Fall (Romanian Mob Chronicles Book 2) (3 page)

E
sther

B
efore I could scream again
, the hand around my wrist was joined by another at the curve of my waist, and though I thrashed, tried to push away, I couldn’t break the hold. The next thing I knew, I was inside my house and heard the door close behind me. The sound of the door scraping the foyer floor, one that I heard thousands of times before but that had never incited fear, made my heart boom even harder.

I wouldn’t go without a fight though; I would use the size and strength God had given me, so I turned, ready to attack.

And my gaze clashed with a brooding blue one, one I recognized instantly as Sorin’s teasing anger.

My fear turned to rage in an instant, and I pushed at him, pushed again when he lifted a corner of his mouth and laughed.

“Did I scare you, Esther?” he said, his rich, deep voice rolling through the room.

I pushed him again, halfway considered slugging him, but I half worried that hitting the solid wall of his chest would just hurt my hand.

He leaned against the door, smirking, his hand against my waist hot and heavy and the other still holding my wrist. “So quiet,” he said.

I exhaled, swallowed and then swallowed again, trying to calm my pounding heart before I finally was able to speak. “Dammit, Sorin! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Vasile said you’d just left. I thought I’d make sure you got home,” he said, still smiling, something I’d seen more of in these last thirty seconds than I had during the months I’d known him. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if seeing me was the reason why, but I quickly pushed that aside.

I glared at him, tried to pull my hand away, but he didn’t release me.

“Come on, Esther, don’t be a bad sport,” he said, his voice dropping lower.

“Ugh!” I said. I clenched my fists and stomped, unable to form words, which only made him laugh harder.

I stomped again, not quite sure what to say, and not quite sure that I had the ability to say it.

As I did, he watched me, and I was suddenly aware of his hand tightening against my waist, the scant inches that separated our bodies, noticed the way his gaze dropped to my breasts before lifting to my eyes.

That heated look was just the spur I needed.

“Why are you here, Sorin?” I whispered.

Instead of responding he pushed away from the door, moving fast until I was pressed against the wall, Sorin looming over me. I had to crane my neck to see his face, the dark obscuring his features. It was unnerving, Sorin’s hands on me, his body nearly touching mine but his face unseen. I’d been this close to him before, that first day when he had tried to keep me out, but this felt different, more intimate, especially the way he stared down at me, imposing body over mine, face in shadow.

“What are we going to do?” he asked.

I scoffed. “What are you talking about? And why are you here?” I repeated.

Even though I could hardly see his eyes, I turned away, unable to withstand the intensity that I felt in his gaze.

“Look at me, Esther,” he said as he leaned forward, his voice soft and demanding. Undeniable.

I lifted my gaze to his again, saw the heat in it.

“I asked you a question. What are we going to do?”

“D-do?” I stopped, swallowed hard. “Do about what?”

“That’s disappointing,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“What?”

“You’re playing coy. You didn’t strike me as the type.”

“Sorin, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, impressed when I managed to sound believable because it was a big fat lie. Even before my mind had processed that it was Sorin who’d held me, my body had responded, the gathering dampness between my thighs testament to the fact.

“So you don’t feel it, Esther?”

“Feel what?” I asked, but in reality I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I most certainly felt it.

Felt it in every inch of my body, which practically strained toward him, begging for his touch, felt in it in the butterflies that flitted around my stomach, in the pulse that beat in my chest. But what I didn’t feel was fear. Not anymore.

“You’re a big part of my niece’s life, very important to my sister…”

“She’s not your sister,” I said, voice soft, almost timid.

“Close enough. We’re going to be spending time together, so we need to handle this,” he whispered as he leaned even closer, his breath fanning against my face, his lips centimeters from mine.

“How would you suggest we do that?” I said.

“I think I have an idea.”

Again moving with lightning speed, he turned me so my face was pressed against the wall, his body against mine. Even through the layers of our clothes, I felt the heat of his body, the hardness of his chest, his solid, heavy thighs curved against mine, his hardness against my ass. I almost purred with pleasure, and just barely kept myself from pressing against him harder.

He released his hold on my wrist, and without thought, I lifted my hand to the wall, my fingers curving as I tried to seek purchase. With the hand still on my hip, he pulled me back toward him, his cock grinding against me, his breath on my neck, raising goose bumps across my skin.

“Is this your idea?” I choked out.

“Part of it,” he said.

Then he trailed his fingers across my hip and up to my waistband, the first touch of his rough fingertips against my skin making me exhale sharply. He stayed there for a moment, his thumb teasing my skin, and then he put his other hand on my waist, fingers meeting in the middle of my stomach, hot hands against me making me shiver.

“This will help,” he said as he casually popped open my pants and slid down the zipper.

I frantically tried to remember which panties I’d worn this morning, and then didn’t think at all when he pulled my jeans down and cupped my mound with his huge hand. I did purr this time, rocked against his hand, though he was gracious enough to pretend not to notice.

“You agree, don’t you?” he asked, that wicked thumb resting on the line where my panties led to bare skin.

“What?” I said.

He chuckled, gripped me tighter. “Don’t you agree that this will help?” he said.

“I don’t even know what this is,” I said, voice breathy, high-pitched.

He laughed again, and I realized that for once I didn’t find it grating. In fact, the sinfully velvet sound made my sex pulse.

“I think you do,” he said as he used two fingers to move my panties aside, the first touch of his hot fingers against my sensitive skin making me squirm.

I arched against him, seeking more contact and feeling rather proud when he let out a sharp exhale of his own. He recovered quickly, hooked his thumb into my panties, and then pulled them down.

The loss of contact was mournful, but that feeling soon faded when he gripped me again, his palm flat at the apex of my thighs, his thumb again teasing me.

“You do think this is a good idea,” he said. “Your pussy does, anyway. You’re dripping.”

He moved his hand, rasping against my lips, spreading the creamy wetness that flowed from me. On a third stroke, he swiped two fingers between my lips, opening me.

“Sorin…”

“Esther…” he said, voice teasing the same way his fingers did.

“This is a…” I exhaled hard when he passed over my throbbing clit. “A bad idea,” I finished.

“You’ve never given it any thought?” he asked, those magic fingers working at my slit.

“No, I haven’t,” I said stubbornly, my admonition losing all force when I rolled my hips against his fingers, trying to drive him inside me.

He pulled me even closer to him, his grip tight, his body a cage behind me. “Of course you haven’t, Esther. So think about it now. We’ll fuck and then we can play nice, huh?”

I slammed my eyes closed, tried to shut out his breath against my neck, his chest against my back, his fingers lazily tracing my slick lips. Reason told me to send him away, and I wanted to listen. My body disagreed.

“Just once,” I said as firmly as I could.

“Just once,” he echoed.

And then his fingers were gone, and I bit back a groan of frustration and tried to turn. The hand he’d lifted to the small of my back held me in place, and I could only listen to the soft
snick
of his zipper coming down.

“Don’t move,” he said, voice harsh but softened by the thickness of the arousal I could hear in it.

Any other day, with any other man, I would have disobeyed, but I stayed still as I was waiting. Not patiently though.

“Hurry up,” I said when seconds passed after I heard the faint rip of foil.

“You anxious, Esther?” he replied as he pushed against me again, his big body trembling as he ran his cock against my lips.

“You didn’t come here to talk, Sorin,” I said.

“For once we agree,” he replied as he gripped my hip tightly.

Then he plunged, filling me in one solid stroke. It was almost too much, and I stifled a groan at the invasion, my walls stretching to accommodate him as he filled me as no one ever had.

I clenched experimentally, tightening around his thick shaft and was rewarded with a sharp exhale.

“Do that again,” he barked, and I complied almost before he had the words out.

His grip on me tightened even further, almost punishing, but I didn’t care, couldn’t, not with him behind me, inside me, all around me.

“Move, Sorin!” I exclaimed, and I almost cried out when he did, pulling back and then pushing in and then doing it again and again.

Eyes still closed, forehead against the wall, I dropped my hand to his thick arm, squeezed his wrist as he rocked inside me, his low grunts and my breathy sighs the only sounds in the room. And with each thrust, each flex of his powerful arm in my hand, he dismantled me.

I wasn’t like this, wasn’t one to give myself to a man, wasn’t one to be taken, but this…with him was different. I couldn’t do anything, didn’t want to do anything but feel him plowing inside me, stirring pleasure that ripped at me as strong and fierce as any anger he’d ever made me feel.

Stronger.

Strong enough that I soon felt that charge in my stomach, one that I often only found with my own hand. I slammed my eyes closed, my fingers digging into his arm as my pussy clamped tight around his shaft. My body pulled tight, then went slack, his arm around me, his cock inside me the only things keeping me upright.

I breathed out harshly, somehow choking back the scream that wanted to emerge and let the pleasure take me, the electricity shooting through my body. He stilled behind me, his cock pulsing inside me as he emptied himself into the latex.

We stayed there for a moment, just long enough for my heart to calm and my mind to accept what had happened, but not long enough for me to regret it, at least not yet.

When he slipped from me, I felt shockingly regretful and tried to turn to cover the feeling.

“Wait,” he said, again pressing that big hand at the small of my back.

Then he pulled my underwear and pants back up and even buttoned them. I waited until I heard his zipper close and then turned to face him, somewhat grateful his face was still in shadow.

“See you later,” he said. And then, before I responded, he left.

S
orin

I
’d gone
to
Esther’s on a lark, convinced that we could fuck out the weirdness between us and get on with things. What I hadn’t anticipated were the thoughts of her and how she’d felt plaguing me for over a week, leaving me in a continually frustrated state. And as time had passed, I’d become more and more convinced Esther was the only cure for the perpetual hard-on I’d been sporting since I’d left her house.

“Pardon me,” Esther said the following Sunday evening as she brushed past me in the hallway.

I lifted a brow at her, and she narrowed her eyes, her nostrils flaring slightly with her deep exhale. It was the first glimpse of the real her I’d seen all night, and I welcomed it.

After I flashed her a quick smile, she turned on her heel and stomped back toward the dining room, but before she took a second step, I locked my arms around her waist and pulled her to me.

“Your ass looks good in those pants. Feels better against my cock though,” I said, voice low in her ear.

I felt the shiver she tried to suppress, her deep breaths, and the slight little wiggle she gave her hips.

“Unhand me, Sorin,” she said, her voice firm, almost haughty.

I chuckled. “‘Unhand me, Sorin,’” I mimicked as I pulled her closer and ground against her. “I can. If you want. Or I can do this.”

I trailed my lips down the shell of her ear, nipped at her earlobe as I spread my hand wide across the expanse of her stomach and pushed her against me harder, my cock nestling between the warm softness of her ass cheeks as if it was meant to be there.

I couldn’t see her face, but I didn’t have to see her internal struggle. It was evident in her body, her fingers wrapped tight around my wrist as if she wanted to break my hold, her body molded against mine as if she never wanted to leave me.

Slow at first, and then with increasing speed, I moved my hand in a big circle, brushing the undersides of her breasts but not lingering in one spot for too long. I hadn’t even seen all of her, but I needed to know as much as I needed my last breath. I broke her grip on my wrist and snaked my hand under her shirt, moving up her soft stomach to cup her tit, her hard nipple centered in my palm, her full flesh too much for my hand to contain.

Her breaths came in short little bursts now, tight, restricted, but still reminding me of how she’d sounded as I’d moved inside her.

And I knew then I would experience it again, would have her naked before me, her eyes on mine as I took her…

A sharp cry that I instantly recognized as Maria, followed by Vasile’s low, soothing voice that got louder as he approached us broke the lust-filled haze that had descended. Esther jumped and then looked back at me before she scurried to fix her shirt and then practically ran back to the living room.

I stayed put, my heart hammering in time with my cock, my hands clenched tight with desire for her. And then finally, long moments later, I followed.

E
sther

F
awn and Vasile
had said nothing when I returned, both having been preoccupied with soothing a crying Maria, but I wasn’t naive enough to think they didn’t see how flustered I was. My heart hammered a furious beat, and desire strong enough to take my breath away coursed through me. I’d told myself that what had happened was a one-time thing, that he had no effect on me, but two minutes in a hallway had given lie to that tale. Sorin was under my skin, and damn if I didn’t want him there.

He sauntered into the living room looking no worse for the wear, a fact that pissed me off. He didn’t even bother to look in my direction, just sat down, his posture loose, relaxed, like he hadn’t just nearly made me come with no effort at all. It probably hadn’t been an effort for him, was just something he did in his spare time with whoever was around. That thought sent my heart rate spiking.

“So how’s the hardware store, Esther?” Fawn asked.

I let my gaze linger on Sorin, only belatedly realizing I’d been staring.

“It’s cool so far,” I finally said. “I haven’t had to cuss anybody out yet, but I have broken two nails.”

Fawn laughed, and I found myself laughing as well. I didn’t mind hard work, but my nails were a vanity. I hated to see them harmed.

“You work at a hardware store?” Sorin interjected, face turned down in a frown.

“Yeah,” I said, turning my own face down to mirror his.

“You shouldn’t work there. It’s no job for a woman,” he said sternly.

“Jesus, did you really say that?” I said, shaking my head incredulously. Like the ass knew anything about women or working for that matter.

“Yeah. It’s not. You should—”

“What? Work at a library or something?”

“You talk too much for that,” he deadpanned, and before I could stop myself, I laughed.

Fawn and Vasile joined in, and soon we were all laughing loudly, my sides beginning to hurt. When we finally calmed, I said, “Well, I probably won’t last long anyway, so I’ll look for something more suitable for the next job.”

Sorin quieted and then shot me a scorching look that made me forget what we’d been talking about.

The conversation picked back up, and soon I was able to almost forget what had happened. Almost, but not quite. But I kept up a good front as I said my good-byes and headed home.

I staunchly refused to think about Sorin and instead, after I said my good-byes, I kept focused on the walk ahead. So focused, I didn’t notice the car until it was beside me. One quick side glance and I turned forward again, refusing to look at him.

He rolled down the window and called, “I’m taking you home.”

“I’m fine,” I snapped, still not looking at him.

“Esther.” His firm command left me no choice other than to respond.

“What?” I asked as I looked at him, trying to ignore his handsome face, the heat in his eyes.

“That wasn’t a question,” he said.

I got into the car.

E
sther

T
he minutes
-
long
car ride was nerve-racking, and for entirely the wrong reasons.

Instead of focusing on how dangerous Sorin looked, face set in a scowl, tattooed hands gripping the wheel tight, I was remembering how it felt to have him touch me, remembering how much I wanted to touch him.

Instead of reminding myself that I didn’t even
like
the man, I was thinking of how good he’d felt inside me, how, in those few moments, I’d felt more alive than I had in years.

But despite how much I wanted him, craved him, I would not be governed by my desires, wouldn’t give my body power over my mind. Or worse, give Sorin power over either.

“Good night, Sorin. Thank you for the ride,” I said, only catching the implication of my words when I saw his quick little smile.

I jumped out of the car quickly, but he moved much faster and met me at the passenger-side door almost before I’d gotten out. Without acknowledging his presence, though I certainly couldn’t ignore it, I walked swiftly toward the house, his long strides easily keeping pace with mine.

I fumbled for my keys, hating that my nervousness was apparent, and hating even more he seemed so unaffected. When my eyes met his, my nerves calmed but something else rose in their wake. Surprise and curiosity, which I found irresistible. Curious because this was a Sorin I hadn’t seen before. There was no scorn, no menace, no laughter. Instead there was calm, almost placidness, an effect that was only amplified by his size and his ink and by the fact that I had never seen him quite this way.

I met his eyes again, saw the unspoken question. He was leaving this up to me, putting the ball firmly in my court.

“Just this once,” I said as I unlocked the door.

S
orin

A
s Esther had deliberated
, I’d waited, an unfamiliar but not welcome anticipation thrumming through me. It shouldn’t have mattered. If she’d turned me down, it would have been easy enough to find someone else, but part of me knew that no one but Esther would do, and only through sheer force of will did I keep myself from a victory yell when she’d unlocked the door.

And now I watched her, enjoying this new, shy side of her. She hadn’t made eye contact since we’d entered the house, but I didn’t miss the slight tremble in her hands that she tried so valiantly to keep down. Nor did I miss the way she pursed her lips, a sign of her nervousness that I’d come to recognize.

And when I reached for her elbow, turning her so that she faced me, I didn’t miss the flash of desire that lit her eyes, the way she tilted her head to cover the moment. A smile ghosted across my face before I could stop it, but I found I didn’t want to. I let it spread at the same time as I lifted my hand to cup her cheek, tracing my thumb across the prominent, rounded bones there. She parted her lips on an exhale, her dark eyes going darker as she watched me lean closer.

I stopped when only a fraction of an inch separated our mouths, barking out a quick laugh at the unspoken question and then displeasure lit her gaze when I did.

“Show me your bedroom, Esther,” I whispered.

Surprise shone on her face, but then she nodded quickly. “First door on the left. Take your shoes off first.”

I laughed again and then started to remove them under her watchful gaze.

“Don’t trust me alone?” I asked as I discarded one shoe and then the other.

“Never know what you might do,” she replied.

“Right. I know you can’t take your eyes off me, Esther,” I said, standing and then walking until I was again directly in front of her.

She snorted but the sound was distracted and then trailed off completely when she curved her fingers around the hem of my shirt, barely grazing my skin, though the touch was enough to set me aflame.

She met my eyes then. “Sorin…” She trailed off as she stared up at me, looking serious. I saw the moment she made her decision. “This way,” she said.

After turning away quickly, she headed down the short hall, and I followed, allowing myself a moment to wonder why I was indulging in this instead of getting right to the point, which was fucking Esther again so that she was out of my system. But maybe this was good, I reasoned. I’d take my time, have my curiosity slaked once and for all, and move past this.

And then when I entered her room, saw the first flash of black silk, the plump rounds of the ass it covered, I didn’t think anymore.

“You starting without me?” I said as I stepped behind her and grabbed a generous handful of that flesh with one hand as I pushed her pants down with the other.

“You were taking forever,” she said.

“You’re that anxious for me. How flattering,” I replied, hooking my fingers in the waistband of her panties and then pushing them down, my attention captured by the material sliding down her full thighs and then over strong calves to rest atop her pants.

“Did you come here to chat?” she asked, though she couldn’t quite match her usual snippiness.

“Nope,” I said as I reached between her thighs and cupped her sex. “I came here to fuck. Feels like you did too,” I added when I brushed her cream-slicked lips.

She shifted, dropping her hips and then exhaling on a sigh. As she rocked against me, she tiled her head, exposed the long column of her neck. I tightened my grip, grazed my lips against her skin. Smooth, soft, deliciously sweet. Not things I would have said about Esther, but with just one touch, the feel of her skin against my lips had become addictive.

So I took my fill, licking and biting at her neck as I worked my palm against her sex, using the heel of my hand to press her clit. Each taste of her increased my urgency, and soon I snaked my arm around her front, cupping one of her full tits, the tight bud of her nipple searing against my palm.

On a low huff, she turned in my arms and lifted her dark eyes to meet mine. Desire was the first thing I saw, but then there was something else, a depth and openness that I hadn’t seen before from her, from anyone, really. I knew what people saw when they looked at me, what women wanted from me. Money or status, or at times like these when I had them half naked a hand stuffed in their panties, sex, but this was different.

Esther was different.

And not because I almost came on the spot when she unzipped my pants and wrapped her hand around my shaft, her hand the perfect mix of strength and softness, a feeling only intensified by her strong, soft curves under my hands.

And not because of the sweet little breaths she huffed out when I teased her nipple through the fabric of her bra, breaths that went deeper, heavier when I moved the fabric aside and squeezed the plump bud between my fingers, twisting just enough to make her squirm.

And not because of the way she touched my back, pulled my shirt up and over my head and then stroked her hands back down, lingering for just a moment to twine her fingers in the hair that covered my chest before she teased my flat nipple as I did hers.

No, it was the way she looked at me. Bold, unafraid, my equal. Like I was just a man and she a woman who wanted me. I hadn’t experienced that before, had never had an encounter so free of expectation. And I found that I liked it very, very much.

But I didn’t have an opportunity to reflect on it, not when Esther moved away, eyes on mine as she ran her hands up her long, rounded thighs and then unhooked and discarded her bra, leaving her bare in front of me.

I tried to take in all of her at once, her soft shoulders, generous breasts, the gentle hill of her stomach, the dark triangle between her thighs. In that moment, she looked to me like the epitome of womanhood, and I couldn’t wait to have her.

I stepped out of my pants and then retrieved a condom from my pocket. I sat of the edge of her bed and leaned back. “Come here, Esther.”

“I don’t usually respond well to orders, Sorin,” she said, sultry voice at odds with what she said.

“You respond to mine. I can see it. Now come here.”