He pressed one of the buttons.

  Chapter 21

  The joke must’ve not sat well with him, was the first thought that crossed Kit’s mind, which had her torn between wanting to apologize and wanting to stand her ground. Her back went up when he started approaching, mouth doing that infamous frown and ice blue eyes filled with intent. He reached out, and she pressed her back tighter against the wall.

  Kit opened her mouth, then left it hanging open when his hand moved to the spot beside her. The elevator jerked to a stop, and she knew she was really in trouble. She attempted to step forward, gain some ground, but he was right in front of her, unrelentingly close.

  “Jack—”

  That infamous mouth was on hers, covering hers completely and stunning her into immobility.

  But not for long.

  It registered that Jack was kissing her, and it registered that he was doing so hungrily. That hunger seeped in her bones, made her heart jumpstart before she felt hands pressing against hers insistently…lifting her hands up, until they were trapped against the wall, too.

  She made a sound—she must’ve, because the kiss swiftly turned hard, fast, close to desperate. His hot breath melded with hers, tongue slipping out and seeking something…oh. It was seeking her tongue, and now they were tangled. His breath came out in quick, hard gusts, and the combination was the hottest thing she’d ever felt.

  That was proven wrong when his hand brushed under her dress, continuing up until it was cupping her ass. His firm grip held on, then squeezed as he slanted the kiss and took it deeper. Her nipples turned hard, brushed against his chest, and each rubbing movement felt like electric shocks tingling across her spine, then her whole body.

  Every stroke of tongue on hers was pleasure, and every pleasure turned desire liquid as he kept on. Jack devoured her in those lightning strokes, teasing. He squeezed her ass again, had the pleasure ricocheting down her center until it was throbbing madly. Something else was throbbing, too—a large, pulsing stiffness pressed against her stomach, hot as a fever and getting harder by the second. Without thought, Kit pushed back, wanting to feel more, and had the delight of feeling his hardness jerk and his whole body freeze as trembles overcame him.

  She was moved again, and it wasn’t until she saw her new position that she realized he was blocking her from the elevator camera. Hands slid her dress down, exposing her lace bra. Ice blue eyes turned molten hot when he saw her, and thumbs moved up to circle, pinch, rub.

  She moaned, trying to get away from so much aching but wanting more…more. Her hand snaked down to cup him, squeezing firmly when she heard him hiss. The kiss was broken as his mouth cruised down her neck, where he seemed to inhale her scent deeply.

  “I thought…you were mad about being compared to a turtle.”

  He chuckled, and it was deep. Ragged, too, and filled with arousal. “Nothing in me is mad. Do you feel this? This isn’t mad.”

  “It’s madness.”

  “It wants you. I want you.”

  He rocked his hips to prove his point, slowly fucking himself into her tight grip. The admission stunned her, but more so his actions, and she responded in kind as she rocked against him, too. Her fingers found his tip, teasing it relentlessly until he was making sounds against her throat: heaving grunts and groans, choked-out sounds of how much it pleased him.

  And it was addictive, as addictive as what his touch was doing to her whole body. Her nipples ached so hard it hurt, and her clit pulsed in time with every screaming need. Kit gripped his shoulder with her other hand, craving for more—wanting him to give that more to her.

  The speaker squawked like a bomb was dropped in the center of an all-consuming silence.

  “Sir? Is everything okay there?”

  With a harsh inhale and a broken growl, Jack reached out to press a button.

  “Yes. Thank you for checking, Charles,” he said to the lobby head before ending the speaker connection. There was a click, followed by a ding.

  Kit watched the elevator open, aware it would close after a few seconds. She was also aware of Jack’s body, still hard, erection pressed against her. There was a possessiveness to the way his hand settled on her waist, but one thing was missing: the kiss.

  He’d broken it, and he was no longer returning to it.

  She looked up in confusion.

  “Jack?”

  “Not here,” was all he said before he was pushing off her—then, tugging her with him until they were stumbling to the hallway. They didn’t stop, rushing to his apartment door and nearly trembling as he thumbed in for access.

  Inside, she was pressed against the door, the force closing it before his mouth was kissing her thoroughly. He very nearly growled again when she bit his lower lip, right before he was pulling her to…the kitchen.

  Not the bedroom.

  Puzzlement turned to a squeak when she felt herself lifted. Jack’s hands spanned around her waist as he set her down on the kitchen counter, watching her with the same intent from the elevator. Those hands moved, cruising down her hips, her thighs…parting them slowly. Without pause, he moved his body in between, coming closer.

  Quietly, he explored her with heavy blue eyes, like a slow caress. It was a brimming, kindling fire, burning her up until she was tingling by the time he met her gaze. Their faces were inches apart, allowing them to feel each other’s hot, aroused breaths. His hand reached up, fingers resting on her jaw before they slowly traveled down. Those fingers played with her first button, sending her in a whirlwind of anticipation as the silence went on…as he finally unbuttoned it and parted the top of her dress.

  Another button was unbuttoned, then another. She hissed at each graze of his knuckles on her skin, burning her up more until she was craving more than the feather-light contact. But Jack was taking his sweet time, arresting her with his hot breath steadily getting heavier at each exposed inch of skin.

  He parted her dress, sliding it down. He took a long time looking at her bra, eyes darkening as her nipples turned hard against the lace material. A quiet click snapped in the air before the bra was lowered, too, and his thumbs were there, making her pucker and tremble as he rubbed. His callouses might as well have been electricity, shocking her to the core.

  Teasing her.

  “Jack…why are we here?” she blurted out, then took a ragged gulp of air. “In the kitchen, I mean?”

  A smirk caressed his mouth, achingly sexy. “Because I want to feast on you.”

  He kissed her again, tongue gliding with hers and hand keeping a firm hold at the back of her head. His other hand played with her breasts—squeezing, brushing, pinching, until she was a tight spring of coil ready to snap. Their teeth mashed in desperation, then his mouth was gone and making a path down her neck, where he licked the sensitive flesh. That mouth kept traveling until she felt hot air hovering over her nipple. He kissed the edges of her breasts, but never the tip, and the severe ache and emptiness nearly made her scream.

  She tugged on his hair repeatedly, glaring down when he smirked again. A sob escaped her throat when his mouth was finally there, closing over her tip and doing unspeakable things: a teasing lick, a hungry suck. More noises gushed out of her, incoherent. Her fingers pressed against his scalp, then gripped his hair tight when he sucked on her nipples more fervently.

  Something ghosted over her panties, feather-soft. Her body jerked, then stilled when the lace cloth was lowered, then removed—then, when his mouth traveled even lower, resting on her stomach for a second or two before his breath was right there, where her legs had parted wider for him. His thumbs circled her thighs, a teasing motion…no, a tense one as if he was trying very hard to keep himself under control.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Shyness engulfed her before skittering away when she saw the stark hunger in that gaze. A hot pleasure laced through her when his finger traced her entrance. He growled.

  “You’re wet, too.”

  Whimpering, she could only give him a nod when that finger slipped in easily, hooking inside and making her clench. Then the tip of something wet and slightly rough touched her there, too, gentle flicks at first. Jack groaned, gripping her thighs firmly.

  “Kit?”

  “Yes?”

  “Spread open for me.”

  She gulped, then parted more for him. Her hands gripped his hair as flicking turned to licking, and soon he was lapping her up as if he was starved for her. His finger kept moving, too, thrusting in and out and driving her insane as wracks of pleasure pulsed inside her. It had to be the alcohol, her mind reasoned, before that mind went blank as he thrust with his tongue now.

  Repeatedly, she called out his name, but didn’t know what to say—couldn’t say anything as the ache only intensified. But Jack knew, and he looked up once to meet the fire in her gaze.

  “Come for me, Kitty.”

  Kitty.

  The center of his tongue flattened against her clit, pressing tight.

  That, and the sound of her name in his rough, aroused tone, was all the trigger she needed to burst forth, an explosion that made her tremble all over. She rode his finger through her climax, extending it. Blind with pleasure, Kit could only hang on, burying her face against his neck as his head reared back up.

  Jack held her, never letting go, his hands roaming again. The waves running inside her abated, awareness coming back that he was kissing her again. He was tense, and she soon realized why: her hand cupping his hardness, almost out of instinct.

  She pressed more insistently and had the joy of seeing him bite back a curse. His eyes blazed hotly, watching as she unzipped him before gliding in and wrapping her fingers around him.

  Unprepared for how big he was, she stilled for a second before continuing, squeezing experimentally at first—then, stroking, finding a rhythm that had him biting his tongue and jerking forward. He rocked his hips against her hand, his knuckles turning white against the countertop at every forward movement. Restless again, Kit took his mouth this time, licking and biting his lips. When she sucked on his tongue, a raw groan of pleasure escaped him, one that reverberated through her. His hips rocked wilder, faster, as she thumbed the tip and rubbed relentlessly.

  The rocking stopped, and a great wracking followed. Then, the sound of Jack’s louder groan right in her ear, where she heard every second of his climax. She held on, still stroking him until his body went quiet, too.

  A few seconds later, he moved away from her, disentangling. The sudden lack of support had her swaying, and it made her realize that despite the clarity of what they’d done, the buzz was still there. It made her pleasantly sleepy but dizzy, and she reached out to steady herself. Kit ended up squeaking when she felt arms wrap around her before she was being carried to a bedroom and…oh.

  Her cheeks heated when she felt something wet in between her legs, wiping her. Blinking, she looked down, then up, incredulous as he slowly slid a new pair of panties up her thighs. His fingers grazed her all over again, making her bite back a moan.

  “Jack…”

  “We both need sleep,” he stated, and she could see the same sleepiness in him. “I can go back to my room if you want…”

  Her hand snapped up, wrapping around his wrist.

  “Stay.”

  Ice blue eyes watching her with hunger, he nodded and climbed in. But Jack didn’t kiss her. He pulled her closer instead until her back was resting against his front, and his head was on top of hers. It brought a great sense of comfort, but also a great sense of ache as his fingers rubbed circles over her stomach.

  “You can’t do that if you want me to sleep,” she warned.

  His fingers stilled, then tightened their grasp. Finally, he sighed, the sound filled with amusement, before he kissed the side of her ear.

  Kit shivered.

  “Kit, there’s nothing I want more. But we do need rest.”

  She took that in, almost contemplated if she could actually jump him now.

  Then the tiredness came for her, and she closed her eyes instead.

  * * *

  Waking up in the middle of the night was filled with a dreamy, languid feeling, and Kit basked in it before realizing she wasn’t alone. She turned around…froze when she saw the claws gripping the side of the bed and the alternating of dark to ice blue in Jack’s eyes. Those eyes snapped in her direction as if sensing her.

  She scrambled up.

  “Jack? Are you…?”

  “I’m fine. Just some minor issue with control. I can handle it.”

  She tilted her head, eyeing the lines of his body. Other than the fresh sweatpants and lack of shirt—and the claws—nothing else was different from last night.

  “Will holding you help?”

  “It’ll ease the pain. But I don’t want you to risk—what are you doing?”

  “Easing the pain,” she said easily, already straddling his lap. There was no missing the way his cock nearly jumped from his pants, pressing against her thigh insistently. He hissed, and she leaned down to look him in the eye. “You won’t hurt me. I trust you.”

  A choking sound escaped him when she started raining kisses on his face, light as air. He gripped the bedsheets harder, then jerked his body up almost helplessly.

  “I want you, Kit,” he declared. It had her belly tightening, the want for him so intense that she couldn’t bear it.

  “Then have me,” she whispered, straightening just enough to remove her whole dress. Her underwear were slipped off. “We’re no longer drunk, Jack.”

  A growl burst from his throat, desperate and needy.

  Then he was reaching out and pulling her down for a hard, hungry kiss.

  Chapter 22

  The sight of Kit’s bare breasts—round globes and rosy nipples gently, sweetly puckering—should’ve made Jack lose control, particularly when the desire running inside him surged up and made his erection nearly unbearable. Instead, it anchored him, his claws gripping the sheets tighter as he hungrily took in the sight. Mouthwatering, body aching, he heard her words.

  And it did snap his control, but in a completely different way as he pulled her closer and devoured what she was so eager to offer.

  That eagerness hummed on her tongue as he stroked it fast, kissing her to quench his thirst but also to take what he’d been wanting for so long. His hands squeezed and pinched her tits until she came alive, vibrating with an energy that filled the air and had her rocking her hips against his. He welcomed that rocking, welcomed her return kisses that were brimming with the same intense desire.

  He removed his claws from the sheets, watched as they turned back to regular nails. He felt the change course through his system, the uncontrollable need to shift turning into a need for something else. That need was right in front of him, and the human in him recognized the waste if he let this go.

  If he let her go.

  So Jack didn’t let her go, holding on to her hips as she took his cock and fondled it firmly—then, as she aligned the tip to her entrance and paused. Without words, Kit sank on to him, inch by slow inch, torturously wonderful. Pinpricks of pleasure blazed in his eyelids, then his body, turning him hot and cold as she took her time. She leaned forward again, kissing him to anchor herself and waiting for his next move.

  In response, he pushed his hips up, plunging his dick deeper inside until he was buried to the hilt.

  The tightness, the wetness that clamped around him was too much, but not nearly enough. As if she heard him, Kit began moving: slow, up and down motions at first, rocking her hips and taking her pleasure as much as she was giving it. He held on to her, the human need intensifying as he lifted his hips in return, meeting her gyrations down. Slow soon turned fast, eager, and she bounced up and down and grazed his balls.

  Jack bit back a curse as his blood rushed fully south.

  “Kit…”

  He didn’t need to say it. Kit began to ride him, moving more enthusiastically and with abandon. The sight of her all flushed, vibrating with pleasure, was something to behold, her tits bouncing deliciously at every descent of her ass.

  When she ground against him once more, desperately asking for more, Jack sat up in answer. He closed his mouth around her nipple, taking in every whimper and moan. He filled his hands with those tits, taking in her hitched gasps. Then he was pistoning his hips up, his control wavering. Her fingers held on to his shoulders for anchor before he was rolling her on her back and angling his thrusts to the center of her pleasure point.

  She clawed at his back, a razor-sharp moan of pleasure bursting from her mouth. The climax came shattering for her, her body shaking all over. When her muscles clenched tight, repeatedly, his wavering control snapped, broken, and his hips surged forward with abandon as he sought out his release.

  It came, and it came like a cannonball. It blinded him into a whirlwind of fireworks and blankness, an eternal pleasure that seemed to go on. Jack held on, then let go, feeling her meet his lips and anchor him with lazy kisses.

  And in that span of release, he felt himself getting lost and then found by her.

  * * *

  “So let me leave you with some nice, catchy dance tunes, which I hope will get your groove up. This is DJ Kit, and a pleasant afternoon to everyone!”

  Jack looked up just in time to watch the On Air light fade off and Kit remove her headphones with a satisfied sigh. She’d been at it for two hours now, having needed to cover two segments, and he’d taken advantage of the time by half-listening to her and half-working on the couch. Notes filled his open laptop, intercrossing with each other.

  None of them got him closer to the killer, and it felt like he was still missing something. The problem was that he didn’t know what he was missing.

  The dagger material makers' alibis were strong, and there had been no more murders for the last few weeks. Knowing serial killers, that meant either of two things: that the suspect had moved on to a different area, or was simply biding his time and preparing for something bigger.

 

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