Vanilla and Vice (Empire Sevens Book 1) Read online

  I made it to Kennedy’s place in less than five minutes, and when I got there, I didn’t bother waiting for anyone to take my keys. Instead, I parked right in front of the main door and dared anyone to touch my fucking car.

  The elevator seemed to be moving slower than usual, and when the doors finally opened to the penthouse floor, I felt real relief.

  The door to Kennedy’s condo was locked when I tried to open it, and when I reached for the key she had given me to her place, I remembered leaving it on my desk the last time I cleaned out my pockets.

  “Fuck,” I muttered to myself before reaching up and knocking on the door.

  No one responded at first, prompting me to knock yet again. Still, there was no answer, yet I could somehow sense her on the other side of the door.

  “Eden, it’s Zander. Open the door,” I called out.

  I waited, aggravation and annoyance building inside until finally, I heard the locks on the door clicking.

  When the door opened, Eden was standing there looking back at me with wide eyes and shock holding a large kitchen knife in her hand.

  The warrior in her had come forward.

  Her sweet mouth was hanging open in surprise when she realized it was me there and not Luke.

  Looking at her lips and the inside of her mouth and the smoothness of her tongue made me think of all the dirty things I wanted to do to it.

  In my imagination, my cock had been inside there—thrusting and seeking—feeling the warmth and the hard sucking she was capable of.

  I wanted her on her knees in front of me, her fingers gripping my ass as she pulled me into her mouth. I wanted her there ready and waiting, begging me to come all over her gorgeous face.

  I pushed past her and moved into the living room. I had never set foot inside Kennedy’s condo before now even though I had a key in case of an emergency. I heard the door close behind me, and when I turned around, Eden was staring at me, waiting.

  “What are you doing here, Zander?”

  “What the hell do you mean what am I doing here? You said someone was inside the condo.”

  “I didn’t say someone. I told Luke I heard noises. So why are you here?”

  Again, aggravation and jealousy rose within me.

  She wanted Luke.

  Not me.

  Well, fuck that.

  “I told Kennedy I’d look out for you, so why the hell would you call Luke?”

  Her eyes went wide.

  “Because he’s my friend. Who was I supposed to call? You?”

  “Fucking yes!” I snapped, making her jerk.

  I couldn’t look at her anymore.

  She had me so angry, and I knew it had less to do with her not calling me and more to do with her calling Luke.

  I also knew I was still aggravated with myself a bit for giving in and letting her see me at such a vulnerable moment both in my office during fight night and in my condo the night before.

  I shook my head, annoyed, and started toward the stairs.

  “You said you heard something upstairs?”

  She followed me.

  I could hear her tiny bare feet on the marble flooring.

  “Yes.”

  I took the stairs two at a time, leaving her behind and putting as much space as possible between us. I wanted her, but not in Kennedy’s condo and not when I wasn’t exactly ready yet.

  I moved through the second floor of the condo, checking the rooms and opening closet doors, looking for anything that could have made a noise. Finally, when I opened the last door on the right, I came face to face with what I knew was Eden’s room.

  It smelled like her.

  I breathed in deep, pulling her into my lungs as I moved into the room and began to search. The room was mostly empty, but still, I let my eyes linger on the things I knew belonged to her.

  Clothes littered the bed, and the white dress she had worn at the fight hung loosely on the back of the chair. Then my eyes moved to the floor beside the chair, and I found myself looking at a pair of white lace panties.

  They were the ones she had worn with her dress. I wasn’t sure, but the fact they were discarded beside where the dress lay was a pretty good clue.

  I closed my eyes, wondering how wet those panties had gotten while she watched me jerk off to her, and at the moment, every wall I built to keep the addict in crumbled away.

  He was free.

  He was rock hard.

  And he was ready.

  I could feel the heat of Eden at my back; she was standing close. So close that I could almost feel her breasts pressed against my back.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Do you see something?”

  Biting my lip, I tried once more to rein in my control, but there was no capturing the addict. He was too far gone.

  I turned, my eyes moving over her and taking in what she was wearing.

  A T-shirt, long enough to cover if she was wearing panties or not, and nothing else. Her nipples were peaking, hard beneath the cotton fabric, letting me know she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and tugged her to me. She stiffened in my grasp, but I didn’t care. I leaned down and breathed in the scent of her sunshine hair and sighed when the smell matched the smell of her room.

  “What are doing?” she asked.

  I ignored her question.

  It should have been obvious what I was doing.

  “The panties on the floor by the chair, did you wear them Friday night?”

  Her head jerked up, her eyes going wide when she looked at me.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Wrong answer,” I said. “I’ll ask again. Did you wear them Friday night?”

  Her lips tightened, and for a second, I thought she wasn’t going to respond when she said, “So what if I did? Again, it’s not your business.”

  I pulled her tighter to me, letting my steel cock rub against her.

  “I disagree. I’d say those panties are definitely my business.”

  She tugged against my hold. “You’re crazy.”

  I ignored that and continued. “Because you see, I happen to know you soaked those panties that night. And you did so by watching me jerk off. I’d say if anything, those panties are mine now.”

  She blushed, letting me know I was correct, and that sent me over the edge.

  I reached behind her and under the back of her T-shirt, grabbing handfuls of her beautiful ass, and was happy to find her ass cheeks were bare.

  “Thongs?” I asked, looking down into her flushed face.

  She bit her lip, driving me fucking insane, and nodded.

  “Mmm,” I moaned, enjoying the feel of her naked ass in my palms.

  I was too far gone.

  Too fucking far.

  “Did you like watching me jerk off?” I asked.

  When I did, she blushed even harder and turned her head away. I wasn’t having that. Grabbing her chin between two fingers, I turned her face toward me once again.

  “Never look away from me when I’m talking about my cock.”

  Slowly, I could feel her melting against me, her stiff body loosening in my hold.

  “Do you want to know what I was thinking about while I was touching my dick?”

  She looked at me, and I could see she wasn’t sure how to respond until finally, her face reddened a bit more, and she nodded.

  “I was thinking about you. I was imagining your gorgeous mouth wrapped around my cock, sucking me off. I imagined I was coming in your mouth.”

  I swiped my thumb across her pouty lips.

  “Would you like that, angel? Do you want to suck my dick?”

  Again, she looked away. “Zander,” she said with a small sigh.

  Capturing her chin, I turned her face toward me again. “What did I say about looking away from me when we’re talking about my cock?”

  Her eyes glazed over. “You said not to do it.”

  I nodded. “Correct. Good girl.”

&nbs
p; Pleasure moved over her expression, and she licked her lips. The movement of her tongue and the moisture of her sweet mouth did me in.

  I leaned in and kissed her.

  My tongue swept across her lip the way hers had, and when she gasped, I used that as my opening and thrust my tongue into her mouth.

  I was losing control completely.

  I was letting go.

  I moved us, pushing her against the wall of windows behind her and lifting her so she could wrap her long legs around my waist.

  Her center was hot. I could feel the heat of her through my pants, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more.

  Reaching down between us, I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and pulled my cock out. Once it was free, I thrust my hips up, rubbing the head of my dick against her soaked panties.

  “Oh, my god,” she whined.

  It wasn’t overly erotic.

  There was nothing even remotely wild about the situation. Just me, dry humping the fuck out of the angel in my arms.

  Then I remembered the main reason I wanted her. I thought about the tightness of her untouched pussy and the thin barrier that made her so fucking perfect for me.

  I pulled back, my eyes going to hers.

  “Are you a virgin?” I asked.

  I knew the answer, but I almost hoped she would tell me she wasn’t.

  “Excuse me?” Her breathing was more laborious and accelerated.

  She was so into what we were doing.

  She wanted me to fuck her so badly.

  “You heard me, Eden. Are you a virgin?

  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

  I shook my head, secretly enjoying her tiny bits of rebellion.

  “What did I say? When it’s wet because of me, it’s my business. Those panties ...” I nodded toward the floor. “They’re covered in your juices because of me. And this perfect pussy,” I said, reaching between us and sliding my finger inside her panties to feel that she was fucking soaked, “it’s wet because of me, which means it’s my fucking business.”

  She sighed when I ran my finger over her swollen clit.

  “Now tell me,” I said, reminding her of my question. “Because I can’t fuck you if you’re a virgin, Eden.”

  Her face flamed, and she stuttered. “Who … I didn’t ...” And then she frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because I’ve worked too hard to get to where I am.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I can’t fuck you if you’re a virgin. Tell me you only look innocent—that you’re really a naughty girl who’s let lots of men climb inside you.”

  It wasn’t really what I wanted to hear, but it was what I needed to hear. Otherwise, I would crack.

  She bit her lip but remained silent, and that was all the answer I needed.

  “Fuck,” I cursed, removing my hand from her panties and running it down my face.

  The wetness from her pussy was still on my fingers, and when I ran them across my lips, I could taste her.

  I put her down, turning away from her and licking my lips for just that tiny taste.

  I couldn’t handle fucking her if she was untouched, untainted. That would be my undoing, and I would be back to square one. If she only looked innocent, I could end my suffering with a quick screw and be done with her, but taking her virginity would mean she was mine and mine only.

  “So because I’m a virgin, you don’t want me?”

  I could hear the desire and upset in her voice.

  I groaned.

  Her words couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “I’ve worked too hard,” I repeated, breathing in deep as I tried to reclaim my calm.

  “I don’t know what that means, Zander.”

  “It means if I fuck you tonight, I’ll want to do it again and again.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “Yes!”

  “Why? I want you, Zander. Please.”

  Fuck it.

  Going to her, I dug my fingers into her hips, flipped her around, and threw her down on the bed. She looked up at me with wide but excited eyes.

  “Remember, angel. You asked for this,” I warned as I climbed on top of her.

  21

  EDEN

  I HAD NO IDEA how much I would enjoy giving up control until Zander. And when he pulled my arms above my head and pinned them to the bed, I bit my lip to keep the moans at bay.

  Holding my wrists with his left hand, he worked his right hand between us, reaching down and sliding his finger into the side of my panties once again. His thick finger slid over my clit, and I trembled and sighed.

  “When I take your panties off, I’m keeping them. They’re mine now. Just like your sweet little pussy.”

  He leaned down, running his hot tongue up the side of my jaw to my ear before sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

  The sound of his breath bounced off my eardrum and echoed through my head.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked.

  I didn’t.

  All I knew was I was throbbing all over, and all I could think about was him putting me out of my sweet misery.

  He pulled back and looked me in the eye.

  “Once I’m inside you, your pussy’s mine. No one else’s.”

  I nodded. “Whatever you want.”

  I didn’t care what I had to say, as long as he didn’t stop.

  He grinned, the expression the sweetest one I had seen from him yet.

  “Whatever I want?” he asked.

  Again, I nodded. “Anything.”

  “Mmm,” he hummed. “I like the sound of that.”

  With those words, he dropped his finger from my clit, lower, rimming my hole and making me cry out.

  “Put your finger inside me, please. I need to feel it.”

  “Being a bit demanding, aren’t we?”

  My legs squirmed beneath him; my body’s tears overflowing and soaking the sheets beneath us.

  “Is that all you want?” he asked, rimming my aching hole once again before pressing just the tip of his finger inside me. “Just my finger?”

  I shook my head, my hair tangling in the blankets.

  “No? You want more than just my finger?”

  He was teasing me.

  Dear God, why had I never experienced anything this delicious in all my life?

  Why had I waited so long to feel the things I was feeling with Zander?

  Then again, something told me no one else could make me feel the things he was making me feel. No one else could make my body ache for something I had never had before.

  “Say it, angel. Tell me what you want.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but just as I did, he inched his finger in deeper and swirled it wide, touching the walls and nerves of my channel.

  I bit my lip in an attempt to keep the noises rushing over my tongue inside my mouth, but I failed. A tiny moan squeaked past my lips, making Zander grin yet again. His eyes crinkled with this grin, making him look younger and freer.

  “I didn’t hear you. What did you say you wanted?”

  I had never talked dirty before.

  I had never asked a man for the things I was thinking I wanted, and I knew Zander knew those things about me.

  He was pushing me past my comfort zone—drawing me out of my shell one inch of his finger at a time.

  “I want …” I started, losing my breath at the wonderful sensations of the things he was able to do with just a single finger. “Please make love to me.”

  I wanted to scream for him to fuck me, but I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I had ever dropped the F-bomb. I didn’t have a filthy mouth.

  I never had.

  But the things Zander was doing to me was making me rethink my ladylike ways.

  He chuckled, the sound deep and sexy as it rumbled across the side of my neck.

  Leaning back yet again, he scoured my face with his eyes, taking in what I knew was an expression of a
bsolute desperation.

  “There’s a problem there.”

  My heart dropped.

  I wanted him.

  If he left me hanging in the state I was in, I wasn’t sure I would be able to take it.

  “There is?” I asked, not even attempting to mask my devastation.

  He nodded, biting his bottom lip. “You see, I don’t make love. Never have. Never will. I fuck, Eden. I fuck hard and fast. I fuck dirty. Do you think you’re ready for that?”

  I nodded. “Yes. God, I’m so ready.”

  At those words, he pushed his finger in all the way, touching the deep ache within me and pulling a sound I had never made in my life from me.

  I felt full, but it wasn’t enough.

  I wanted more.

  He moved his finger inside me, stretching me and drawing out my wetness.

  Then he pulled his finger out of me, brought it to his lips, and sucked it into his mouth.

  Closing his eyes, he moaned around his finger as if I was the best thing he had ever tasted.

  He released my wrists and stood from the bed. Then he leaned over me and tugged my panties down over my thighs and knees before pulling them over my feet. Once they were free from my body, he balled them and sniffed them.

  “Mine,” he growled before he stuffed them in his pocket. “Take your fucking shirt off. I want to see all of you.”

  I obeyed, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it to the floor. I was naked and waiting, lying in my bed utterly open to him, and I couldn’t find it in myself to feel insecure. Not with the way he was looking at my naked flesh as if I was the best thing he had ever seen.

  “Open your legs,” he demanded. “Let me see how wet you are for me.”

  I swallowed, my nerves surfacing before I pushed them back down and did as he said.

  Cool air rush over my soaked center, making me tremble and my skin pebble.

  Reaching up, he pulled his shirt over his head, and my eyes landed on his perfectly chiseled body. I followed the tattoo on his chest with my eyes as it moved and stretched when he pushed his pants down and kicked them off.

  His penis was large—hard as a stone—pointing at me as if it was choosing me. Briefly, I worried that it might not fit, and as if reading my thoughts, he said, “Don’t worry, angel, it will only hurt a little before it feels fucking amazing.”