Page 7

North

The bonfire roared higher as the night grew darker, the flames licking at the ebony sky like they were trying to burn through it. Laughter and music bled together in a chaotic mess, the pounding bass vibrating through the ground beneath my feet.

I leaned against one of the posts on the deck, nursing another drink. Whiskey. Or maybe vodka. Didn’t matter anymore.

I tipped the cup back, the burn sliding down my throat doing little to dull the sharp edge in my chest.

The edge had a name, one that I was trying to ignore.

Quinn fucking Harley.

I didn’t want to think about her. Didn’t want to remember the way she felt pressed against me earlier, her soft body trembling under my hands, her breath hitching in my ear. Didn’t want to remember how close I’d gotten to making her come undone, to hearing her cry out my name like it was the only thing she knew.

But I did remember. Every fucking second of it.

And that was the problem.

So, I took another swig, my grip tightening on the cup as I forced myself to glance over the crowd. I needed a distraction—anything to drown out her memory.

But I might as well have been blind for all the use it was, because my eyes latched onto Quinn anyway.

She was by the fire, her cheeks red from the alcohol I knew she was two years too fucking young to drink, her pale blue dress catching the flickering light as she swayed awkwardly to the music. The hem brushed against her thighs with every movement, teasing and soft, drawing me in even though I knew it was wrong.

I looked my fill and more, drinking in her curves in that dress until my cock hardened. Should’ve left it at that, but I couldn’t. She wasn’t alone.

Some guy I didn’t recognize was next to her, his body too close, his hand brushing hers as he leaned in to say something. She laughed, soft and nervous, her cheeks flushing darker under the firelight.

Something hot and primal surged in my chest, sharp and unbearable.

My fingers tightened around my drink, the plastic creaking under the pressure as I watched the guy touch her arm, his hand lingering like he had any fucking right.

She didn’t even realize what she was doing—how her hesitant movements drew every eye in the room, how the soft flush on her cheeks made her look eager and primed for…

Fuck.

I drained the rest of my drink in one go, the alcohol hitting me harder this time, loosening the tight grip I had on my self-control.

I couldn’t fucking stand it.

Setting the empty cup down, I pushed off the post and strode across the party, my steps steady despite the haze clouding my mind. People moved out of my way without a word, the sharp set of my jaw enough to warn them not to bother me.

When I reached her, she was mid-laugh, her head tilted back slightly, the sound cutting through the noise until it reached my ears. She could’ve been an angel in another life.

My hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist and yanking her away from the guy before I could think better of it. He turned toward me with a snarl, his features barely recognizable, but it was clear he recognized me when he backed the fuck away like he was supposed to.

“North?” she gasped, her eyes snapping to mine, wide and startled.

I didn’t say a word.

Her wrist felt too small in my hand, too fragile, but I didn’t loosen my grip. She stumbled after me as I pulled her away from the fire, her protests rising with every step.

“Let go!” she snapped, tugging against my hold. “What the hell are you doing?”

I ignored her, cutting through the crowd with a single-minded purpose.

“North!” Her voice rose, sharp and furious, but there was a tremble beneath the anger that only made me tighten my grip.

When we were far enough from the firelight, I stopped abruptly, turning to face her. She yanked her wrist free, her chest heaving as she glared up at me.

“God, do you have to be such an asshole all the time?” she hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and confusion. “What the hell is your problem?”

“What’s my problem?” I shot back, my tone low and dangerous. “What the fuck are you doing at my party, Quinn?”

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Summer invited me.”

“Well, you should’ve said no,” I snapped, pulling her by the waist when she stomped her foot and attempted to leave. “You. Are. Not. Going back to him.”

“Why not?” she cried out, throwing her hands in the air, clearly exasperated with me. “I’m allowed to dance, North. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“The hell I don’t,” I growled, taking a step closer. Her back hit the rough bark of a tree, her eyes widening as I crowded her. Her lips parted, her breath hitching, but she didn’t say anything. “Do you even know what you’re doing?” I leaned in, my voice dropping to a rough whisper.

“Letting some guy paw at you like that? Laughing at his stupid fucking jokes? You think he cares about you? You think he wants anything more than to fuck your pretty cunt and leave? That’s what these parties are for, Quinn. Summer shouldn’t even be here in the first place.” She knew better, but that wasn’t my problem. Vic would sort her out quickly when he spotted her.

Quinn’s cheeks flushed, a bright, angry red that only fueled the fire burning in my chest. “Who says that isn’t exactly why I’m here? You don’t know anything,” she snapped, her voice shaking but defiant.

I chuckled, low and mocking, my breath brushing against her ear. “Don’t I? Then stay a little longer, rabbit, and you can see for yourself. Better yet, let me show you exactly what you’ll get by doing that.”

Her hands pressed against my chest, trying to shove me back, but I didn’t budge.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, her voice trembling as I leaned closer.

“Showing you what it feels like to be wanted by someone who knows what they’re doing,” I murmured, my lips brushing against her ear.

Before she could respond, my mouth crashed against hers.

The kiss was rough, demanding, full of heat and spit. Her hands fisted in my shirt, not to push me away but to pull me closer, her nails digging into my skin.

Her lips parted under mine, and I deepened the kiss, my hand sliding to her waist to pull her flush against me. She was soft and warm and fucking perfect, and I hated how much I liked it.

I hated how much I liked her.

Breaking the kiss, I dropped to my knees before her, my hands sliding up her thighs and pushing her dress higher.

“North,” she whispered, her voice trembling as her chest heaved. But she wasn’t pulling away. There was no resistance, no fight left in her—just raw, exposed need.

“You’re shaking,” I said, my voice low and teasing, laced with authority. My fingers slipped under the edge of her swimsuit bottoms, tugging the fabric aside like it was an afterthought. My dick sure as hell knew it wasn’t. I brushed my thumb over her slick heat, and groaned softly. “Fuck, you’re dripping. That’s all for me, isn’t it, rabbit?”

Her breath hitched, her thighs pressing together instinctively, but I pushed them apart with a firm hand. “Don’t hide from me,” I ordered, sliding a finger across her opening. Her wetness coated me instantly, and I smirked, wondering if it was from this afternoon, in the kitchen. “God, you’re so fucking wet. You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?”

“North…” she gasped, her voice catching on my name. Her hands found my hair, tangling in it as if she needed something to anchor herself. I felt her nails dig into my scalp, pulling me closer, and it only spurred me on.

“Say it again,” I growled, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh, my teeth grazing the soft skin before I sucked lightly, marking her. She shuddered violently, her legs trembling.

“North,” she whimpered.

I chuckled darkly, letting my lips trail higher, closer to where she needed me most. When my tongue finally flicked against her clit, she cried out, her hips jerking forward. I flattened my tongue and dragged it over her, slow and deliberate, savoring her taste.

“Fuck, rabbit,” I muttered, my breath hot against her. “You taste so fucking sweet. I could do this all night.”

Her only response was a strangled moan, her head falling back against the tree as her body arched toward me. I sucked her clit into my mouth, rolling my tongue over the sensitive bundle of nerves, and her hips bucked uncontrollably.

Her fingers tightened in my hair, pulling hard enough to sting, but I didn’t care. I liked the desperation in her touch, the way she clung to me like she’d shatter if I stopped.

“You like that, don’t you?” I asked, my voice muffled as I kissed her again, my tongue working her over relentlessly. “The way I’m making you fall apart.” A cocky smirk lit up my mouth as I lifted her hips and sucked on her soppy entrance.

“Better yet, tell me how much you hate this,” I goaded her, right before I licked a path down to her asshole. Her scent had me hard as a rock and on the edge of cumming. “Your mom’s going to be fucking furious if she finds out, isn’t she? Does she know you’re such a desperate whore for me, rabbit?”

“North, please…” she gasped, her thighs quaking against my face.

“Please, what?” I taunted, slipping two thick fingers into her cunt without warning. She clenched around me immediately, so tight and hot that it pulled a groan from my throat. “Fuck. You’re so goddamn tight, Quinn. You feel fucking perfect.”

And I’d never felt harder.

Her response was a broken cry, her hips moving in a steady rhythm with my fingers as I pumped them deeper, curling them just right to hit the spot that made her legs tremble harder.

“Look at you,” I said, my voice rough with heat. “Falling apart for me after just a few touches. Come on, rabbit. Show some restraint.” But I leaned down to bite her clit as I said that, focusing everything I could on how to keep her pussy clenching those small little shocks around my fingers. My dick was starting to weep, it was so hard.

Her moan turned into a sob as her body tensed. “Fuck you,” she choked out, her pussy clenching tightly around my fingers. “God, yes, North!”

“That’s it,” I growled, latching onto her clit again and sucking hard. She clenched around my fingers like a vice, and I knew she was close. “Come for me. Don’t fucking hold back.”

Her orgasm hit like a wave crashing against the shore, her entire body arching off the tree as she screamed my name. Her thighs clamped around my head, her muscles squeezing my fingers as if she couldn’t let go.

But I didn’t stop.

“One’s not enough,” I said, pulling back just enough to catch my breath before diving back in. My tongue flicked over her clit mercilessly as my fingers kept working her. “You’re giving me another. And then another. You’ll keep coming until you can’t even fucking stand, rabbit. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? For me to wreck you.”

“North,” she whimpered, her voice breaking as her body shuddered violently. Her second orgasm ripped through her almost immediately, more intense than the first. Her nails raked against my scalp, her head falling back as she let out a raw, guttural moan.

I finally pulled back, my chest heaving as I licked my lips, savoring her taste. She was trembling, her body slack against the tree, her hazel eyes dazed and glassy as she tried to catch her breath.

“You taste so fucking good,” I muttered, my voice rough as I straightened, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “I could get addicted to this.”

Her glare flickered with anger, a faint spark of defiance breaking through the haze.

“You’re such a fucking slut,” she spat, though her voice shook with exhaustion.

I laughed, dark and unrepentant, towering over her as I tilted her chin up to meet my eyes. “Maybe,” I said, my smirk widening. “But you’re the one who just came twice on my tongue and begged for more. What does that make you?”

Her cheeks flushed, her mouth opening and closing like she wanted to retort but couldn’t find the words.

I stepped back, smirking as I watched her struggle to compose herself, her legs still trembling, her body wrecked.

“You’ll thank me later,” I said over my shoulder as I walked away, leaving her leaning against the tree, disheveled and undone. “Now go back home, Quinn. You don’t belong here.”

But even as I walked away, my mind was still on her. I could still taste her on my tongue, feel her nails in my scalp, hear the way she cried my name like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. I stopped to lean against a tree, just to take a breath, and my palm cupped my cock instinctively.

No matter how much I wanted to hate her, no matter how much I told myself to walk away…

I knew I’d be back. There was something addictive about her that I couldn’t get out of my head, and it was more than just the thought of screwing Lauren’s daughter and leaving her pussy ruined.