“Fuck, that’s hot, Cupcake.”

  She reveled in the power of saying the kinds of things that had been told to her as she had worked her way up in the world. Apart from the nipple piercings and tattoos, it all applied to her own experience. And she’d been the granddaughter of the company founder; she could only imagine how it was for most women.

  “I’m only a slut for you, Cupcake.”

  “Fuck me, Holden.”

  “One more taste, then I’m gonna wreck you.”

  What he’d meant by “taste” was devouring her pussy once again until he pulled a shattering orgasm out of her. The sheer skills of that mouth deserved a medal. And with her hands tied to the bed, her powerlessness made her orgasms twice as intense.

  Ever the athlete, Holden finished slurping down every drop of her while lifting her off the bed, hugging her close. Eventually he came up on his knees, still holding her thighs, now wrapped around his hips. The only parts of her touching the mattress now were from her shoulder blades on up. She felt as if she were being forced into bridge pose in yoga class, though she was doing none of the work.

  Even though she’d given him so much permission to have his way, he still saw fit to only slip the tip in and slowly stretch her out until he was, bit by bit, buried all the way to the hilt.

  The girth of him filled her so thoroughly she nearly lost feeling in her legs.

  “I want you locked inside just like that while you crush me.”

  The full weight of him on top of her squeezed out every other thought. Every worry in her head departed. He was everywhere: his arms rested on her arms above her head, and the rest of him blanketed her. Holden blotted out the world for her.

  “I can hold it right here for as long as you want, Cupcake. Fuck, you’re so tight. You’re so perfect. That perfect pussy is all mine.”

  She savored the newness and the strangeness of it. The heaviness all over her. His whispers in her ears transported her to another plane of consciousness. They held this space for each other for such a long time, Katie couldn’t tell if it has been seconds, minutes, or hours.

  “I… you’re so...” she started.

  “I know. Perfect. We’re perfect.”

  Eventually, the holding in place gave way to grinding, neither of them able to hold off the need any longer.

  “You want me to really wreck you? Like, really?”

  “God. Please.”

  “Then hold on, Sweetheart. I’m gonna turn you over and go real deep.”

  She whimpered her consent, and before she had even finished saying yes, he had her on her stomach, the knot at her wrists such that it didn’t bite into her skin.

  He knew. He somehow knew he was going to have her face up and face down. And he understood how badly she wanted to feel him everywhere.

  She was so relieved he didn’t think her needs were weird or strange; she could have cried if she’d thought about that too hard. She wouldn’t think too hard, though; Holden’s pure, wild physicality always pulled her out of her head. Her face buried in the pillow, she felt his strong hands push her thighs apart. He ran his rough hands through her hair, then massaged her neck, her shoulders, her arms, before sliding down her back, up her sides, back down over her rump, and finally finishing with a quick foot massage.

  She felt like a spoiled rag doll for the first time in her life. Hoisting her hips upward, she felt his cock slide back where it belonged. He then began a gentle thrust in and out, the slide and the angle hitting her so right she moaned loudly for more. He obeyed, rolling more firmly into her. His hands squeezed the ample flesh of her ass. Skin slapped against skin. Soon his rolling hips escalated into a full-on pounding, his hands spreading her open. She felt a finger, then two, in her ass. The pleasure was so intense she opened her mouth to yell, but no sound came out.

  He claimed her with his deep, hard thrusts, just as she knew he could. He owned her, fitting his upper body over her back, kissing her shoulder, his nipple ring sliding against her skin. He’d done it; he’d made her forget. She moved not a muscle but for the involuntary spasms, squirts, and screams that he squeezed out of her.

  By the time he roared in his release, her whole body was trembling. Still buried deep inside her, Holden helped her lay flat on the mattress again and flattened himself over her frame. He warmed her down to her bones.

  “Nothing else matters but this,” she breathed, her words muffled by the pillow.

  His breath warmed her neck; he kissed her nape, behind her ear, her temple, everywhere his mouth would reach without moving off of her a single inch.

  His words in her ear felt like home. “Nothing else matters but us, Cupcake.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Holden

  “What’s going on with you? Where the hell have you been? And whose fucking Camaro is this? Are you mobbed-up now? Levi is going to murder you.”

  There was no point in trying to answer all of Dash’s questions until he had worn himself out. The temperamental grump was just going to have to wait until he calmed down.

  Maybe I should go for another run and come back later.

  Holden stood at the side of the road in front of the apartment and held open the car door. “Let’s go to Dunkin’ and talk about it.”

  The run up and down the riverbank had made him hungry and in need of coffee. He lacked sleep due to his antics with Katie last night and again in the morning.

  Dash shook his head. “I ain’t getting into that car if it’s paid for by you know who.”

  “It’s not,” Holden said.

  “How do I know you’re not lying?”

  “Have I ever lied to you?”

  Dash’s indignant face turned to one of acquiescence.

  “No.”

  “Are you ready to listen?”

  Dash lifted one shoulder. “I guess.”

  “Hi, butthead!”

  Both Holden’s and Dash’s heads turned to locate the source of the insult. Red curls peeking out from under a slouchy knit stocking cap gave away the identity, even though most of the woman’s face was covered with a bulky scarf.

  “Can it, Carrots,” Dash seethed.

  The woman stopped in her tracks. “You can do better than that. You’re just being nice because your friend’s here.”

  Dash glared, but the woman turned to Holden. “And you. I saw you going in and out of Waterview a couple of different times yesterday while taking photographs for the newspaper. Dude, are you living there now?”

  Holden ignored Dash’s shock at his inability to deny this charge and instead addressed Harper directly. “Listen. Just because you run around Dockside with a million different petitions every week doesn’t mean everyone agrees with you.”

  Her brown eyes narrowed. “You signed the Waterview petition.”

  Holden shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I stopped paying attention after I signed the first six, okay? Look, I’m sorry. I don’t understand half of what you’re talking about most of the time, Harper.”

  Her hands went to her hips. “Ignorance does not excuse you empowering the oppressors.” Her eyes traveled from one end of the car to the other, but she said nothing about it. Holden held his breath, not really wanting to talk about the vehicle.

  Dash snorted. “The only thing oppressing us is your constant presence!”

  Fire blazed in Harper’s eyes as she held out a flier to Dash. “Here. I was just coming by to tell you about this new rent relief program the governor has introduced. This sheet tells you how to sign up. I’ll stop oppressing you now. I won’t bother you again.” She looked over at Holden and said, “Guess you don’t need this.”

  She stalked away up the street, and Holden fully expected to see flames torching and melting all of the snow and ice in her wake.

  “That was intense,” Dash said. “Anyway. What’s this about Waterview?”

  Holden couldn’t lie to his best friend. But he could leave out parts of it.

  “I’ve been spending a lot of time at my girlfriend’s apartment.”

  He felt good saying that word. Girlfriend. Better than good. He felt elated. Relieved to say it out loud to a friend.

  “Her name’s Katie.”

  The wheels turned in Dash’s brain. “Wait. Are you talking about that lady you sneaked away with after the meeting with Mavis? The one you were dancing with the night the Satan’s Minions had that big fight?”

  “That’s the one. Are you mad?”

  “No, I just wish you would have told me. You don’t call. You disappear. You asked Levi to cover your shift at work, but you don’t tell me. Something is off about this.”

  Holden’s body shivered in the cold. “You wanna go inside so we can talk about this? I’m freezing my dick off.”

  Dash explained he was on his way out.

  “Well, I hate to spring this on you, but I came here to tell you I’m moving out,” Holden said.

  Dash laughed at first because he didn’t believe him, or so it appeared. His face changed to shock when he realized Holden was serious.

  “Wait a minute, what? You’re moving in with her?”

  “Sorta. I just came to get the rest of my shit.”

  Dash stared in shock for a moment, then said, “Okay, then. See you around.”

  Holden peeled off a stack of new bills and handed them to Dash.

  “I wanted to sit down and talk this out over coffee, but since you’re on your way out, here. This is to cover rent this month and next month. And for as long as it takes for you to find a new roommate.”

  Dash took the bills but did not count them. Then he stood up. “I appreciate you coming by.”

  “That’s all you have to say? We’ve lived together a long time. We’re family.”

  “Yeah, we are.” Dash crossed his arms and planted his feet.

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you right away. Everything happened really fast. I’m still sort of processing all of it.”

  Dash chuckled. “Poor, sweet Holden didn’t know what hit him.”

  Holden growled, “I ain’t sweet.”

  “Whatever.” Dash said, extending his hand for a bro handshake. Instead, Holden pulled him in for a hug.

  “Guess you’re moving up in the world. Pretty soon, you won’t be needing the Brute Squad anymore,” Dash joked.

  Holden let go of his best friend and said, “I’ll always need the Brute Squad. You have no idea how wrong you are about that.”

  After leaving Dash and retrieving the last of his belongings from the basement apartment, Holden drove over to the animal hospital, which closed early on Saturdays. He wanted to do the right thing as quickly as possible. Inside, the receptionist greeted him with a friendly hello and asked after the kitten, June. Holden took the white enveloped from the inside pocket of his jacket and laid it on the counter.

  “June’s fine. This should cover ... everything.”

  He left before she could ask another question. He’d just paid his outstanding vet bill with what was most likely blood money from the Miami mafia, rather than allow Katie to take care of it.

  He’d have to sort out later whether that made him stubborn or just plain dumb. He didn’t much care at that moment; he was much too focused on making the most of the rest of that day with Katie before he had to go back to work.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Katie

  She could not recall the last time she’d slept in this late on a Saturday morning.

  Wondering why her phone’s alarm hadn’t sounded, Katie sat up and looked around. Her phone was gone. No surprise there; last night had been the first night in a long time she hadn’t needed a meditation app with soothing music and hypnotic imagery to fall asleep. She stretched languidly, noticing how rested she felt and how not ready she was to tackle her usual Saturday ritual: working alone in the welcome silence of corporate headquarters. Maybe later, she thought.

  The sweet soreness between her legs brought a wicked smile to her lips. The things he’d done to her. Holden had seen to her needs and taken things to a whole other level. He’d taken charge of her body and made her mind let go. Shivering from the cool morning air and the memories from last night, she wrapped her bare skin in a soft blanket and stood. The blanket still bore the scent of him. She buried her face in it, inhaling deeply and grinning.

  Who was she trying to kid? She wasn’t going to work today.

  She heard a long, low tone coming from outside. She stood and walked over to the windows, finally drawing the conclusion that the horns of an outgoing cargo ship leaving port had infiltrated her dreams.

  The next thing she noticed was the note on her pillow.

  The note read, “Went for a run. Found your phone and silenced it; you needed to sleep. Coffee and breakfast ready for you.”

  Her stomach rumbled as she walked into the kitchen, still wrapped in the blanket. She followed the aroma of bacon, which led her to the oven. Inside was a foil-covered tray.

  Moments later, she was seated at the breakfast island, spearing eggs Benedict and bacon with a fork and sipping coffee that had been kept hot in a thermal carafe. The only thing that could have made this breakfast better was if Holden was there with her.

  Her wish came true soon enough with the sound of a key in the lock. She turned to see a grinning Holden pushing back the sweaty hood of his sweatshirt and carrying a stuffed black trash bag over his shoulder. A new wave of longing hit her at the sight of him, fresh from his cold morning run, damp hair clinging to his forehead.

  Feeling a little sassy, she let the blanket fall off one shoulder for Holden’s benefit.

  “Good morning, Cupcake.”

  A week ago, Katie would have kicked someone in the nuts over a pet name like that. Now? She liked it.

  She also liked the way he spied the bare skin of her shoulder. She especially enjoyed at that moment the outline of his cock through his gray sweatpants. God bless gray sweatpants and all those who wear them, Amen.

  She hopped down from the stool and scurried across the floor to him. He set the trash bag down and leaned way over to let her kiss him, clearly trying to keep his sweaty body away.

  His lips tasted salty, and she wanted more. “Thank you for breakfast. It’s almost as yummy as you are.”

  He groaned and replied, “Sweetheart, finish your food. I’m all funky from my run.”

  She glanced down at the trash bag and smiled. “Christmas already, Santa? What’s in the bag?”

  He lifted one shoulder. “The rest of my shit.”

  Katie squinted up at him and grazed her fingers over his jawline. “I told you, I have a mover for that.”

  Holden chuckled and raised both arms, flexing his biceps. “I’ll do you one better. I got two movers right here, baby.”

  So corny, but that earned him a chortle. “You do know how to move things around with these.” She reached up and squeezed his bicep, and he angled down for another kiss.

  He groaned again when she opened the blanket. His eyes raked over her, his mouth slack. That look alone spurred a reaction in her body. She felt his eyes watch as her nipples grew hard, waiting for his attention.

  “Gotta shower,” he said, closing the distance, angling down and warming one nipple with his skilled, sensuous mouth. Katie sucked in a breath at the contact. Keeping a hold on the blanket, she wrapped him up in it. “But damn, this is a nice thing to come home to after a run.” He extended the favor of his pampering mouth to her other breast.

  Her knees wobbled; Holden held her up and kept up the kissing and savoring.

  “I really am a mess in need of a shower.”

  She shook her head and whispered, “Let me clean you first.”

  He rasped, “I have zero arguments with that.”

  First, she unzipped his hoodie and ran her hands up under the hem of his tee-shirt underneath. He purred as she stroked the ridges along his stomach. She marveled at all the tiny muscles working just under the skin as he helped her remove his hoodie and tee-shirt, revealing the vast expanse of his tattooed chest in the morning light. She grazed her mouth over his salty flesh, scattering lazy kisses all over. She teased the tip of his pierced nipple with her tongue, and a thrill rushed through her when he responded with a soft curse.

  Dropping the blanket, she circled his torso and sucked.

  No longer trying to keep his semi-dried sweat away from her, she felt the hard length twitch against her body.

  She blazed a trail of kisses down his sternum, his belly, and below his navel, but he stopped her.

  With his hands in her hair, he gently angled her face up to meet his gaze. “You trying to suck my dick?”

  She nodded.

  “Then fuck getting on your knees.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Holden

  A fresh wave of caveman strength washed over him, and he proudly carried his woman to the bedroom, setting her down on the foot of the mattress. The mess of white bed linens, her mussed hair, her makeup-free face, and the morning light pouring in from the harbor—all combined to squeeze his heart. He loved this. He loved having her here, waiting for him after a run. He loved the way she looked: still ravaged from the night before but always ready for more. He loved that she was unashamed of her needy side.

  He loved …her.

  But she wasn’t ready to hear that yet. He would keep that to himself, for now.

  “Get comfortable.”

  She smiled shyly and shifted so she lay on her sides, her feet even with the foot of the mattress. He liked the way she did precisely as he said in the bedroom. He liked how she watched him drop his sweatpants and undies, her eyes flashing when his hard dick sprang free.

  “You spoil me, sir.”

  “That’s the plan, sweet cheeks.” Holden lay on his side at the head of the mattress, so her face was even with his cock.

  He reached down and touched her hair before closing his eyes and letting her go to town on him. He had to close his eyes at first because if he watched her the whole time, he might come in thirty seconds.