Salvaged by Love (Thalia Book 3) (The Thalia Series) Page 2

  Her murmurs against his cock only added to the intensity of her wake up call. He lifted his hips into her mouth and she didn’t try to pull back when she gagged a bit. Instead, she swallowed against the head of him and he was once again in her throat. His balls ached with the sweet torture of her movements. Wet heat surrounding every inch of him as those muscles tightened, and released, and tightened. He couldn’t bite back the satisfied groan, and when she slid back again working him with her tongue, her hand gently squeezing his balls, he almost came.

  Not yet.

  When she slid forward her moan vibrated against his hard flesh, and he wanted more than anything to drag her up and fuck her, but he definitely didn’t want to kill this moment because of his stupid shoulder. She slid up and down, her tongue focused on the underside of his sensitive head, and then the flat of her tongue ran down him. Then she repeated it. Over and over until he was groaning, and she was echoing her own pleasure at hearing his. When he looked down to see her pressing her thighs together, her pert little ass dancing in the air behind her as she swallowed him, and those hazel eyes locking on his seeking approval – this was perfection. Her mouth drew down and he caught her hair as his balls tightened, his spine firing heat as he came with a shout.

  Thalia’s name was on his lips as he emptied himself into her mouth, and she swallowed every drop of him. Gently tracing her tongue across his too sensitive flesh, before she released him and sat up between his knees. She was flushed from her efforts, her chin wet with saliva, her eyes damp with tears from the times she had gagged, and her beautiful mouth red.

  How the bloody hell had he ever been so lucky to find her?

  “Come here.” He held his hand towards her and she smiled and slid down next to him, her smooth hand tracing over his stomach as he pulled her into a kiss. Her mouth was still so wet, and she moaned against his lips. He leaned his head back a little and smiled at her, “Thank you, baby.”

  “How are you feeling?” Her eyes were locked on his, her face filled with nervous expectation. He was still mad at himself for the idiot, lovesick decision he’d made to try and drive to Kalen’s in the middle of the night. He really could have hurt himself, in fact, the doctor had told him that falling asleep had likely saved him from more serious injury. Hard to tense up in a crash when you’re not awake for it. He sighed.

  “After that? I feel fantastic.” He grinned at her and she smiled with self-satisfaction. He loved the pride she showed when she pleased him, that excited little shimmy of her body against his as he praised her.

  “Other than that. Your head? Your shoulder?” She smiled when she said it, but he could see the worried tension in her face, pulling her brows together.

  “A little sore, but I’ll be fine, baby.” He pressed a kiss to Thalia’s forehead and she relaxed against him, her body fitting to his like it was made for it. Every soft edge of hers melting against his rough lines until there wasn’t a breath that could pass between them. He couldn’t wait to be home with her again, when they could lie like this for a whole Saturday. Nowhere to be, no one to see, except each other.

  “If you’re feeling up to it, I heard voices a bit ago and I think they’re having lunch now?” She leaned up to look at him and her stomach growled. She blushed and he laughed.

  “I believe your stomach has already voted that we go downstairs. Are you hungry, pet?”

  “Yeah. A little?” She bit her lip and he laughed again. If she was hungry enough to admit it to him with them naked in bed, he hoped Kalen had saved them food or James would be harassing the kitchen until she was fed.

  “Then up, baby. Let’s get dressed.” He smiled at her as he said it and she rolled away from him and slid off the bed. Her naked skin in the daylight was fantastic, and his eyes traced the handful of pale bruises across her ass from Kalen’s crop. Remembering the way she had moaned and whimpered on the phone when she’d recounted the little punishment he and Kalen had devised made his cock start to wake up again. Before his lower half could start making plans of its own he pushed away that delicious memory and eased out of bed to find clothes.

  Thalia had almost convinced him to go shirtless when he tried to get his injured shoulder to cooperate, but he’d settled for letting her nimble fingers slide the shirt on him and quickly do up the buttons. The little smile at the edge of her mouth, and the excitement in the tension of her muscles as she dressed him, gave him a lot of ideas for the future.

  When his head wasn’t throbbing that is.

  Thalia was radiant with her hair thrown up in an artful bun at the back of her head and a moss green dress that flared at her hips and stopped high on her thighs. He couldn’t resist lifting the back of it to check out the black lace panties she was wearing when they got to the stairs. She had laughed and grabbed his hand, and his chest swelled with the look she gave him.

  At the bottom of the staircase he tugged her towards him and kissed her, he wanted to wrap both of his arms around her but settled for feeling her squeeze him to her. James wasn’t sure if it was Ailsa, the others at Purgatory, or the accident, but Thalia had become so much more confident with her affection. She wasn’t the least bit timid with reaching for him, or returning his touches, and the sheer normalcy of it was the best shock he’d had in years. Thalia grinned at him and gently tugged him forward for lunch, yes, she was hungry. He almost laughed at her hurry when he heard a sharp voice around the corner that led to the dining room.

  “Everything is fine, Ethan! Why do you keep asking me?” Marisol’s voice. James caught Thalia before she turned the corner and pressed her against the wall. He did not want them running into Marisol and Ethan’s drama. Thalia’s wide, hazel eyes looked up at him, and he realized he was pressing his hips against her. It felt way better than it should at the moment, but he pressed his hand lightly to her mouth to keep her quiet.

  “I keep asking you because you’re obviously not happy here, Marisol.” Ethan’s voice was tired, like it had been since their first week here. Thalia squirmed against James and he pressed her harder against the wall. The memory of her wake up blowjob combined with that little dress and the mischief in her eyes made his cock harden in his pants. She smiled under the fingers he’d pressed over her lips and he smiled back.

  “I’m fine, Ethan. I don’t want to go!” Marisol whined. Yes, they were eavesdropping, and yes, he was enjoying the way Thalia’s shifting body rubbed against him. But they couldn’t take action right here, and he really wanted to know what they were talking about.

  “Princess, you tried. You came here after I explained what I liked, you tried it, but it’s not working. Let’s just go.” Ethan was speaking in a soothing voice, but Marisol let out an unattractive little screech. Thalia rolled her eyes and James grinned down at her. He loved that Thalia never acted like a brat, and wasn’t at all entertained by Marisol’s antics.

  “What about what you said! You wanted this, and I said I would if -” Marisol screeched again, her voice dissolving into a string of mumbled Spanish that James couldn’t catch.

  “Are you really bringing up the car? The stupid Porsche?” Ethan asked, irritation threading in his voice.

  “Porsche Boxster, the sport one.” Her voice was back to whining, “It’s not stupid.”

  “The car. The fucking car? That’s why you kept saying you wanted to stay?” Ethan’s voice was edging on anger, and Thalia’s wide eyes likely mirrored his own. This was way more than they should be hearing. James looked down the hall to see if there was a place they could easily slip away to.

  “No, baby, no.” Marisol was crying, he could hear it in her voice. “I want to do this for you, I can be like this, this submissive thing. I’m not wanting to break up our agreement.”

  “Agreement?” Ethan sounded disgusted.

  “No! Por favor, Ethan, not what I meant.” She was definitely crying.

  Come on, Ethan. See through it. James was pleading with the guy in his head.

  “What do you mean then, Marisol?” Et
han was calmer, but clearly still upset.

  “I mean I don’t want to go home, I promised! Just give me one more chance, just one!”

  “I don’t even know if Master Kalen will let you -”

  “Por favor, Querido, one more chance. I know I have not been nice, I have not tried, but I will. For you, because I love you.” Marisol was sugary venom, and Ethan was obviously addicted to her. He could hear them kissing and Thalia scrunched up her nose as she heard it too. James sighed and ran his thumb over her mouth, and then bit back a groan as she rubbed against his still hard cock. He pushed his hips away from her so he could breathe, and her devilish grin had him smiling despite himself.

  “Okay. Okay, Princess. I’ll talk to Master Kalen again, but no promises. This is his place and he can ask anyone to leave.” Ethan spoke quietly.

  “Thank you! Oh, thank you, Ethan, I won’t do bad again. Promise!” Her voice was chipper and he heard her heels clicking towards the dining room and Ethan’s response was lost as they moved down the hall.

  Thalia’s eyes were locked on his and her hands were slipping towards the button of his pants. Minx. He lifted her hand to his mouth and nipped her knuckle before kissing it. “If only you weren’t so hungry, pet, we could go straight back to bed.” He grinned when her mouth dropped open and then formed into a pout.

  “I’m not that hun-”

  James pulled her forward from the wall and shook his head. “Your stomach already spoke for you, baby, and we need to face Kalen and Maggie. I’m sure Maggie has a few choice words for me, maybe even some you didn’t think up last night.”

  Thalia blushed, and the way she looked up at him made it an act of pure willpower to start down the hall with her. “What do you think Maggie will call you?” She was walking with him and when he glanced back at her he saw the smile. He laughed, he loved Thalia like this. Playful, feisty, brave.

  “Probably nothing I don’t deserve, pet.”

  Chapter Two

  “You have to keep in touch with me, Analiese. Swear it! Pinky promise!” Julie’s hyper voice rang through the room as she embraced the quiet brunette for the tenth time.

  Thalia couldn’t help but bite her thumb to keep from laughing. She was sitting in James’ lap, leaning on his good shoulder, and she was just so fucking happy to be with him, to feel his hand brush up and down her arm at random as he talked to Kalen, or Nick, or Brad.

  “Thalia?” Analiese was talking to her now, and James helped push her up off his lap as she stood to say goodbye to the girl.

  “I’m going to miss you, Analiese. I think we still have lots to talk about.” Thalia smiled and Analiese blushed. For once Thalia wasn’t the bashful one.

  “Ah, yes. I’ll call you, what’s your number?” Analiese asked and Thalia almost rattled off her old cell phone number before she remembered that phone was long gone in the wreckage of her old life. She shrugged and pointed at James who was tilting his head to listen to them.

  “You can call James, it’s -”

  “Uh, Thalia,” James interrupted and she flushed, it was the second time she’d used his name that day. The other time had been during the chaos of lunch when everyone was grilling them over the accident, and Maggie had called James a very creative name that had made him laugh. When she looked at him though, he wasn’t upset about her using his name, “Where is your mobile?”

  “At home.” Thalia replied.

  “Then why can’t Analiese call you when we get back?” James arched an eyebrow at her neatly and Thalia crossed her arms with a sigh.

  “I...” she looked away from James to avoid his judgment, “I never activated it.”

  Analiese smiled at her but hid it behind a hand. Nick stepped up behind Analiese and rested his chin on her shoulder as he watched Thalia squirm with a hint of a smile.

  “Hmmm, I think that deserves a punishment, don’t you, pet?” James’ voice was heated and filled with laughter, and he might as well have turned her to putty when she turned around and saw his dark green eyes. “When we’re back home that is.”

  “Yes, Master.” She smiled at him and pressed her thighs together when Analiese hugged her. She shifted in the girl’s embrace to return the hug and sighed. “I promise we’ll talk, and I’ll call you from my cell as soon as it’s activated.”

  “Thank you. London is just a train ride away, and I’d like to see you again, maybe you could keep teaching me yoga?” Analiese’s sweet question made Thalia smile.

  “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  Friends. These girls were her friends.

  How weirdly normal.

  Thalia stepped back to stand by Julie who nudged her with her shoulder and grinned. Chloe and Lauren took their chance to overwhelm Analiese with hugs and cheek kisses and questions. All giggles as they talked about visiting them. Analiese wasn’t even able to get a word in with their babbling, but she smiled at them both.

  Nick eventually wrapped his arms tightly around Analiese and spun her away from the energetic girls as if he could sense her unease. He spoke up, “Ladies, Ana and I have a flight to catch. She has your contact information, and I’m sure she’ll contact you.” His quiet voice seemed to tame Chloe and Lauren like they were hypnotized. That was a trick Brad could use for sure. Kalen walked up to Nick and they shook hands firmly while Nick kept his other hand twined with Analiese’s.

  Everyone walked out with them to their rental car, and Maggie was the last to hug Analiese and Nick. She reminded them they could come back any time, and then they got in. Nick gave one of the bigger smiles she’d seen from him when Analiese kissed him in the car, and the affection Thalia saw there made her feel warm inside.

  They were going to last. She could feel it inside, like their future was already a well laid path and now Analiese and Nick just had to walk it. When she looked up at James and he smiled down at her, she could feel the pieces of their path shifting together, grinding a bit in places as the rough edges wore away - fitting, a little slower than she’d like, but still fitting together.

  James placed a kiss in her hair and she felt a calm wash over her. They just needed time, time to let their world settle, time to figure each other out outside of the playroom and his flat, time to go to dinners and movies. Time to be normal together. They needed time for the pieces to fit, and they had plenty of that.

  “Yer really feelin’ alright?” Kalen handed him a glass of scotch and James laughed.

  “It’s barely one o’clock, Kalen.” He watched as Kalen dropped onto the dark leather chair across from him. Analiese and Nick had left the day before and Purgatory was already back to normal. Lars and Sven were monitoring physical training, and Kalen had grabbed James to talk. They were in a secluded little office on the first floor of the dormitory, the curtains drawn tight and the light dim.

  Kalen chuckled to himself and took a drink of his own glass. “Shut up, James. Yer definitely not driving anywhere today.”

  Touché.

  James took a drink and let the burn carry down his chest and into his stomach. The scotch was smoky and smooth. “I’m good, Kalen. Really.”

  “Hmmm.” Kalen made a noise that expressed little, but acknowledged he wasn’t convinced. He ran a hand across his beard, taking a breath as he balanced the glass on his knee. After a moment he lifted his eyes to James’. “Ye remember that brunette in Amsterdam, the year ye went for yer doctorate?”

  James’ head spun at the change of conversation, but, after he thought about it, yes, he remembered their month long binge in Amsterdam, before James had gone back to school. He remembered the girl too, dark eyes, dark hair, olive skin – “Yes, um, Gina? Jana? I remember her.”

  “Jana. Yeh, that was her name.” Kalen took another drink and James shifted his weight under his stare. Kalen leaned back in the chair, “She was a lot of fun.”

  “Yes.” James took a drink and tilted his head. Kalen’s features were shadowed in the dim light, and he wasn’t giving anything away, why bring up some girl from years ag
o? “I don’t understand, Kalen. Did you see her again or something?”

  “No, haven’t seen her since we left that year.” Kalen just stared at him.

  What. The. Fuck.

  “What’s going on, Kalen?” James pushed out a breath on a laugh and shifted again to lean forward slightly. “Whatever you want to say, just spit it out.”

  “Alright.” Kalen tipped his glass up and finished the scotch in a swallow. “Ye told me back then that ye loved that girl, that Jana was yer future.”

  “That’s what this is about?” James was confused, surprised that he even remembered her. Kalen shrugged and nodded. “Jesus, Kalen, I was twenty-three. I was half-drunk most of the time and she was gorgeous and submissive and a great escape from thinking about the pressure I was under.” James tilted up his scotch and finished it, setting the glass on the table by him before pushing his hand into his hair. “I haven’t thought about her in years, why are you bringing her up?”