25: SAFEWORD

COLE

I flicked the ashes of my cigarette into the ashtray, flipping to follow her as she exited the front door with a jingle. My hands coming around her hips and trapping her against me, mouth going instantly to her ear to soothe the fight I felt in her body. Turning us around the corner out of the public eye behind their recycle and a back entrance. “You really are working.”

Her body didn’t relax, but she certainly wasn’t about to take a swing at me as I flipped her against the back of the store building. Pinning her against the wall as I glared down at her. Trying to decide how to handle the situation. Surprised she was being so compliant, and wondering what the fuck I was even doing.

I was pissed at her. Pissed but proud. We had been dating as a trio for about two months now and even though she had stopped seeing us as often, it wasn’t for the reasons I had expected.

I wanted to reward her, and punish her at the same time and it was making my cock excruciatingly hard the moment I saw her. “You’re sexy in a uniform.” The words of praise surprised her, turning her face from anger to surprise and confusion as I tugged on her ponytail to expose her neck.

“Cole I—”

“Got another job? Yes, I can see that.” I hummed as my mouth skimmed over her neck and jawline. “I suppose that’s a good excuse to ignore me?”

“I didn’t ignore you.”

“Blow me off.”

“I had to work.”

“~Last minute~. Covering a shift I imagine. So you canceled on me.” I articulated in her ear, my hands roaming over her body as my teeth nipped her earlobe.

“I—I didn’t have a choice,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Didn’t you?” I taunted as her breath hitched, my teeth catching her tender flesh behind her ear. She gave out a small strangled noise as they trailed down gently, my tongue following in my teeth’s wake. The noise she made was one I loved the most. It was the one that told me she was already wet if I were to open her legs and—

Fuck.

Being arrested for public sex wasn’t exactly something I had had on my agenda today.

“You could have asked for help, or a place to crash, even a better paying job,” I scolded, trying to restrain myself more than anything. Though this was an important conversation to have. It wasn’t technically the one I wanted right this very moment. My body craved much less talking, and many more of those sounds from her.

She swallowed hard, not meeting my eyes. Her brow set as she stared off. Delilah's stubborn thoughts written all over her face. My cock only twitched and swelled at the realization of how self-sufficient she was trying to be. The desire to not grovel and stand on her own feet, trying to respect what was both mine and my brothers.

Fuck, I wanted her.

I wanted to take care of her for more than just sex. Her overall well-being was important to me. So seeing her struggling this hard upset me when I could do something to ease it. How to go about it without damaging her pride was another matter.

So I decided to go about it the only way I could think of. “You’re quitting.”

The fury in her eyes was one of the sexiest storms I ever had to face head-on. It was also the most terrifying as I stood my ground. Our eyes locked in a tense silence.

“You can’t—” Her elbows were up and I lifted the palms of my hands to the bricks, taking a step back to let her turn around and face me properly. Everything in her trembling. From desire, adrenaline, anger shining through Delilah’s features. She looked like a goddess.

“You’re right, I can’t, and I won’t make you. Just hear me out. I want more time with you. We both do. Consider yourself an investment if it makes you feel better ~doll~. The bottom line is, I’m not going to let you whore yourself out for pennies when I could be fucking you in the privacy of our home. It wouldn’t be right of me.”

“I’m not ~whoring~ myself out, I’m making an honest living trying—”

I pulled on her hair, my cock grinding into her crotch with her back to the wall once more as a growl built in my throat. “Bullshit. That manager is looking at you with the same hungry eyes I had the day we met. If not him, any other man coming in here enjoying your company to just buy a goddamn stick of gum. I. Want. You. Home.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Wondering if I had pushed too hard, despite her not using the safeword like I had that first night Seth and I had fucked her together. Never wanting to unintentionally hurt her, making the possibility clutch at my heart like talons as the seconds ticked by.

“Cole, I have bills to pay and that home is empty. I’m not going to be some sort of… kept woman. You can’t just make me go home and—”

I ran my hands through my hair, raking them through and stepping further from her, taking a large deep breath. Trying to stay away from her as I wracked my brain, while also trying to force blood anywhere else to try and not fuck this up.

~What would Seth do? I can’t just go bitch to him every time.~

Taking a frustrated breath, I pulled out my phone, dialing Seth and throwing him on speaker and holding it outward slightly. Delilah looking less than amused as she folded her arms, likely wishing I had fucked her instead of trying to continue to have this discussion. Something I wanted as well.

At least it would get her fired.

I just didn’t want that the only thing good between us to be going up in flames. Handling this with my dick was out of the question.

“Yo, what’s up?”

“Delilah’s moving in.”

Delilah’s mouth hung open with shock, finally realizing what I had meant when I said I wanted her home. Seth, however, was less than surprised.

“Oh wow, she said yes? I thought she’d at least discuss it with me. When is sh—”

“No! No, she most certainly did not say yes!” Delilah screamed in a panic, her eyes going wide and her hands practically shaking. “Fuck. Viking. VIKING!” She put up her hands with her palms wide.

“Oh goddammit.” Our words were in unison, as well as our mutual disappointment in myself at failing Delilah once more.

It was her safeword.