Page 26 of Nevermore (A Cruel Love #1)

TWENTY-FOUR

SANTIAGO

I wipe the sweat off my brow as I walk into my wing of the house.

The pick up game today was especially brutal.

I have no idea why Kingston insists on pushing us so hard, especially considering we’re going to have preseason practice.

He’s been on something lately that’s made him extra dickish than usual.

I’ve been curious, but it’s not my place to ask such personal questions. Mostly because I don’t care.

Dropping my bag on the marbled floor, I enter my room. I whip my shirt off to wipe more sweat off my back but stop short when I see Reign waiting for me on the edge of my bed.

“ Querido ?” I ask, a bit startled at seeing him. “I thought you were at the park?”

Since learning how to drive, Reign’s been everywhere. For someone who thought that was a useless skill, he’s taken full advantage of it, and it’d be almost laughable if he weren’t so adorable.

For some reason, he’s slightly red and his fingers fidget around a small paper bag on his lap. He does that awkward cross between a snort and a chuckle as he answers. “Came back early. Been waitin’ for you.”

“You could have texted?” I offer as I approach him so I can bend down and kiss his forehead. “I was going to shower before seeing where you were.” When he gulps, I cock a curious brow. “Why do you look sweaty and guilty?”

“Hey! I ain’t sweaty!” he protests. He mumbles a curse to himself before shoving the brown bag into my hands. “Here. Asshole.”

I ignore him as I open the bag. There’s a bit of confetti paper in it that falls on the floor as I dig into it. “What is this supposed to be?”

“A present,” he says petulantly. Scoffing, he tries to snatch the bag out of my hand. “Fine, you ungrateful fuck. I take it back.”

“No, no, no,” I say, clicking my tongue at him and holding the bag out of his reach. “It’s my present.”

“That you’re bein’ a dick about.”

“I’m just teasing you, querido .”

“Well, tease less and open the damn thing.”

Putting him out of his misery, I smirk as I finally reach into the bag to retrieve my present. My fingers wrap around something smooth and bumpy, and I crease my brows as I pull it out. It’s a…

“Did you whittle this?”

Reign’s neck is flushed with embarrassment as he nods. “It’s a tiny land rig.”

I have no idea how he managed to whittle a damn land rig, but it’s impressive as hell. All the parts are meticulously carved and smoothed out so they’re soft to the touch. The detail is immaculate and something comes over me at the sight of it.

Tender feelings have been growing for Reign. It’s been annoying and difficult to control, but they’re there. I find him endearing now instead of insufferable. I’ve given into the need to be around him at all times, so it shouldn’t shock me that I like his gift.

What shocks me is what it does to my heart.

My cold, cracked, crooked heart burns for him.

“It’s dumb,” he rushes out, stumbling to his feet. “I mean, I was just whittlin’ and I thought it was cute. You know, like our first date or some shit like that. I spent way too much time on it and chipped a nail but?—”

I cut him off with a searing kiss. I can’t handle talking right now and, if I let him, Reign will ramble on until the world ends.

Right now, I’m incapable of saying what this means to me, or even acknowledging it myself.

All I can do is show him that I appreciate it.

Show him what this stupid little piece of wood has done to me.

Show him what he’s made me.

“S-Santi,” he stutters as he pulls back, his hands running up and down my slick back. “I wanna do somethin’ for you.”

“Yes?” My breaths are ragged and choppy against his lips as I grab the front of his shirt to pull him closer. “What is it?”

“Can you…” He clears his throat and takes a step back. Gesturing awkwardly at the bed, he gives me a shaky smile. “Can you sit, please?”

I’m wary as I do because he looks so fucking nervous. I listen, however, and sit. My eyes widen as he clumsily falls to his knees, his trembling hands coming up to rest on the top of my thighs. “Reign?—”

“I wanna suck you off,” he rushes out, face flaming as he gulps. “I mean, if that’s somethin’ you want. I wanna do it.”

I nod, dumbstruck. My skin burns as he pulls down my athletic shorts and my boxers, and it doesn’t take long for my cock to show how interested I am at how close his hands are to touching me.

I’ve taken the lead in all our hookups. It’s not because I never wanted anything in return, but because it didn’t feel right. What I wanted was to take care of Reign, and I didn’t want him to feel like it was a tit for tat. I knew he’d be ready eventually, but I couldn’t be the one to rush him.

“So…” he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck as he stares at my hard cock. “What do I do now?”

I swallow audibly as my hand migrates to the back of his head. I pet him because he’s so nervous, and it’s become my natural instinct to put him at ease. For some reason, I’m terrified as fuck too, but I can’t show that. He needs me to be the one in charge right now.

And I’m slowly finding out, I’ll give Reign just about anything.

“There’s nothing you can do wrong,” I tell him as I scoot farther to the edge so my cock is inches away from his lips. “Just take me in your mouth, querido .”

“O-Okay,” he stutters, a shy smile on his lips as he leans forward.

At first, it’s only a light flick of his tongue against my head.

Something tentative and sweet—explorative—as he gathers his confidence.

The one lick alone has my cock twitching and my back arching.

When he begins to press kisses down to my base, I dig my fingers into his hair, trying to hold back my body’s need to fuck his face.

Make this good for him .

“There you go,” I coo softly as I encourage him. “That’s so good, Reign. You’re making me feel so good right now.”

He blinks up at me with those pathetic puppy dog eyes and chuckles. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” I insist, bringing him back to my length. “Now take all of me.”

He nods shakily but does as I say. It’s a bit clumsy and awkward as he tries to take all of me, but the hum of satisfaction that leaves him when his lips touch my crotch is everything. He closes his eyes and moans, biting his nails into my skin as he loses himself in the pleasure.

I can relate. There’s something so… special about these moments between us. It’s tender but it’s also filled with fire. It’s like it’s filling all those missing pieces of me I didn’t know were empty.

That’s why I don’t focus on the pleasure or the racing orgasm that’s shooting up my spine. I focus on Reign. In the way he hollows his cheeks and slurps up my cock, simply enjoying himself.

“There you go,” I praise, adjusting my hips so he has a better angle. “You look so perfect, querido . So eager to taste my cum. Do you want it?”

Breathless, he pulls off and nods rapidly. Blinking blue eyes look up at me with desperation. “Please. What do I need to do?”

His thick Southern drawl is filled with a pleading that shoots straight to my aching dick. I reach down and place one of his hands around my length and the other on my balls. “Jerk me off but keep your lips around my head. I want to come into your mouth and I want you to feed it back to me.”

His eyes widen as his hands start working their magic. He strokes me with the perfect amount of pressure, the perfect speed, and the cherry on top is the way he suckles my head with so much need.

“Fuck,” I groan. I resist the urge to fuck his face and let him get me there. “So close. So fucking close, Reign. I’m almost there. Don’t stop. Don’t— Fuck !”

Ropes of thick cum jet out of me. I don’t slump back like my body demands because I’m too entranced seeing the way my cum overflows out of Reign’s mouth. It dribbles down his chin and creates a sloppy mess that I want to clean with my tongue.

“You…” He pulls back as he swallows, face covered in me, and snorts. “It got up my nose.”

Because he’s laughing, I laugh along with him. “Come here, querido .”

He doesn’t waste a second launching to his feet and tackling me onto the bed. I pretend to grimace when he starts rubbing his dirty face all over me, playfully trying to wrestle him away, to which he only cackles like a supervillain.

After a second, the air shifts. He hums in contentment as he rests on my chest, and I take a blanket to clean up his face. We lay together in peace, in harmony, in everything I needed.

Because Reign might just be everything to me.