Silent Scars (Surviving #4) (10 page)

As my other hand worked the tip. I clamped my teeth down on my lip to stop any sounds coming out. The oil made my cock slick as my fist glided up and down. I closed my eyes and there she was, a fantasy. Laid out on her piano, legs wide, bare and inviting as I feasted on her wet pussy. The music in my ears brought the fantasy home.

“
God.”

I worked my hand faster as I imagined fucking her with my tongue. Her voice carried to my ears, and she called out my name as she came. Her nails digging into my back. Gripping the tip of my cock, I quickened my pace, panting as my balls grew tight. I was about to blow with the image of Aloura fucking my face. “Ryan.” I bit down on my lip as I came, hot streams of cum hitting my stomach and moistening my hand. Her voice was so real. I threw my head back into the pillows, straining not to roar as my release pulsed through me. I glanced at the door and could have sworn it moved. But I put it down to my imagination playing tricks on me. A grin formed on my lips when I looked down at my come covered stomach. It had been a long time. Too fucking long.

Running with a stiff dick was painful. Watching that tight little ass for over forty minutes was brutal. But knowing her sweaty hot body was naked in the shower was killing me. I had prowled up the stairs like a bear with a sore head, locked myself away, and hammered the frustration out of my dick. And God did it feel good.

I grabbed my sweaty t-shirt from beside me and cleaned off my stomach. I pulled up my sweatpants, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I rolled my shoulders, loving the loose feel, some of the alleviated tension gone. It was an indescribable feeling to know your useless dick was working again. You were a man again.

I stood on unsteady legs and gave out a huff of laughter. It had been painfully euphoric but worth every second. Especially when I imagined her voice being so real. I should feel shit for using her, imagining doing things to her delectable body as I fisted my cock. But she was clearly my drug, my muse.

She could be my everything.

I snorted at the hilarity of that thought; clearly my orgasm mashed brain was taking things a little far. Grabbing clean clothes and my toiletries, I exited my room and headed for the bathroom.

An hour later and completely relaxed, I found Aloura in the library. I made us both coffee, and as I entered the library, I paused for a moment, taking my fill of the vision before me. She was sitting in that big comfy chair, her legs tucked underneath her with the rat curled up in her lap as she read from the screen of her Kindle.

“Oh hey,” she said when she realised I was standing in the doorway. “Is one of those for me?” The hopeful smile on her lips warmed something inside me. I grinned back and headed over to her. She shifted in her chair and placed a hand on the rat’s back when he jumped up, startled.

“Why do you have all those books when you read on there?” I asked.

“Because paperbacks are prettier,” she said. She pushed her glasses up her nose in that sexy, yet adorable way.

“That makes...no sense,” I joked as I handed her a mug.

Her returning smile could have brought world peace it was so stunning.

“It makes sense to me.”

“So what is that one about?”My voice was way too thick as I towered over her. Christ, why did I have to be so tall?

“A female pilot. She’s driving the hero batshit crazy. He’s a widower, and she’s loved him all her life, but he’s never noticed her before.”

“Hmm.”

“What to read it with me?” she asked. I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded, but the hopeful glint in her eyes had my resolve buckling. I would do anything to keep that innocent beauty alive in her.

“How about you read it to me?” I suggested, hoping she would tell me to go to hell. No one ever wanted to read out loud. She glanced at the screen for a few moments, deliberating my request. Eventually, she shifted over, allowing room for me in the chair, and patted it for me to sit.

“Do you want me to start from the beginning?”

“No, from where you are is fine.” There was no way I was sitting through the torture of a romance novel from the fricking beginning.

She sucked in a breath, preparing herself. The rat crawled over her lap and into mine. I held my hands up as he walked around in circles before flopping down. I glanced at Aloura, who was smiling at me. She placed her coffee on the table beside her, and I handed mine to her so I wouldn’t scald the dog.

“Okay...you ready?”

“Yup.”

“
He pushed his chair back and jerked to his feet. B.J. swallowed as he glared down at her. She wanted –”

“Wait. The woman is called B.J.?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I guess we find out later.”

“Okay. Continue.” She read a few more passages; clearly this
B.J.
woman was driving the poor guy crazy, just like Aloura said.

“
...it’s about time someone threw an ice cold glass of reality right in your face,” she
said, and a small smile graced her lips.

“She sounds like Louise,” I muttered, grinning at her. But her stony glare shocked me.

“You have to stop interrupting.”

“Okay...sorry.”
Jeez.

She narrowed her eyes, giving me a death stare, but the twitch at the corner of her mouth was a big giveaway. Without thought I reached out and tickled her sides. I’d seen Will and Jo use it on their women when they received a similar stare down. She squealed, batting at my hand before her fingers wrapped around mine and held tight. She continued reading as if us sitting in a huge ass chair with her dog in my lap and holding hands was the most natural thing in the world.

It wasn’t, but God it felt like it really should be.

I curled my fingers, holding her back. I watched as a small grin tugged at the corners of her lips and rested my head against the back of the chair. If she minded me watching as she read, there was no indication of it.

Her hand flexed as did mine when we realised where the story was heading. I was mesmerised by the pink rising from under the neckline of her shirt, up her slender neck and to her porcelain cheeks. Her voice quivered, but she continued reading as the guy took his woman against the door of a hotel room. My eyes trailed down and watched as she swallowed, her long neck peppered with gooseflesh. I wanted to lean over and lick the hollow at the base of her neck. Trail my fingers over her collarbone. Suck on her pale skin and ruddy it with my mark. Trace my fingers over soft feminine flesh. Clearly, taking myself in hand three times was not enough after a two year hiatus, because my pants were suddenly tight, and I found myself sliding my fingers between hers and holding onto her tightly.

Her chest heaved as she sucked in deep breaths.

Was she feeling the same thing as me? Is this what attraction was? Do you lose your mind so easily at the slightest of touches?

Aloura glanced down at our joined hands and slowly lifting it before her gaze met mine. Her glasses were in place, but they did nothing to those molten chocolate orbs. I hadn’t been kissed in
years
, much, much longer than the last time I had been inside a woman. Hell, but if I didn’t crave Aloura’s lips on mine. I lifted my free hand and cupped her cheek, leaning into her. She released her hold on her Kindle and wrapped her hand around my wrist, holding me to her. I pressed my forehead against hers and breathed out a ragged breath.

“Aloura.” My voice was tight and so full of need. Never in my life had I wanted something so desperately as I wanted her lips on mine.

She tilted her face to me, I could feel the heat of those ruby red lips as they neared.

The loud slam of the main door had me jerking away and jumping to my feet, effectively yanking myself free of her hold, both physically and mentally. Most of my life I had been commanded to do something, forced into submission, mentally beaten down until there was nothing left to fight with. It had taken me years to create a solid wall to keep out those intent of causing me pain, years of evolving and shutting it out, before learning to fight. Attack before they hurt me.

Her – I was handing her a fucking key and welcoming her in.

I yanked the library door open and was greeted by warm air. Sally stood just inside the doorway with a bundle of mail.

“Hey, I wasn’t sure if she would be back from her run yet.” She lifted the envelopes and waved them.

“She’s in there. Wasn’t the door locked?”

“What? Oh, yeah but I have a key.”

“Who else has a key
?”
I retorted in a grisly tone.

“Her family. Alec, Graham, I believe Harry has one and me, obviously. Why?”

“I need to be aware of who has access to her home, and no one bothered to offer up such information.”

Her gaze hardened, and her spine stiffened. I prepared for an argument, but when she glanced over my shoulder into the library, she relaxed and bobbed her head. “Yeah, I understand. Sorry. The gate has been restricted now, like you instructed so that’s why I’m here. The postman cannot gain access to her house.” She came towards the kitchen and placed the pile on the counter.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she greeted, grinning as her daughter entered the kitchen. Her cheeks were still a little flush, but other than that, there was nothing to indicate I was seconds away from crossing into no man’s land.

“Hey.” She pushed her glasses up her nose and gave her mom a hug. She turned and sifted through the mail, sorting it into what appeared to be junk and readable piles.

“Okay, well, I need to get to work. What have you got planned for today?”

“Nothing, seeing as I was fired,” she grumbled

“You weren’t fired,” Sally said, rolling her eyes.

“They asked me to not go in until this mess was sorted.”

“Why?” I interrupted.

Aloura huffed out an exasperated breath. “Because they believe the sudden acts of vandalism were targeted towards me. And it was costing them hundreds, nearing thousands to repair. I was cheaper to replace.”

“Why did they think it was related to this?” My gut twisted at her crestfallen expression.

“Because they wrote ‘the bitch will pay’ across the floor in her section. It was the same thing they scratched into her car here,” Sally offered. “It was a little after that when everything else occurred. Did Graham not include that in the dossier he sent to Will?”Sally paled; she looked sickened that this would be missed out. “It should have been in there.”

“We had enough to determine this person is serious, but yeah, I should have been informed. They’ve notably cooled their attack. I wonder if they are aware of my presence.” I mused, to no one in particular.

“I agree. But how would they know?”

I glanced down at her mom. I was beginning to think the culprit wasn’t so
anonymous
as we first thought.

“I better get going.” She headed over to her daughter and gave her a smothering hug. “Alec is heading to the airport soon. He has a conference in Ireland.”

Aloura lifted her head and shifted her attention from the letter; her brows knitted together. “I didn’t realise he had a trip planned.”

“Me either. Apparently it’s some huge yearly thing he wasn’t included in until the last minute. But it’s important enough for them to insist he go. Don’t worry your dad isn’t going. Alec said he prefer he stay here and keep an eye on you.”

“What does he do?” I asked, glancing between them.

“He’s the managing director at a logistics firm. Okay, I definitely do need to go. Love you.”

“Love you, Mum,” Aloura replied distracted.

Sally glanced at her and inclined her head for me to follow. When we stepped outside, she motioned for me to close the door. The wind blew, tousling her inky hair. She reminded me so much of Aloura. She was a perfectly aged version of her daughter.

“How is she?”

“Very resilient. Nothing seems to faze her.” I was amazed. I had pre-conceived ideas of a rich brat playing on the attention. The girls I knew growing up would have milked it for everything it was worth.

“She’s good at hiding it.”

She was refusing to let the stalking idiot drag her down. It was the people around her that were forcing her into submission. They were protecting her but stifling her.