Little One Read online

  I urge her into the shower and turn on the water. Taking deep breaths, I push up my sleeves and open up the soap. I lather it in my hands.

  “I can do that myself you know.” She smiles at me—a smile that invites too many dangerous thoughts.

  She’s probably thinking much of the same but, the innocent that she is, she can’t even imagine how dark my thoughts can get. If things were different, if we weren’t on the run, if she wasn’t Danny’s little sister, I’d teach her so much. Fuck, I wish I was the guy to do that.

  I keep my gaze unfocused as I soap her down, leaving little white trails all over her body. I avoid looking at her pert little breasts and that pink pussy. It doesn’t help, though. I can still feel. I can still hear her aroused breaths.

  I snatch the shower head and rinse her off while I stare at the tiles behind her. Finally, I grab a towel and help her out. The way she’s still smiling at me nearly cracks my heart. She’s feeling better, which is what I fucking wanted, but she has no idea how much danger she’s in.

  Mostly from me.

  The towel is old and rough so I rub her down gently. She puts her hands on my shoulders, leaning into me while I dry her feet and her legs then up to her stomach and arms.

  “You don’t have to do this you know,” she says softly. “I can take care of myself.”

  I shake my head. “I’m meant to look after you.” A bitter taste rises in my mouth. What a fucking mess I’ve made of that. But I’m going to put things right now. I’ll keep her safe, keep out of her pussy and return her to her brother, almost untouched.

  “Will you…will you come and look after me in bed?”

  I pick up her sundress and hand it to her with a shake of my head. “I need to make some more calls. Get dressed and stay here.” I motion to the bed. “Don’t move and don’t answer the door. Stay away from the window.”

  Gray’s mouth opens to protest but she snaps it shut when I shoot her a look.

  “Just do as I say.” I can hear the exhaustion in my voice. It makes the words harsh. She visibly flinches and I sigh. “Not that you haven’t. But, please, Gray, just do as you’re told.”

  I steal a quick glance at her as I leave the motel room, still standing in the doorway, the thin towel wrapped around her body. She probably doesn’t get it, and I don’t want her to. I don’t want her thinking for one second that I’d let my guard down and nearly let her get killed.

  Chapter Twelve

  Gray

  Valentine returns quickly but isn’t any different to how he was when he left. He’s filled with some kind of energy, but the sort that fills me with dread. He stops to look out of the window but he barely looks at me. He can’t even make eye contact.

  I’m wearing my dress and sitting on the bed as I was told to. My body is finally warm and the shower did make me feel better but I can’t rid myself of the ache in my stomach. I get that he’s going to be edgy. I mean, we could have been killed and he was nearly shot. Of course, he’s going to be on guard. But I can’t help feel there’s more to it than that. After all, if he’s been to war and worked for my brother for so long, he’s probably seen his fair share of guns.

  “So what’s the plan? Did you make your calls?”

  He nods and begins to empty the satchel he’s brought in from the car. There’s cash, passports, several more phones and guns. I gulp.

  “Everything is sorted. We’ll stay here for one night and move on.”

  “Move on where?”

  “The coast.”

  I stand. “You want to tell me anything more?”

  He lifts a shoulder. “What do you need to know?”

  I search his face. Why is he being so cold? How can he go from holding me like I was the only person in the world, to barely answering my questions?

  “V, I’ve been pretty good about doing whatever you’ve asked of me. I think I deserve some answers.”

  A flicker of something flashes in his eyes when I use V instead of Valentine. I didn’t mean to say it, but that’s how I see him right now. He’s V—my brother’s right-hand man, and not Valentine, the man who made me feel things I’ve never felt before.

  He pushes a hand through his hair and huffs out a breath. “You have, Little One.” A reluctant smile twists on his lips. “You’re always so good. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an asshole. It’s just this…this is really dangerous, you know?”

  I nod and swallow the knot in my throat.

  “Don’t be scared, though. I’ll take care of you.”

  He stares into me until I nod. I was scared, perhaps I still am, but it was fear for him more than for me. I know he’d put himself in front of a bullet for me but I’m not sure why anymore. Out of loyalty to my brother or because he cares for me?

  “If I’m going to keep you safe, you’ve just gotta follow my instructions, okay? Let me keep my head straight and follow my instructions.”

  I don’t know what he means by ‘keep his head straight’ but I nod anyway.

  “An old military friend has a place that’s off the grid. Let’s just say he needed it sometimes. He’s out of the country so we can go there. Not even your brother knows about it.”

  “You think someone who works for him told them where we were?”

  Valentine nods. “Whoever is doing this has some reach. I can’t afford to trust anyone right now.”

  I grimace. This has got to be eating Danny alive right now. He trusts those around him. He always told me if you treat those who work for you like family, they’ll treat you just the same. But it seems like he was too trusting.

  “Danny is going to be okay, isn’t he?”

  “Danny is a hell of a lot smarter than I am. He’ll be fine.” Valentine strides over to the window and pushes back the curtain. He pauses a minute then runs his gaze over me. “Let’s go shopping.”

  “Shopping?”

  “We made a run without any of our stuff. You need clothes and girly shit.”

  I laugh. “I can survive without girly shit. Though I wouldn’t mind some panties.”

  His gaze skims down to the skirt of my summer dress and I can feel his gaze burning through the fabric, as if he’s trying to see my bare pussy underneath the cotton. My body pulses in response. There’s something so sexy about being totally bare underneath my dress that I almost regret asking for panties.

  With a shake of his head, he reaches for my hand and eases open the door.

  “There’s a few shops here. Nothing fancy but we can get the basics,” he says as he leads me outside.

  I blink in the daylight, feeling as though I’ve been hiding away for days instead of an hour or so. Air brushes my bare pussy and I long for Valentine to be looking at me again like he’s going to flip up my skirt and bury his cock deep. It might have only been a night since he fucked me last but I want it again already. Over and over. Love or not, I still want him so badly.

  We stop at the small clothing boutique first. It might not be designer clothing but they have a few pretty dresses and I grab a pair of shorts and a tee. Valentine picks up three dresses and hands them to me.

  “Try these on.”

  I look at the labels. “They’ll fit I think, but I can manage with a dress and shorts.”

  “Just try them on, Little One.”

  The woman behind the counter watches us. What does she think? That we’re daddy and daughter shopping? Or that he’s my lover, treating me to new clothes? I’m half-tempted to sling my arms around his neck and kiss him passionately just to give the woman something to really watch.

  I put on the first dress—a pale blue one which is fitted around the waist. I’m still pantyless as I draw back the curtain. “You want to see?”

  With his arms folded across his chest, all dark and dangerous, he should look totally out of place in this small shop. Somehow Valentine manages to look totally assured of himself. At least until I ask him that. Indecision crosses his face and he nods.

  I step out and do a little twirl. His expre
ssion goes from uncertain to uncomfortable, then I catch it…his eyes darken. The air in my lungs vanishes. He wants me.

  “Will I do?”

  He nods stiffly and glances in the direction of the counter. Tucked behind racks of clothes, I’m hidden from the woman’s view. I give a smile and turn. “Not too short is it?” I bend just enough to give him a quick peek.

  Valentine doesn’t say anything so I peer over my shoulder at him. My smile vanishes. He takes a step forward and puts a hand to my back. His hand slips down over my ass.

  “It’s perfect,” he says, his voice harsh, his breath blowing across my ear.

  I’m frozen by his touch. It galvanizes me, keeping me as still as a statue. I’m at his mercy just from the hand on my ass. I don’t know how he does it but he makes me so weak for him.

  “You have no idea do you, Little One?”

  “About what?” I murmur.

  “How dangerous you are. You’re playing with fire here.”

  “Maybe I want to get burned.”

  “You don’t want to. Trust me, you don’t. I nearly lost you once, and I won’t let that happen again.”

  “But—”

  His hand slips under my skirt and presses between my legs. One finger probes my folds and I widen my stance, giving him access. My clit pulses and I fight not to moan when he pushes that finger into my pussy.

  I don’t care that we’re in the middle of a shop. That anyone could walk in and see us. I want to spread my legs wide and take more. But Valentine withdraws his hand quickly and shakes his head.

  “You’re too dangerous, Little One. Christ, what am I going to do with you?” Before I can answer he taps my butt. “Go get changed. We’ll take all the dresses and grab some more sandals too.” He pauses and eyes the finger that has just been buried inside me. Slowly, he puts it in his mouth and tastes it. I’m about ready to crumble to the floor and beg him to fuck me here and now. I don’t know what sort of game he’s playing but it’s working.

  “Don’t forget to grab some panties. I’ll wait at the cash register.”

  It takes me a few moments of eyeing myself in the mirror to gather my thoughts. My reflection stares back at me, hair wild and old dress creased. I have grazes on my knees that I didn’t know I had and a bruise on my arm that I must have gotten when I climbed out of the window. I don’t look sexy or seductive but Valentine looked as though he was ready to eat me alive. He could have if he’d wanted but he didn’t do anything, instead he told me I’m dangerous. What does he even mean by that?

  I bundle up the dresses and shorts along with a sweatshirt in case it’s cold by the coast. I don’t take too long picking out some panties and a pair of sandals as Valentine has resumed his on-guard stance and the woman at the counter keeps staring at him.

  A few more curious looks come from her as Valentine pays. She puts the clothes in a bag and I spot the security camera feed angled so that she can see everything. And I mean everything. She probably got a great view of Valentine touching me. Heat burns my cheeks and I stammer out my thanks.

  “She saw it all,” I hiss when we leave the shop.

  Valentine puts an arm around my shoulder and guides me into the next store. “Told you not to play dangerously.”

  “You’re not embarrassed?”

  He shrugs. “I’ve done and seen worse.”

  I try not to think about his experience with other women. All that matters is how he is with me. I don’t think he’s the kind of guy to be thinking of other women while fucking another.

  He motions to the toiletries. “Get whatever you need. Moisturizer or whatever.” He grabs himself a toothbrush and paste, and some soap.

  I pick up some cheap perfume and toiletries. They don’t stock anything expensive like the stuff that was at the safe house but I’m not really interested in any of it. I grab the basics and give them to Valentine to purchase.

  When we’re done, we head back to the motel room and he does another check around. I pull a dress out of the bag and shake it out. The daring part of me wants to strip right in front of him, just to see what he will do. I want things to be back to how they were before those men came for us.

  But his words keep ringing in my head. You’re playing with fire. You’re dangerous. What does he even mean? I’m dangerous to him? To us? Does he see me as a distraction or an annoyance? I don’t even know anymore.

  “I’ll just…” I motion to the bathroom.

  “You stay here. I could do with a shower.”

  “And some rest?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “Too wired.”

  He’s driven all night and hardly slept. I wish I could think of a way to force him to rest but no one can force Valentine to do anything he doesn’t want to do, not even me.

  I wait until I hear the shower turn on then I strip off my old dress and get into the blue one. The memory of his hand hot on my back then gentle on my ass and my pussy rattles through me. I need that back. Those intense looks and the way his words whisper over my skin when he calls me Little One.

  Pulling out a new pair of panties, I rip off the label and put one leg through. The strap of my sandal catches on the lace and I tumble with a squeal. My arm and elbow hits the floor and I wince as the rest of me follows.

  Before I can stand and curse myself for being so clumsy, the bathroom door flies open. I stop breathing.

  Valentine, a towel fisted around his waist, strides forward and grabs me. He pulls me into him and his wet skin soaks through the thin cotton of my dress.

  “What happened?” He’s drags me behind him, using his body as a shield before I can answer.

  “I-I fell,” I manage to spit out.

  He hauls me back around so he can look at me. I can’t stop my gaze from skimming over his damp body, following the line of hair from his cock to his stomach and remembering how good those ripples felt underneath my fingertips. I swallow hard when I notice how the towel is tented over his cock.

  “You fell?”

  I nod furiously. “Trying to get my panties on. I was just clumsy.” I motion to the discarded panties that had flung across the floor when I fell.

  His chest rises and falls while his gaze scans me. Valentine lifts my arm and eyes my elbow which reveals most of the damage—a small scrape that barely hurts. He shakes his head and exhales loudly.

  “I thought…” He rubs a hand across his face. “I thought this was it. That they’d found us. That I’d lost you.” His voice cracks at the end. “Fuck, Little One, what would I do?”

  No words come. How can I respond to that raw pain in his voice?

  He smirks. “There I was fisting my cock, thinking of your sweet pussy. Even when I try I can’t keep my mind on the job.”

  “So I’m just a job?”

  He shakes his head. “You are so much more than a job. Fuck, you have no idea.”

  Releasing me, he strides over to the door. One hand still holding up the towel, he uses the other to drag the side table across in front of the door.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure no-one gets in. Because, Little One, I’m going to spend the next few hours fucking you over and over. I don’t want any interruptions.”

  My mouth dries. This is what I wanted, oh God, this is what I wanted, but the words combined with the naked, wet image of him, makes me freeze. I don’t know how to proceed.

  It doesn’t matter, though. He makes the decision for me. He drops the towel and paces forward, lifting me up. I instinctually wrap my legs around him and his hands are hot on my bare ass.

  His mouth finds mine. Valentine wastes no time thrusting his tongue into my mouth. I meet his kiss with the same desperation, feeling as though it’s been twenty-four days and not twenty-four hours since he last kissed me like this.

  He staggers forward and my back meets the wall. I let out a gasp as I’m crushed between his body and the wall. He kisses up my neck, over my mouth, across my collar bone, everywhere he can reach.

&n
bsp; “I thought I’d lost you, Little One,” he murmurs between kisses.

  I push my hands into his hair and wriggle against him. “You won’t lose me.”

  “I thought I could resist but I can’t. I thought it was best…”

  “It wasn’t.”

  He grips my ass tight and I feel his cock touching my folds. “I fucking know that now.”

  With one thrust, he’s buried deep in me. I cry out. The whole motel can probably hear me but I don’t care. All I care about is his hardness inside me, thrusting in and out, bringing instant pleasure. It’s the blinding kind. The type that makes me forget everything besides him. There’s no fear or doubt. In his arms, everything is perfect.

  He withdraws slowly then slams back into me, making sure I feel every inch of him invading inside me. He does it again. Then several times more before picking up the pace. I claw at his back. My orgasm comes quicker than I expected—a fast, furious one that has me trembling and crying out his name. It subsides quickly too but it’s not over.

  Valentine presses deeper and harder and faster. “Fuck,” he says through gritted teeth. “Fuck, Little One. How could I live without you?”

  His cock pulses inside me and triggers another climax. This one is longer, thrumming through me as I feel his hot cum filling me. I smile against his shoulder and treasure the way he grips me tight.

  Finally, he lifts his head and carries me, still impaled on his cock, to the bed. He eases me down onto the bed and goes to the bathroom. I wait, my pussy cold with cum spilling out of it, the rest of my body warm and flushed with pleasure.

  He can’t live without me. That must mean something, right? I stare at the tobacco-stained ceiling. I can’t help it. I’m there again. I love him, and there’s no doubting it this time.

  Valentine emerges and wipes me down tenderly before discarding the tissue. He comes to lie next to me and I tilt my head toward him. He pushes my hair from my face and touches a finger to my lips.

  “I’m sorry, Little One.”

  “What for?”

  “For everything.”

  I frown. “Everything?”

  “For thinking I could resist you. For being an asshole. For not being stronger.”