With a mighty flick of his hips, Jai tosses me off of him. Somehow, before I fly off the cot, he manages to snag my waist and tuck me underneath the weight of his body. For a larger guy he moves swiftly, as if he weighs only a quarter of his weight. The ear bud pops from my ear and I grip his arms as his legs spread mine and his hips pin me to the mesh underneath us. His breath comes hot and fast. It clashes with mine, less than an inch from our lips. I’ve never dealt with anyone as demanding as Jai. One word is all it takes for him to switch from cool and calm to hot and annoyed. Strangely, it’s sexy. The grip he has on my wrists, the pressure he puts on my pelvis, and the sight of his half-naked body above mine whips my blood cells into a frenzy.
“I own you,” he says, his voice stoking the fire in my blood. “I owned you the second I had you pinned against the warehouse.”
I swallow hard, unable to stop my chest from rising and falling so rapidly. I shake my head. “No. We live in the twenty-first century. That’s not how it works.”
His intense gaze flicks to my lips, unleashing a torrent of butterflies into my stomach. “How does it work then? You tell me.”
His eyes flick back to mine. I don’t know how it works. I don’t think you can own somebody; not their choices anyway. You can own their heart, but everything else is off the table. I’m yet to meet anyone who I’d let own me in every sense of the word.
And boy, is it a powerful word.
Own is a word that equates to love. Owning somebody means you have the ability to tear them apart at your mercy, and the choice of putting them back together … or not. That doesn’t sound like something I’d give up easily, if at all.
“I don’t know,” I utter, finally. “But it doesn’t work that way.”
I hold my breath as he lowers his head, stopping only when his lips graze mine. I gasp as they first touch. It sends a bolt of lightning into me, awakening every nerve before frying them completely. His lips are dry, but incredibly soft. His breath smells of mint and fresh water, if that makes any sense. I’ve been to and seen the large tunnel, much like the one the cage hangs over, they use as a community toilet, but I didn’t see any basins there to brush your teeth.
“You wouldn’t jump through hoops for me?” he asks in a low, husky voice as he drops a little more pressure onto my pelvis.
I shake my head, but I so fucking would. Right now, I’d jump through anything for him if he promised to give me a long, hard treat afterwards. It feels good having him there, separated by only the fabric we wear. In deeper thought, how dirty and gritty would it be to have sex right here, knowing anyone walking by could see or hear? How magnificent would the memory be? I’m burning up just thinking about it.
“I could make you,” he says, moving a hand towards my collarbone.
I still as he tucks his index finger under the neckline of my tank top and traces it down to my cleavage. He smirks as he takes in my rapidly moving chest. It’s like he’s touching my lungs, forcing them to show him just how badly they want to inhale him, to be filled with him. He’s moving quickly, sliding into second base and he hasn’t even kissed me yet.
“I could show you just how easy it is to fall under someone’s thumb.”
“I don’t think you’re giving me enough credit. I can never be controlled by a man—”
He swallows the tiny distance between our mouths and the instant he takes my lips, rockets shoot off in my body. His kiss spins my organs into a tempestuous whirl. He doesn’t wait for permission to enter my mouth. Instead, he bites down on my lower lip and swallows my gasp as he forces his tongue inside. When our tongues touch, a rumble vibrates deep in his chest and quivers onto mine as he gathers me closer, forcing me to feel his erection between my legs. At the apex of my thighs, I clench in painful pulses. Even the zipper of my shorts becomes an arousing tool to get me off.
That’s what I want.
To get off.
I want to come, and I want Jai to be the one to do it. A rough hand is what I need. It’s what I crave and he reads my mind. The hand at my cleavage travels down the outline of my body and onto the button of my shorts. With a quick yank, they pop open. He continues to fuck my mouth with his, relentlessly, while he slips his fingers under the fabric of my underwear. He’s all I taste, all I think about. His being consumes me inch by inch, threatening to leave me broken if he doesn’t finish what he started.
“You want me here?” he asks into my mouth as he slides a finger down my outer lips, making me shudder and flex my hips into his hand.
I can feel my wetness coating his index finger with desperation. Fevered, I nod my head and whimper weakly as he spreads my lips with the tip of his index finger.
“I don’t think you want it that badly.”
This time, I nod a little more desperately. “I do. God. Fuck. I do.”
His eyes flare and I feel it throughout my entire body. Whatever I’m doing, it’s what he wants. I can see it. “Get your tits out, Kitten, and I’ll have you seeing stars.”
In record time, and with shaky hands, I yank up my tank top and tug down my cotton bra. It sits tightly underneath my tits, pushing them right up. I look at Jai. He’s fixated on them, his eyes thinned into lusty slits. He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip before thrusting his finger deep into me with a husky groan. My breath hitches and I grip the edges of the cot. Holy. Fuck me.
“You listen well like this,” he says and I hear the smile in his tone. “Maybe I should’ve done this from the beginning. Maybe then you wouldn’t have caused me so much trouble.”
Jai curls his finger and my entire body trembles as he strokes that one spot. The one that makes a girl lose her smarts.
“I like trouble.” I sigh. “It turns me on.”
And it does. People say stick with what you know, but I say stick with the unknown. Trouble lurks in the unknown and excitements breeds in the unknown. The unknown is what keeps me going.
My entire body clenches from the exhilarating sensation of his touch inside me. He pushes another finger in and I close my eyes to gain control as my body threatens to crumble under him. I slide my hands up his rock-hard torso and down his arms, storing every inch of him in my brain. I don’t want to forget a single detail. Not ever.
I push into his palm, forcing him deeper. My nipples ache, and I stretch to rub my breasts against his chest, but he has other ideas. As I arch my back, he dips his neck and catches a nipple between his teeth. I hiss, then moan as his tongue soothes the burn he created. I’m point five of a second away from breaking apart. He knows it too. Freeing my nipple from his sweet torture, he drags his mouth to my ear and I all but sigh as his cheek brushes mine.
“Do I own you, Emily?” he breathes in my ear.
In this moment, I’d agree to wear a collar with the name KITTEN spelled out in fake diamond studs. It’s safe to say I’m putty in his hands.
“Yes.” I sigh, rocking my hips and forcing his fingers deeper inside me. “God, yes.”
“Told you,” he mumbles, but I pay no attention to it.
Convulsions rock me, and I catch the sound of his breath seizing in his throat as he pulls his head back enough to watch my face as I climax. I’m a mix of moans and shudders, each more violent than the last. He fingers me harder and faster, and with each speed I go off like a rocket for him, exploding into a thousand and one pieces.
Eventually, but not quietly, I come back down to earth. When I’ve caught my breath, Jai meets me, his face directly in front of mine and dead serious.
“If you go to Skull for help, you’re not going to get out. He’ll own you.”
I blink, confused. All of this … was to prove how easy it is to lose your head when you’re aroused? And I fucking failed.
He pulls my bra back up and tugs my shirt down. Then, Jai rolls us again until I’m on top of him. Brushing my hair away from my damp face, he locates my ear and slips an ear bud back inside. Slow rock plays once more.
Against my hip I feel him hard and wanting, but I’m
too embarrassed to offer anything to help. I’ve just proven how easy it is to control someone … I’ve just proven how easy it would be for Skull to own me … I’ve just been finger banged underground by a stranger …
Shit.
Maybe sticking to the unknown isn’t my most stable piece of advice.
Drinks
I never fell asleep, but I faked it when morning rolled around and Jai woke up. Last night, he crashed out not long after he touched me, but I couldn’t. As my stomach twisted, both delightfully and painfully, I listened to one hundred songs that dragged me through one hundred different emotions. With an aggressive rap in one ear and his steady heartbeat in the other, I tried to rationalize my actions, but I kept coming back to one truth.
I am an idiot.
Once Jai left, an hour ago now, I moved back to my own cot. I have to talk to him about last night, that much I know. Though it didn’t mean anything on an emotional level, I have to clear the air. Most days, I’m not that kind of girl, and what happened was … was … not something I could’ve predicted. Ever. I don’t know how long I’m going to be down here, but I can’t sleep in a bed next to Jai and pretend what happened didn’t happen. If I bring it up, we can put it behind us and move on. That’s what responsible adults do, right?
Another ten minutes pass before I decide it’s less embarrassing to go out and find him than wallow in my own self-pity until he gets here. I swing my legs off the edge of my bed, cringing when my feet touch the concrete. I stand up and glance down at my clothes. My shirt is uneven and my bra is tucked uncomfortably at one corner. When I adjust them, I notice my shorts are wide open, exposing my black underwear. Sighing, I close the button and pull up the zipper. I feel dirty as I give myself another quick once-over. I wonder if anyone else can see what went on in here last night just by looking at me … I feel as though it’s written on my face. No one’s cheeks feel this warm unless they’ve done something dirty. As the thought passes, a tall woman with long, blonde hair walks by, and she raises her perfectly tweezed eyebrows at me. I frown, but there’s no mistaking it. She knows. These tunnels echo so clearly and if she sleeps in the same tunnel as us, there’s no avoiding it.
I slip into my black shoes, forgoing the socks, and step out into the main tunnel. As I walk past various nooks, crannies and service walkways, I see most people are still sleeping. I don’t blame them. There isn’t much else you can do down here. Somewhere in the distance, I hear a woman crying and a man yelling, calling her selfish. Poor girl. I’d hate to have my business aired so freely.
I don’t know exactly how long I walk around for. I mostly stick to the areas I know, too scared to venture off into a tunnel I haven’t walked through yet. I get lost easily. I always have. When my feet begin to ache against the thin, rubber soles of my shoes, I decide to head back to our space and wait for Jai there. I almost make it unbothered too, but I’m stopped just as I pass the cage. I drag my eyes from the floor and onto an old pair of sandals. Thick, hairy toes poke out the ends and wiggle as I watch. Grimacing, I force my stare up bare calves and onto tattered shorts before quickly pushing the rest of my attention up a slightly hairy chest and onto an angry face with the most disturbing spider tattoo right on the corner of his mouth. I groan. Not this fucking guy again. He’s not an attractive man, by any means, and the scowl on his face doesn’t help his appeal at all.
“Can I help you?” I ask, attitude thick in my voice.
I don’t have Jai with me so I need to play this smart, but I can tell by the man’s demeanor he has an issue with me and he needs to know I won’t tolerate it.
He slides closer, his scowl morphing into a twisted grin. “It was you, wasn’t it? The girl I heard last night.”
Just like that, fire ignites in my face and I know, in the glow of the spotlights, he can see it. Shaking my head, I stammer, unable to formulate a proper sentence. Giving up, I seek to push past him, but he blocks my path.
“I like your voice,” he purrs, reaching out to touch my lips.
I swat him away, the red in my cheeks becoming a result of anger, not embarrassment. “You’ve got the wrong girl.”
He shoots forward and grabs a fistful of my hair. The pain of it sears across my scalp and I wince. Gasping, I close my hand around his in an attempt to pry his fingers away, but he only tightens his grip. He smirks at the sounds I make.
“Oh, I have the right girl.”
I cringe and squeeze my eyes shut as he licks the side of my face with his gross, slimy tongue. My gag reflex starts twitching, my throat cramping as the wetness soaks into my pores. I’m going to throw up.
“Really, Kitten? You couldn’t have stayed out of trouble for an hour?”
My eyes shoot open at the sound of a familiar voice. My attacker releases my hair and I stumble backwards until my hand finds a weak railing. As I lift my shirt to wipe my face, I see Jai drive a powerful fist into my attacker’s mouth. If this were a cartoon, the spider would have been forced from his skin. I shuffle back as the sleazy guy crumbles to the floor, grasping at his mouth and moaning loudly. Jai steps over him and towards me. I cower at the size of him and the aggression in his steps. He flexes his hand at his side, balling it up before relaxing it once more.
“What are you doing?” he demands, his jaw clenching.
I rub at my face with my shirt. “I was looking for you.”
“You shouldn’t walk around here without me. You could get hurt.”
I lower my shirt and scowl at him. I see plenty of women walk around here—some not even wearing clothes. If I want to walk around, I should have that right. I don’t need to be babysat by Jai. I’m a grown-ass woman.
“You might call me Kitten, but I am not one. I can take care of myself.”
He flicks his eyebrows, his mouth morphing into a smile of complete mockery. I hate it. I hate being treated like a child.
“Okay, Miss Lioness, tell me, how were you going to handle that situation?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “If you gave me a little more time, I would have done something.”
He shakes his head. “When you’re in a situation like that, you don’t have time. The trick is avoiding the situation before it even has a chance to happen. He had you by your hair. You were as good as his if I hadn’t shown up when I did.”
As good as his? Is he implying that I wouldn’t have been able to fight him off? I may be a smaller woman, but I am fucking fierce. I’d die long before I let anyone do something I didn’t want done to my body.
“You asshole!” the man growls, pulling himself to his feet.
Jai and I watch him as blood trickles from his mouth and down his chin.
“You’re going to fucking regret th—”
I shoot forward and cock my knee. While his attention is on Jai, I drive my foot forward with full force and I connect perfectly. Right in the baby-maker. He yells in my face and grips my shoulder. His breath smells horrid, like copper and rust, and his knees click together. I shrug out from underneath him and he drops to the floor. I don’t know if that kick is going to come back to haunt me, but for now, it felt nice to do. My heart-rate has elevated to dangerous levels, threatening to burst through my chest and I peer sideways at Jai, who smiles down at me. It’s reassuring.
I smirk back at him. “Say it.”
He angles his head. “Say what?”
“You’re impressed. Admit it.”
Jai smiles, a full-blown smile, one I haven’t seen before. It lights up his features and exposes his perfect white teeth. “How about I buy you a drink instead?”
I raise my eyebrows, interested. “And when and where am I going to collect it?”
He flicks his head towards the tunnel behind him, in the opposite direction of our nook. I haven’t ventured any further into the tunnels down here, but if there’s a place to ‘buy’ drinks, I’m sold.
We pass lots of fighters on the way. Some drunk. Some sober. All scary. For the most part, I keep my head down and stick close t
o Jai. About a mile down one tunnel, we pop out at yet another large opening. Whoever designed this underground system was clever. Every mile or so there are large open tunnels in the floor, allowing any excess water the previous tunnel didn’t catch to filter down. Being as close to the river as this industrial site is, I’m assuming they’ve also taken into account any flooding from there, thus ensuring the spillage from the river doesn’t flood the lower areas.
What amazes me most about this particular space are the naked people. Men. Women. Everyone. As naked as the day they were born. I notice the smell in here is different to the other tunnels. Various fruity aromas of pomegranate, peach, pineapple and apple, as well as manlier, earthier ones, flood into my nostrils. My attention rests on the steady stream of clean water that seeps from a small pipe above. It spits out the water, allowing at least twelve people below to wet their cloths and clean their bodies. Granted, it’s not the kind of shower that can efficiently wash away all of the day’s grime or relieve a back ache, but at least it’s something.
“This is the wash area.”
I grip his arm and squeeze. “Wait. A wash area? There’s a wash area?”
I watch people brush their teeth and rinse out clothes. All this time? All this time there has been a wash area and he never told me?
Jai nods and I glare up at him.
“I found it last night.”
That explains why he felt so nice to touch and his breath smelled of mint. Fresh, delightful mint. “And you didn’t tell me?”
He smirks. “I was distracted by other things.”
I look away from him as his eyes search my face for a reaction. I thought it’d be easy to address last night with him and play it off as nothing, but the thought alone is enough to make my blood simmer deliciously. God. Why does he have to have such a nice face? Boys are much easier to talk to when you don’t want to lick them from head to … well, head. I like those boys. They make me feel normal, not tingly.
“Now you know it’s here, let’s go to the bar and get a drink. You can wash later.”