DISCOVERY (Esquire Black Duet Book 1) Read online

  “If I wanted a quick fuck, Brooklyn, I could get one anywhere I damn well please. That’s not what we have, and you know it. If I wanted to ensure your safety, I could think of several different ways to do that, and none of them include you being in my bed and living in my house. So, I think my actions speak louder than my words. However, I’ll repeat, I don’t want you for just sex.”

  I watch as she shakes her head and closes her eyes for a moment. When she reopens them, there’s wetness shining in them.

  “I need more from you,” she practically begs.

  I let out another long exhale. “Yeah, kitten. I get that.”

  I don’t offer her more though, I don’t know if I ever will be able to. I can offer her protection and orgasms.

  I can take care of her, give her a safe place and money, but that’s all that I have for her. She watches me but stays silent for a breath before she speaks again.

  “Can you give me more, baby?”

  Pressing my lips against hers, I wrap my hands around her waist and tug her against my chest. Slowly I kiss over to her ear before I whisper.

  “Kitten, I’ll give you whatever you need, just ask. Anytime, anywhere, and it’s yours. You’ve got me, Brooklyn.”

  “Promise?” she asks, pulling away from me slightly.

  I grin, unsure if I can truly promise her everything I’ve offered. I want it all to be true, I really fucking do, but I doubt that it will be.

  This moment is nothing more than a Band-Aid, I’m sure that we’ll be here again sooner rather than later.

  “Go to our room. You’ve still got a punishment that I need to dole out,” I wink.

  She eyes me warily and wrinkles her nose before she nods. She slips out of my arms and I watch her walk away from me.

  I want to give her the world, especially after this talk, after seeing how much I’ve fucked with her.

  I want to give her everything—but I don’t know if I can deliver.

  Chapter Sixteen

  BROOKLYN

  Abandoning Lucas in the guest room, I slowly make my way toward his master suite. Once I’m inside, I completely undress, slipping off my shoes, then my bra and panties, before I climb to the center of the bed.

  I do what he asked of me, lowering my chest to the mattress with my ass in the air.

  I feel exposed as my ass faces his doorway, but I’m not sure how much I care. I want what he offered, even pissed off at him, even hurt by him, I still want it, and I want it now.

  I remember the last time he spanked me, the bite of pain and the pleasure—I crave it, again. I try to push all of my doubts aside and accept him.

  This man hides behind ten-foot tall walls constructed of the strongest stone on earth. I won’t be able to chip through that in just a few weeks’ time. I have to be strong enough to stay at his side.

  I know when he’s walked into the room. It’s as though he’s sucked all of the air out of the space, leaving me breathless and lightheaded.

  I jump when I feel his fingertips skim up the back of my thigh to my ass, then he continues up the curve of my spine until he touches my shoulder.

  “No noises. No moving,” he announces.

  The sound of his hand slapping the flesh of my ass fills the air, and then I feel the sting. It hurts, I’ve missed it. This time he doesn’t give me a moment to catch my breath between blows.

  He slaps me in immediate succession. I grip the sheets next to my head, holding tightly as I try not to cry out or to squirm.

  I can feel my clit pulsing, begging for attention as tears fall from my eyes.

  Lucas stops, our combined heavy breaths filling the room.

  “Undress me,” he demands, his voice raspy and on edge behind me.

  I open my eyes, rising to my knees before I rest my ass against them, I hiss when my sensitive skin touches the heels of my feet.

  My entire body trembles as I crawl toward the edge of the bed, then slowly slip off of it, placing my feet flat on the floor.

  With wobbly legs, I walk toward him. He’s standing barefoot, his hands clenched at his sides, and his jacket already discarded.

  I slowly, with shaky fingers, unbutton his vest. Keeping my eyes on my hands, focusing as hard as I can.

  I move to his tie once his vest is discarded, and I quickly undo it and let it flutter to the ground.

  Lucas wraps his hand around my shaking one at the top of his shirt. I look up into his green eyes and am taken aback by how serious his gaze is.

  I’m not used to it from him. He usually gives me his cocky smirk, but it’s nowhere in sight right now.

  “You are not a plaything to me, Brooklyn,” he announces.

  My heart slams against my chest at the sincerity in his words. I open my mouth, but he just shakes his head once before he speaks again.

  “I haven’t ever done this before. It’s all new to me. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I need you to know that you are more than just sex.”

  Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I give him a nod as I continue to unbutton his shirt, pulling it out of his slacks and tugging it down his arms.

  He bends his head slightly and places his mouth on mine, then wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me against his body.

  One of his hands grabs onto the sensitive flesh of my ass and squeezes. I moan at the bite of pain, as I press my thighs together with equal excitement.

  “I was pretty rough on your ass,” he mutters against my mouth as he walks us backward.

  My thighs hit the side of the bed, and I cry out when he gently guides me into a seated position. He was rough, rougher than he was last time, and yet, I liked it even more than I did the first time.

  “Spread,” he demands as he takes half a step back.

  Spreading my thighs, I try not to feel embarrassed. I’m wet, and I feel swollen and needy all at the same time.

  Closing my eyes, I inhale a deep breath, then let out the exhale as I attempt to calm myself down.

  I want to tackle him and make him fuck me. I feel completely out of control.

  Jumping, I feel cool air against my center. My eyes open, and look down to see Lucas is kneeling between my legs, blowing on my pussy. His eyes flick up to mine and he tips his lips in a smile.

  He leans forward a little more and I watch as his tongue tastes my entire center. I automatically reach out and grab ahold of his still neatly styled hair.

  I don’t guide or move him, I just hold onto him for stability and watch in awe as he begins to devour me.

  I tug him a bit closer to me, rolling my hips as I search for more—craving it. When two of his fingers slip inside of me and his mouth latches onto my clit, I let out a low moan.

  Two of his fingers easily glide inside of me, curling inside of me as his tongue flicks my clit.

  I feel my body climbing closer toward my release, I’m completely on edge, seconds from toppling over.

  “Baby, oh, please don’t stop,” I cry out.

  Lucas’ free hand moves to my ass and squeezes, sending shots of pain throughout my entire body.

  It’s enough to send me over the edge. My back arches as I push my pussy closer to him, I let out a loud sob as I come.

  My thighs shake and my hips jerk until he releases me, easing his fingers out from inside of my body. I lie back, and my legs feel like Jell-O. I can’t even will my eyelids to open.

  There’s a rustling sound, and then I feel his thick cock enter me. His strong hands wrap around my waist, and he tugs me forward so that my ass is completely hanging off of the bed.

  He doesn’t speak, his face tipped down as he gently pumps in and out of me.

  One of his hands leaves my waist and gently slides up my side until he’s cupping my breast. His fingers immediately wrap around my hardened nipple and he tugs, causing me to moan.

  “So good,” he murmurs as he continues to tug and pinch on my sensitive nub. “Are you going to come around my cock?” he asks, his voice more of a low hum than anything els
e.

  It takes everything inside of me to form words. “Yes, Lucas,” I whisper.

  “Good girl,” he grins.

  His hips slowly roll as he continues to fuck me, his fingers at my breast making my body heat and climb higher.

  I arch my back, trying to push down harder against him, needing more, needing what he’s giving to me to be a little rougher.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks.

  It sounds like he’s on the verge of laughing.

  I whimper. “Lucas, you’re torturing me.”

  With a grunt, he tugs on one of my nipples roughly before his hand returns to my waist.

  He doesn’t waste even a second. He thrusts inside of me on his next down stroke, and he slams so hard that it makes my entire body jolt.

  Then he does it again, and again. Just like when he spanked my ass, he doesn’t give me even a second to breathe.

  It’s exactly what I need. It’s exactly what I crave from him. Rough, painful pleasure that keeps me aching for days.

  My hands reach out to his biceps, and my fingernails dig into his flesh as I come, again.

  Opening my mouth, no sound escapes. My body is like granite as I grip ahold of him. Lucas doesn’t stop his ruthless plunder.

  When he finally stills with a groan, I feel his hot release fill me.

  He releases his hold on my waist but doesn’t pull out. Instead. he picks me up. By my armpits and scoots us farther on the bed, his still half hard cock inside of my body.

  When he hovers over the top of me, I almost gasp as his lips gently touch mine. His hips move slightly, which causes me to moan again. He continues to lazily fuck me, his half-hard cock sliding in and out of my sated body.

  “You are not just some plaything, Brooklyn. I don’t know what we are, but I know that much.”

  I let out a sigh as he pulls out of me and then rolls over onto his back next to me.

  Lucas gathers me in his arms, arranging me so that my front is pressed against his side. I feel his fingertips gently caress my tender ass, closing my eyes at how sweet the move is.

  “What do you need to know?”

  Thinking about his question, I bite my lip and lift my head, placing my chin on his chest.

  I need to know everything about him. I don’t think he would begin to tell me his entire life story, so I ask one of the hardest questions I can think of.

  “Have you ever been in love?” I ask.

  His eyes narrow on me slightly before he grins with a shake of his head.

  “Never,” he admits.

  “Me either.”

  He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear with a tenderness I’m not used to from him. “How have you never been in love, kitten?” he asks, his voice in almost a whisper.

  I look at his throat and start to trace patterns on his chest, my fingers gliding through his short hair there, when I clear my throat and speak.

  “I dated this guy, a teacher’s aide. I didn’t love him, but I thought it was going to go that way. I didn’t know that I was just one of many. I felt so stupid, so naïve. I’ve never felt that stupid before, but in that moment, when I discovered that, everything he fed me was line after line of bullshit—God, I felt like an idiot.”

  “You felt stupid because you believed what someone told you?” he asks, sounding dumbfounded.

  I look up from his neck and into his green eyes. “I felt stupid and naïve, Lucas. There I was, almost finished with law school, and I fell for some guy’s lame lines.” I shrug. “What does that say about me? How can I be an attorney and blindly believe everything people tell me?”

  Lucas shakes his head, but he doesn’t talk about it further, or ask me anything else about the situation. I’m surprised, I expected him to want to know more.

  “What about high school? I thought all girls were in love in high school?” he asks, changing the direction of the conversation.

  I wrinkle my nose. “Gross. I was super nerdy in high school,” I admit.

  He laughs, his arms holding me a little tighter.

  “Bet you were a knockout then, just like you are now.”

  I almost laugh in his face, but the sincerity in his eyes fills me with warmth, rather than laughter.

  He doesn’t know that I was head of the debate team. That no boys ever asked me out, not even to the senior prom.

  He doesn’t know that I went into college a virgin. He doesn’t know a hell of a lot about me, but that doesn’t stop my heart from swelling that he’s called me a knockout, even if it was totally untrue.

  I lay my head on his chest, wishing for that warmth to go away. It makes me feel way too much right now.

  “I bet you were Mr. Popularity in high school,” I murmur, changing the subject.

  “Bet your ass I was,” he grunts. I laugh softly, because I knew it. No way in hell was The Lucas Black anything but the best at absolutely everything from the day he was born. “Played football, starting quarterback,” he states proudly.

  Something about that bit of knowledge leaves me feeling a bit uneasy.

  He’s still the best at everything, still up on top, and I’m still nerdy Brooklyn Myers, fighting and clawing my way into a semblance of recognition.

  I am under no illusion that tonight has changed everything about our relationship. I wish that it had, but I highly doubt it.

  “I have a lot of work to do,” I say, clearing my throat.

  He hums and pulls me on top of him. My legs automatically spread as I straddle his hips. I can feel his release leaking out of me, and I’m unable to stop my face from heating. He must know what I’m blushing about because his hand instantly slips between us. I feel his fingers gently slide through my sensitive center, and I shiver as I let out a whimper.

  “I like that you take me bare, kitten. That you take everything I give you, and you enjoy it,” he says as he continues to stroke me. “This feeling, the two of us combined—fuck, it’s so damn sexy.”

  “Lucas, baby.”

  He lifts his hand from between us and paints my nipples with our combined release. I suck in a breath in surprise, my face heating, yet again. Lucas chuckles but doesn’t stop.

  “I’m being honest with you, Brooklyn. What you and I have, I’ve never had it with another woman. I can’t define it, but it’s us. I’m not a romantic guy. I’ll never be that. I’m a workaholic. I might not always be home to take you out for nice dinners, but I’ll always be honest with you-you can count on that. Even if it’s brutal.”

  I wrap my hand around his wrist to halt his movements, and his eyes lift to mine.

  Those dancing green eyes, they suck me in and undo me every time I look at them.

  I lift his hand to my lips and suck on his finger, watching as his eyes turn from dancing to burning.

  When I’m finished, I speak, “Okay, Lucas. I can accept all of that. Honesty is more important than dinners. Plus, I can cook a little, so you’ll have something waiting for you on those late nights.”

  Maybe I’ve been too hard on Lucas Black. Maybe what he’s giving me is truly everything that he has to offer.

  Maybe this really is the start to something spectacularly special. Once I’m finished licking his fingers, I give him a smile.

  “Damn straight, I’ll have something to eat. Just spread your legs for me, and I’ll never starve.”

  His words cause me to burst out into laughter. I love them, and his rare moments of humor. He’s more open right now then he’s ever been. I chance asking him one more question.

  “If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?” I ask.

  His eyes stay connected to mine and his breathing becomes heavier. For a brief moment, I don’t think he’s going to answer. When he does, I fall a little harder and deeper for him.

  “I would change the fact that I was too busy to spend time with my grandparents as a teenager and in college. The parties, the girls, all that shit, it doesn’t matter. They died in a car accident, unexpectedly,
and I’ll never get all that missed time with them back. They’re gone forever,” he says.

  “Lucas,” I rasp.

  Clearing his throat, he shakes his head, “Go take a shower and I’ll bring up your laptop. I’ll order dinner and you can work in bed.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I smile sadly before I lean down and brush my lips against his.

  LUCAS

  I walk down to the living room in nothing but a smile. I don’t know why I decided to claim Brooklyn as my own, making this relationship of ours legitimate, but in the moment it feels right.

  In fact, everything with her has felt right from the beginning. Picking up her laptop bag and her purse, I make my way back up to the bedroom.

  I can hear my phone ringing in my pants pocket, and I hurry over to it, slinging her stuff on the bed before I root around for my device.

  “Hello,” I murmur.

  “Lucas, it’s Vivian.”

  My good mood completely sours.

  Not that I don’t like Vivian, because I do, but I do not want to work right now.

  I have a feeling that’s exactly what she wants me to do. She begins telling me about this case she has, and that she needs an extra set of eyes on some documents, but that everybody else is out of the office for the day, since tomorrow is a holiday.

  “I’m already home, Vivian,” I state as Brooklyn walks out of the bathroom, her towel wrapped around her body, concealing her lush curves from my view.

  “Yes, I’m sure you are, but Lucas, I need this,” she pleads.

  I don’t know why she’d need it so badly. It’s not as if the courts will even be in session tomorrow.

  She should have plenty of time to drag some other partner or associate into her office. I let out a puff of air.

  “I’m home for the evening, Vivian. I can maybe come in tomorrow morning for a few hours, and help you out,” I offer.

  “Really?” she asks in surprise.

  I chuckle as Brooklyn looks at me, worry crossing her features. I reach out for her waist and bring her close to me.