Page 34 of The Players We Hate (Rixton U #2)

Then Talon was at my side. His shoulder brushed mine, grounding me. He bent close so I could hear him over the noise, his voice low but sure.

“Dance with me.”

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. “I don’t dance.”

“You do tonight.” His grin was rare and hit me harder than I wanted to admit. Before I could argue, his hand caught mine and tugged me into the crowd.

At first, I fought it—my shoulders stiff, my steps awkward, waiting for someone to point it out. Then Talon’s hands settled at my waist, steady and sure. He bent close, his breath brushing my ear. “Relax, baby.” The words loosened something in me I hadn’t realized I was holding.

He spun me before I could catch my breath, and the room blurred. My pulse synced with the bass, the heat of the crowd pressed in, and suddenly, I wasn’t fighting it anymore. I was moving with it.

Talon never looked away. His grin widened, sharp and proud, like watching me let go was the only win he needed.

Rowdy’s voice cut through the music. “Look at Pierce! Boy’s gone soft already!”

Talon shot him the finger without missing a step, which only made Rowdy howl louder.

For once, I didn’t shrink under the attention. I threw my head back and laughed, the sound bubbling out of me like it hadn’t in too long. Talon dipped me low, one strong arm at my back, and when he pulled me up again, my face was hot, my eyes stung, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re insane,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

He leaned in, his grin sharp. “Yeah, but you can’t get enough of me.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Maybe not,” he said, “but you’re smiling. So I’m doing something right.”

I bit down on my lip, but it was useless—I was giving myself away. “Don’t push your luck.”

His smirk deepened. “Too late.”

The way he looked at me stopped me cold. My chest ached, my stomach flipped, and every beat of my heart pounded louder than the music. I let myself believe he really saw me.

The party raged on—shouts, laughter, bass shaking the walls—but it all blurred. I wasn’t the governor’s daughter, or Wells Perry’s sister, or the girl carrying too many secrets.

I was just a girl in his jersey, laughing with a guy who wouldn’t let me disappear. And for once, I let myself believe I deserved it.

Talon leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “Come upstairs with me.”

Before I could answer, his hand found mine again. We pushed through the crowd, weaving between bodies until we broke free at the base of the stairs. My pulse hammered with every step we climbed, nerves tangling with anticipation.

At the end of the hall, Talon eased open the door. The faint scent of vanilla and lavender hung in the air, and the art supplies scattered on the desk, along with the plants lined up on the windowsill, told me it was Tatum’s room. She slept in Reed’s now, which meant she’d given us this one.

The door clicked shut behind us, muting the music downstairs until it felt far away. My heart raced as I turned toward him, and before I could stop myself, I reached up and pulled his mouth to mine.

The kiss was hungry, nothing careful about it. My hands slid into his hair and yanked him closer, nerves sparking in my chest but not nearly enough to slow me down. For once, I wasn’t waiting on him. I was choosing this.

“Wren,” he muttered against my mouth, breath rough, like he couldn’t believe I meant it.

I pressed harder, my body flush to his, refusing to let him question it. “I do,” I whispered against his lips. “I want you. I want this.”

His hands landed on my hips, too tentative, holding back. The hesitation only pushed me further. I pulled back just enough to catch his eyes, daring him to see how certain I was.

“What does it mean to be yours?” I asked, my voice low.

His brows pulled tight, but he didn’t look away. “It means you’re my girl. My girlfriend. It means no one else touches you. No one else even gets to try.” His thumb dragged slow across my waist, his voice rough. “It means you’re mine, Wren. All mine.”

The word sent a jolt straight through me. I smiled against his mouth and kissed him hard. “Good. Because I want to be your girlfriend.”

He froze, just for a second, like the words hit deeper than he was ready for. Then his mouth curved into a smile that looked half relief, half hunger, and it undid me.

I slid my hands down his chest, lower, my lips brushing his jaw. “And as your girlfriend, I want to take care of you.”

“Wren…” His voice was strained now, warning and want colliding .

“I want to make you feel good,” I cut him off, tilting my face up so he could see it in my eyes. “I’ve never wanted anything more. Let me.”

His breath came out rough, his hands tightening on me. When he finally gave a small nod, the last of his hesitation was gone.

I kissed him again, slow at first, threading my fingers into his hair and tugging until his mouth opened for me. The low sound he made when I deepened the kiss sent a shiver down my spine.

I pushed him back until his legs hit the desk chair. He dropped into it, eyes locked on me the whole time. I followed, straddling his lap, my knees braced on either side of him.

That was when something in him gave. His hands clamped onto my hips, holding me there like he wasn’t letting go.

I kissed him harder, pouring everything I felt into it. My fingers dug deeper into his hair until he groaned against my mouth, the sound sparking heat through every part of me.

He shifted beneath me, his muscles tight, the kind of strain that told me he was holding back. I pressed my mouth to his jaw, then down his throat, tasting the salt on his skin. His breath caught, his hands clamping on my thighs, but he stayed still.

“Wren,” he groaned, almost broken.

I looked up through my lashes, dragging it out. “You’re shaking. Is it because I’m teasing you… or because you can’t hold back anymore?”

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t pull away. Then he leaned forward, gripping my chin and crushing his mouth to mine. The kiss was hard, almost desperate, and when he finally let go, I was breathless.

I kissed down his throat and across his chest until I reached his stomach. His hands twitched at his sides, caught between holding on and losing control. I lingered, nipping gently, breathing him in, until a sound tore from him—half groan, half surrender.

By the time I worked his jeans open, his breath came ragged. His knuckles were white where he gripped the chair, chest rising and falling hard, his gaze locked on me like he had to memorize every second.

I wrapped my hand around him, flicked my tongue over the tip, and Talon groaned, finally sliding his fingers into my hair.

“Strip for me. Let me play with those pretty nipples while you wrap your lips around me.”

I pulled back for a moment, lifting my shirt over my head, then unclasping my bra before I lost my nerve. His gaze tracked every movement, dark and hungry. When his fingers brushed over my bare skin, circling, teasing, a low moan slipped from me, and the sound made him groan in return.

“Wren,” he rasped, his hand cupping my cheek, thumb stroking across my skin. His voice was rough, almost disbelieving. “You’re so goddamn beautiful it hurts to breathe.”

My eyes fluttered as I glanced up at him. The way he looked at me sent a shiver down me. I took him deeper, my throat tightening around him, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as his groan rumbled out low and guttural .

“Christ, look at you. Taking me so fucking good with those lips wrapped around me. Deeper, baby—show me how much you can handle.”

I wrapped my hand around the base, using it to guide myself as I tried to take more of him, sliding my fist with me as I moved up and down his length.

“Your fist on my cock while your mouth works me. Fuck, you’re gonna ruin me.” His grip tightened in my hair, his jaw clenched. “My perfect girl, on her knees. Goddamn, I could watch you like this all night.”

I drove him deep into my throat once more before breaking away, dragging in a sharp, shaky breath.

His voice came rough, almost unsteady. “Touch yourself for me, Wren. Get those jeans open and rub that wet little pussy. I’m not wasting myself in your mouth. I’m gonna come so deep inside you that you’ll still feel me tomorrow.”

I fumbled with the button of my jeans, shoving them down just enough to slip my hand into my panties.

I’d never touched myself like this before, but I knew the way Talon touched me, the ways that made me come undone.

The second my fingers brushed over my clit, heat shot through me, and I tore my mouth from him, my head tipping back as a moan spilled out.

“Get up here. Now.” His tone snapped through me, and I scrambled to my feet.

My jeans were shoved low on my hips, half-off and forgotten. He didn’t wait—his hands were already on me, spinning me until my back pressed to his chest.

“I don’t have a condom,” he growled in my ear. “Want me to stop? Or should I go see if one of the guys has one?”

“I’m on birth control,” I rushed out, needy .

He groaned, his palm gripping my ass hard before his mouth followed, teeth scraping against my skin.

“You sure about that, baby? Because if I sink into you raw, I’m not pulling out.”

A shiver ripped through me, my voice breaking. “Yes. Please. I need you to fuck me. Right now.”

That was all it took. He yanked me onto his lap, twisting me until my back slammed against his chest. His thighs spread under mine, locking me in, and the second the tip of him pressed against me, I didn’t wait. I sank down hard, taking him to the hilt, my breath shattering at the stretch.

Talon’s arms clamped around me—one hand crushing my breast, the other wrapped firm around the front of my throat, holding me in place.

“Fuck, Wren,” he growled in my ear, voice shredded with need. “Feel that? My cock buried in you. You’re made for this. For me.”

A desperate sound tore from me as his hips bucked up, hard and unrelenting.

“Ride me,” he demanded, his teeth scraping my neck. “Work that tight pussy on me. I want to hear how wet you get when I fuck you from underneath.”

Every thrust shook through me, the chair creaking under the force. My head tipped back against his shoulder, a cry ripping from my throat.

“Touch yourself,” he rasped, biting down until I jolted. “Rub that clit while I split you open. I want you squeezing my cock until I can’t hold it anymore.”

Heat spiked under my skin, my body shaking as I obeyed, fingers sliding down until I gasped at the contact .

“That’s it,” he groaned, voice breaking. “Play with yourself for me. Make yourself come on my cock. I want you to lose it in my arms while I pound this pussy raw.”

The words alone nearly unraveled me, and when his hips drove up, brutal and deep, my orgasm snapped loose. It tore through me so hard I couldn’t stop the scream.

I collapsed back against him, his chest slick against my spine, trembling as the aftershocks wracked me. Talon’s grip only tightened, his mouth hot on my neck, groaning into my skin. “Fuck, that’s it. Squeeze me. Milk me dry. You’re mine, Wren. Every fucking inch of you.”

We stayed tangled in the chair, the room filled with our ragged breathing and the faint bass thudding through the walls. His arms locked around me like he’d never let me go.

Eventually, he stood, hauling me up with him, my jeans still bunched at my thighs.

“I’ll buy my sister new sheets tomorrow,” he muttered with a crooked grin, carrying me to the bed. He dropped me onto the mattress, climbing in behind me, tugging the blanket high as he dragged me back against his chest.

I buried my face in the pillow, his breath hot at the nape of my neck, and felt the knot inside me finally ease. It should’ve scared me, how much I needed this, how much I needed him, but it didn’t. Not tonight.

Tomorrow would bring fallout we couldn’t avoid. But with his arms locked around me, holding me like I was already his, all I could think about was how right it felt.

I wasn’t hiding anymore.