Havoc (3 page)

chapter six

Through tears, I looked up. 
Fuck
.  Standing there was Abram in just a pair of black sweatpants, every section of his six-pack tight till he realized I was mostly fine.  Before I could say a word, he scooped me off the floor with the effort others might take to lift a book.  There was a faint smile on his lips as he looked at me.

“Fall out of bed?” He set me back on its edge.

“No, I was…”
Running from an asshole’s voice.

“Who were you talking to on the phone?” Abram leaned against the table next to the bed.

“My ex.”

“Everything alright?”

“Um…” I trailed off, staring ahead at his bare abs.  God.  “Everything’s fine.  Just… the usual ex things.”

He grinned.  “Thankfully, I don’t have too many of those.  Care to enlighten me?”

I giggled and sucked on my lower lip.  “Well… drunk dialing.  That’s a big ex thing.  Wanting to get back together.  That’s another one.  But in my case, there’s also confessing that he’s marrying my best friend only because he wants her money.”

“Christ.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Pretty sure you dodged a bullet with that one.”

“I most certainly did,” I said, lifting my gaze as I suddenly realized.  “You saw him that night.  My ex.  I was running from him, which was why I ran into you.  So I guess I dodged a bullet by running into a tornado.”

Abram laughed.  “Yeah, well.  A bullet kills you.  A tornado just wreaks havoc before letting you back on your feet again.”

“Marrying Evan would’ve had me dead inside before our first anniversary, so you might have a point.”

“Seems like a great guy, this Evan.  How’d he ever manage to get you?”

I studied Abram, trying to figure out if he’d just complimented me.  “I was in college and he was a bartender on campus.  Semi-pro snowboarder.  Wore a backwards cap and gave me free drinks.  Those were the things that impressed me at the time,” I rolled my eyes at myself.  “I was nineteen.  Obsessed with partying.  You know how it goes.”

He laughed, tantalizing me as he adjusted the waistband on his sweats.  “I was in the Air Force when I was nineteen.  Not a whole lot of partying but I’d gone to keep myself in check, so I guess that was the point.”

My smile was wry.  “You were a bad kid like me?”

He smirked.  “Worse, I’m sure.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

He pushed off the nightstand.  “No.  I’d rather keep your impression of me at least slightly favorable,” he chuckled before nodding toward the bathroom door.  “By the way, you’ve spent the past five minutes trying to untangle your hair.  Would you like to shower?”

I dropped my hands to my lap, only just realizing I’d been attempting to unknot my matted locks since sitting back down on the bed.  “Um… yes.  Please.”  I needed a shower.  Badly.  My bloody limbs had been cleaned but my hair was still stiff and caked in some sort of anesthetic.  The nurse said they’d injected it before giving me stitches.

“Alright.”  Abram led me to the bathroom.  “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

In front of the shower, he stood behind me, reaching in it to start the water.  My pulse raced double time when I felt his bare abs press against my back, the warmth of his hard body driving me silently wild.

“Towel’s here.”  He set one on top of the sink, watching me just stand there for a second.  “You alright?”

I couldn’t lift my arms over my head.  I didn’t have to try to know that it wasn’t going to happen.  Every muscle in my body was sore and undressing myself was bound to be an hour-long affair.  But I didn’t want him to know, so I said, “I’m fine.  Thanks.”

He read straight through me.  “Can’t move?”

“I... not really, no.”

Abram stared for a second before breathing out a sexy laugh.  “I can help if you need it.  It wouldn’t be my first time undressing you.”

Ha. 
I chewed the inside of my mouth as I blinked at him, wondering how disgusting it would be if I delayed a shower.  My guess was extremely, so I peered at Abram.  “Can you keep your eyes on me?”

“I’ll look right here the whole time,” he assured me, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement at mine.  With a single step forward he had my heart racing.

And before I knew it, he was stripping me.

I reminded myself to breathe as I stood there letting this strange, gorgeous man take off my clothes.  I regretted telling him to keep his eyes on my face because it flushed pink the second he hooked two fingers into my waistband.  They pressed against my hipbones and stroked me all the way down as he pulled off my leggings. 
Fuck
, I cursed as my hot thighs twitched under his touch.  I knew he’d felt it because I could see a different glint in his eye now.  A smirk.  As I stepped out of my bottoms, Abram checked in on me.

“Good so far?”  That knowing voice.  He knew exactly what he was doing to me but for some reason, I let it go on.

“Yes,” I replied.  And with that, he gripped the hem of my shirt, giving the stretchy fabric a little tug before peeling it up slowly, exposing me inch by inch by inch.  Something about his air intensified as he tossed my shirt to the ground.  I could feel his…
was it, or was I crazy?
I could feel his arousal.  I could feel it in the way he breathed.  My eyes still on him, I felt suddenly hyper aware.  Of everything.  Every sound, every smell, every sensation.  I felt the heaviness of my breasts in my bra, the way the cups pulled tight around each swell as I inhaled.  And I couldn’t help being feverishly conscious of Abram’s scent as he closed what little gap there was between us.  It was something natural mixed with the slightest hint of cologne and it made me want to touch him so.  Damned.  Badly.  I was dying inside and there he was, his concentration unbreakable.

But it all changed when he reached around to unhook my bra.

One hand, one pinch and Abram had me undone.  But the second he pulled back, taking my bra with him, I caught his lip between his teeth.  He bit it for all of a second but I saw it.  The look.  That hot, male,
I’ll-fuck-you-against-the-wall
kind of lust that had me so instantly wet I could hardly stand still
.
Chills erupted over my naked breasts as my bra fell to the floor and landed on our feet, taunting us in the way it sprawled over our toes.  Still, I simply stood there, determined to keep this business only.

But then he cracked a dirty little smile.

You.  Little.  Fucker
.

That grin.  It was the sexiest, naughtiest thing I’d ever seen and it made me bite down hard on my lip.  I was hot and now he knew it.  If he wasn’t sure before, he certainly was now.  Breathing jaggedly, I stared into Abram’s eyes, feeling everything else in the room.  His desire.  His fingers curling.  I felt my nipples tightening and just grazing his skin when I exhaled.  The touch made him breathe deep and glare at me in a way that turned me on hard.  I felt an odd sense of victory.  I’d yet to see Abram in anything but control and right now, he looked on the brink of losing it.  I’d briefly paralyzed him and it made me feel powerful.  Sexy.

But when he spoke, his words were even.

“Do you need me for the rest?”

“No.”  I couldn’t have answered faster.  But I had no intention of letting him touch my panties.  They were effectively ruined thanks to him.  “I’m just going to get in now,” I said, rushing in still wearing my thong.  But my pulse jumped once the water hit my palms.  The stinging shocked me silent for a second but then I couldn’t hold it in, hissing a long
“owww”
with a string of profanity that had Abram’s attention flicking right back to me.  Laughing bitterly, I finally went
fuck it
and let myself give in.  “I lied.  I need you.”

“Yeah?” My words put an impish curve at the ends of his mouth but he said nothing more as he came to me again, stopping at the glass door of the massive shower.  He hooked his thumbs into the waist of his sweats.  “I’ll keep my boxers on but I’m taking these off.  Alright with you?”

I nodded casually through my pounding heartbeat.  “I’m going to keep mine on too.”

Abram laughed, his eyes once again locked on mine.  “Fine with me.”

And with one swift push, he dropped trou. 
Oh… my God. 
I swallowed, trying to keep my attention on his gaze and not on his package, but through the corner of my vision, I could tell he was wearing navy boxer briefs.  And I was pretty sure I’d seen something else that was unmistakable.  He was hard. 
Holy shit. 
Not fully, but when it came to Abram, just a bit of him was already way more than others. 
God, oh God. 
I wasn’t sure if the cocky smirk in his voice was an acknowledgment or just him being a sexy asshole.  “Stitches need to stay dry?” He reached for the bottle of Kiehl’s behind me.

“Yes,” I whispered, barely breathing as his fingers slid around my neck, letting me gently arch my back and tilt my head under the shower.  For some reason, I feared the water as much as I craved it.  I was quite possibly the world’s tightest ball of stress and frustration.

But the second the shower hit me, relief sighed from my lips.

Nothing hurt and I relaxed.  My eyes closed, I reveled in every part of the moment – the sound of the water, the smell of his shampoo, the strength of his hands on me.  One firmly cupped my neck and the other combed through my hair.  It was like he was brushing everything away.  Evan, money, Alma’s.  Even Elle.  All the things that plagued my soul were gone in Abram’s arms.  Held so tight, I couldn’t think about anything.  It felt so good that I hardly cared anymore about being shy.  My naked chest pressed shamelessly to his, rubbing against him with every breath.  My hands were hooked to his shoulders, digging into his skin as I leaned further back under the water.  A shower had never felt so incredible.  When Abram finally broke the silence, it was with a smug laugh.

“How are you feeling?”

“So good,” I breathed, resting the weight of my head on his palm as the water rained from the ceiling, rinsing out my hair.  My mouth parted as I felt his fingers start to gently knead, massaging my neck. 
Oh my God.  Don’t stop.
  I was in another world now, contentment trickling through my limbs.  I knew the pleasure was on my face because I heard the smirk in his voice.

“Glad you like it.”

“Oh God… I love it.”

“Good.  But since you’re already wet and naked, I’m going to need you to keep the sexy sounds to a minimal or I’m going to have a hard time over here.”

I was too relaxed to show the shock on my face.  All I could do was hold in a moan as his other hand began rubbing the small of my back.  I was in heaven.  My knees gave out but it didn’t matter.  Abram caught me and I heard his grunt as my breasts smashed harder against him.  Slipping, his palm caught a rough handful of my backside.

I couldn’t help it – I let out my moan.

It was soft, held halfway in, but it lasted a good few seconds and was unmistakable.  Because the way he grabbed hold of me – with such instinct, such raw strength and quickness – had me quickly as wet and turned on as humanly possible. 
Fuck
.  I bit back a sheepish grin, refusing to open my eyes as Abram gave a low laugh.  “Yeah?” That single sexy word again and he had me crazy.  I didn’t know how to reply.  All I could do was chew harder on my lip, his breath on my neck as he kept his hand on my ass.  “That okay then?” His question was a low murmur.  He was asking if he could keep touching me there.  For some reason, that drove my arousal through the roof.

“It’s okay,” I whispered eagerly, sliding my hand on top of his.

He breathed out my name like a warning.  But whatever second of control he had disappeared the second I made him squeeze me.  Immediately, he rumbled something full of need and my lips parted as I felt his fingers slide further down, to my underside, between my thighs. 
Oh my God. 
His fingertips just teased my pussy.  They drew little circles as he pushed gently between my folds to feel my wetness, slipping himself just inside me and breathing out hard against my neck as I clenched around him. 
Holy shit
.  I had no idea what was going on but I didn’t question it.  Every sensual bit of his touch was exactly what I needed.  I was absolutely lost.

But when the water trickled to my raw knees, I jolted back to Earth.

“
Shit,
” Gasping wide, I blinked at Abram.  My lashes were dripping, my arms snaked tight around his neck and his face just inches from mine.  His stare was thick with desire as he held me close.  Silent, panting, I let the water sting me, my nails digging into his skin as I stared at his lips.  I wanted to taste them.  They were smooth and pink and I needed to feel them crushed against mine.  But for a moment, we simply stood there, frozen under the beating hot water.

Finally, I broke from his grasp, stepping back behind the showerhead.  Taking a bar of soap, I held it out to him.  “I want you to do my body now.”

Abram stared.  That smirk I expected didn’t come.  What I got instead was a wolfish look, his blue eyes glinting with a predatory gaze that took me back to the alley.  My heart thumped when he finally stepped forward, walking under the water, soaking himself before walking me slowly back till I was pressed against the wall.  “Tell me again what you want.”