and arch my back, wanting more of his touch.

“You really have no idea how much I want you. Need you. Crave you. I didn’t know my soul was starving until you showed up in my shop.” I’m frozen in place, holding my breath as he confesses everything. “So, yeah, Eden. The thought of you with anyone else makes me lose a bit of my mind.”

My heart fills with warmth and acceptance, while my body sinks into his possessive hold. “Just a bit?” I tease, loving this new found confidence in myself.

He slowly slides a finger inside my pulsing entrance, centimeter by centimeter, never breaking eye contact. Onyx removes his finger, now covered in my juices, and brings it up to my mouth. I don’t even think twice, I simply part my lips and let him stick that same finger inside my mouth. I suck on it before he pulls it out with a pop, his eyes blazing with lust.

“I want you to taste yourself while I eat up your perfect little pussy until you scream my name. When I’m done, there will be no mistaking who you belong to.”

“Onyx,” I breathe out, squirming under his touch. His words vibrate through my body, and I find that I want to belong to him. He’s not branding me like livestock, he’s claiming me and protecting me while giving me freedom to grow. “I want to be yours.”

“Mine.”

It's the last word I register before Onyx flattens his tongue and licks me from bottom to top. I whimper at the foreign and fierce pleasure rocketing through me and stealing my breath. He rolls his tongue against my clit and then sucks it into his mouth, ripping an unexpected orgasm from deep in my core.

Onyx growls hungrily, never letting up as my muscles tense and release over and over. He slides his hands under my ass, squeezing my soft flesh as he pulls me forward and devours everything I’m giving him.

He licks my pussy as though he’s punishing it, the fingertips of his right hand slowly creeping up my inner thigh until they reach my sensitive folds. His thumb teases my entrance with terrible, wonderful nudges.

My skin grows heated and so, so slick as he massages my pulsing hole and flicks my clit with his tongue. Onyx sucks it gently, and then his middle finger slides inside my tight channel, pushing in deep and stretching me wide. My hips flex as I moan and claw at his back.

“Oh my God… oh fuck, oh fuck,” I shout, bowing my back off the mattress. Onyx spreads his hand over my stomach and pushes me back down, forcing me to feel every stroke of his tongue on my swollen, sensitive flesh.

I grab his hair and hold him close as I rock my hips against his teeth and tongue. Onyx growls roughly, the vibrations rattling through me and spiking my pleasure. His hands slide up my torso until they’re cupping my breasts. I whimper when he pinches my nipples, feeling the sweet, painful ecstasy all the way down in my throbbing pussy.

He does it again, this time biting down gently on my clit. Sharp, exquisite pleasure slices through me, breaking me open as I cry out my release. “Yes! Onyx, oh, oh, fuck, Onyx…”

He drinks me down and licks me clean before looking up at me. I can’t speak, I can only gasp for air and tremble as the last of my orgasm leaves me, taking all of my strength with it.

“Fucking beautiful,” he whispers harshly before kissing his way up my torso. “I’ll give you that and so much more, every single day, if you’ll let me.”

Onyx hovers over me and cups my cheek with one hand. I nod, brushing my lips against his. I go in for a real kiss, ready for more. Onyx groans and tilts my head, consuming me, breathing me in, somehow both satisfying my need while making it deeper at the same time. I think I’ll always need him, but now I know he needs me, too.

He breaks the kiss, nuzzling into the side of my neck, and heaving out a breath. “Exquisit,” he rumbles against my skin. “Perfect.”

I curl up against Onyx, letting him comb his fingers through my hair. My eyes flutter closed, but I’m not afraid or vulnerable. I’m covered, safe, and secure with Onyx right here next to me.

CHAPTER FIVE

ONYX

The bass from the jukebox vibrates through the floorboards of the club bar, a steady, pulsing beat that cuts through the thick haze of conversation and clinking bottles. I guide Eden through the crowded room, keeping my hand securely on the small of her back.

Corinne sees Eden across the room, waving excitedly. My woman looks at me over her shoulder, as if asking permission to go see her friend. I hate that it’s her automatic response, but soon, my Raindrop will feel the confidence and freedom to do whatever she wants.

I nod and give her a wink, smiling to myself when she practically skips her way toward the bar. Corinne gives her a hug, and within seconds, a few of the other old ladies gravitate over and introduce themselves.

I take a deliberate step back, leaning against an old wooden pillar to watch them. Eden looks a little nervous, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt, but Corinne throws an arm around her, and the other women seamlessly draw her in. I let out a slow breath. I know she’s going to love them, and I want this for her more than anything—friends she can actually depend on, a circle of women who understand this life and want what’s best for her.

"Look at you," a voice drawls from my left.

I tear my eyes away from Eden to find Stryker leaning against the bar, nursing a beer with a shit-eating grin on his face. Viper is standing next to him, shaking his head.

"I didn't say a damn word," I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest.