Chapter 16: Begging and Broken
The stale scent of sex still hung heavy in the loft air, mingling with the distant city exhaust drifting through the cracked window. Vera lay sprawled across Jace’s chest, her cheek pressed to the warm ink covering his pectoral muscle, listening to the frantic thud of his heart slowly decelerating. Her own body felt liquid, utterly spent, yet thrumming with a residual energy that vibrated just beneath her skin. Jace’s large hand traced idle patterns on the sweat-slick skin of her lower back, over the moon phases inked down her spine, his touch unexpectedly tender in the aftermath.
A muffled whimper escaped him, vibrating against her ear. His fingers, tracing the barbed wire circling her upper arm, suddenly clenched, biting into her flesh just shy of pain. His hips shifted restlessly beneath her, the hard ridge of his cock – already thickening again despite their recent, frantic coupling against the window – pressing insistently against her hipbone.
"Fuck, Vera," he rasped, the sound raw, stripped bare. His other hand abandoned the barbed wire, sliding down her side to paw desperately at the curve of her hip, then higher, over the swell of her breast still marked faintly from his earlier, forceful attention. His touch was feverish, clumsy with need. "Need you so bad." His breath hitched, hot against her temple. "Can't... fuck, can't get enough."
He rolled them suddenly, a controlled avalanche of muscle and ink. Vera gasped as her back hit the cool sheets, Jace looming over her, his deep hazel eyes wide and dark, pupils blown. Gone was the post-coital languor, replaced by a fresh wave of desperate hunger that radiated from him like heat. He didn't kiss her mouth. Instead, his head dipped, his mouth latching onto her peaked nipple with shocking force, sucking hard, his tongue rasping against the sensitive bud. His stubble scraped the tender skin of her breast.
She cried out, arching off the bed, her fingers instinctively tangling in his short black hair. The sensation was sharp, almost painful, then molten as arousal flooded her core anew. His hips rutted against her bare thigh, the friction of his jeans harsh and demanding against her skin. She could feel the thick, hot leak of pre-cum smearing her flesh in wet, sticky streaks as he ground against her.
"Christ, look at you," he groaned, releasing her nipple with a wet pop, his gaze ravenous as it swept over her flushed skin, the spiderwebs on her ribs trembling with her rapid breaths. "Dripping for me again already, princess? Fucking insatiable." He sounded wrecked, his voice thick with lust and something perilously close to awe. His hand slid between her legs, fingers plunging through slick folds without preamble. "Soaked," he confirmed, a dark satisfaction coiling in his tone. He withdrew his fingers, glistening, and brought them to his lips, sucking them clean with a groan that vibrated deep in his chest. "Taste like fucking heaven."
He leaned down again, his mouth seeking hers, but Vera saw the flash of raw, untamed need in his eyes. The sheer vulnerability beneath the hunger. It sparked something fierce inside her. Before his lips could claim hers, she planted her palms flat against his broad chest and shoved.
Hard.
Jace, caught off guard by the sudden surge of strength, grunted, his massive frame tilting. Vera used the momentum, scrambling, pushing again with her legs, leveraging her smaller size and his surprise. He landed on his back with a soft whump, momentarily stunned, his cock rigid and straining against the denim tent of his jeans. Hazel eyes blinked up at her, wide with astonishment.
Vera didn't hesitate. She swung her leg over his hips, straddling him, her naked core pressing down onto the hard length trapped beneath the rough fabric. She felt him jerk beneath her, a desperate groan tearing from his throat. She leaned forward, bracing her hands on his tattooed chest, her long black hair falling like a curtain around their faces. Below them, Hercules let out a soft snore, oblivious.
"Who knew," Vera murmured, her voice low and husky, laced with a newfound power that sent a shiver down her own spine. She rocked her hips slowly, deliberately, grinding her wet slit against the thick ridge of his cock through the denim, feeling the dampness spread. She watched his face, the muscles in his jaw clenching, his lips parting on ragged breaths. "Who knew the big bad Jace Graves," she continued, dipping her head to whisper directly against his ear, her breath hot, "could beg so pretty?"
A tremor ran through him. His hands flew to her hips, fingers digging in almost painfully, trying to control her movement, to thrust up against her. "Vera... fuck... don't..." he choked out, the words dissolving into another helpless groan as she rocked harder, the friction exquisite torture.
"Don't what?" she taunted, sitting up straighter. She reached behind her, her fingers deftly finding the button and zip of his jeans. The metal rasped loudly in the quiet loft. She shoved the denim and his briefs down just enough, freeing his cock. It sprang up, thick and flushed, the head slick, veins standing proud. She wrapped her small hand around the base, feeling the powerful throb beneath her palm. His hips bucked involuntarily off the bed.
"Don't tease," he gasped, his voice strangled. His hands burned on her hips. "Please. Need... need inside. Need to feel you." His eyes were locked on hers, raw need laid bare. "Fucking wreck me."
The plea, so stark and genuine coming from him, ignited a firestorm within her. Vera lifted her hips, positioning herself over him. She didn't look away from his face. Holding his gaze, she guided the broad, blunt head of his cock to her entrance, slick and swollen. She lowered herself slowly, agonizingly slowly, letting the thick ridge stretch her, fill her incrementally. His breath hitched, his knuckles white where he gripped her hips. His cock felt massive inside her, stretching her deliciously, the sheer girth demanding submission even as she controlled the pace.
"Fuck... Vera..." he moaned, his head pressing back into the pillow, his throat working. "Christ, so tight... so fucking perfect."
She sank lower, taking him deeper, feeling him fill her completely until his hips met the curve of her ass. She paused, letting her inner walls flutter and clench around the hard invasion, savoring the fullness, the heat, the absolute connection. She saw him bite his lip, drawing blood, fighting for control.
Then, slowly, she began to move. Rising up, almost letting him slip free, then sinking back down, taking his full length in a smooth, deep glide. Her hands slid up his chest, over the intricate tattoos, feeling the powerful muscles bunching beneath her touch. She set a deliberate, rolling rhythm, her hips circling as she rode him, dragging her clit against the coarse hair at his base with every downward stroke. Her head fell back, a soft moan escaping her as the friction built, deep and relentless.
Jace’s control shattered. With a guttural cry that was half-growl, half-plea, his hands clamped on her hips like vices. He surged up off the bed, driving himself impossibly deeper into her on the downstroke. His thrusts became frantic, powerful piston strokes that shoved her body upwards with each upward surge, his hips slamming against hers with bruising force.
"Harder," Vera demanded, her voice cracking, her own control fraying under the assault. "Fucking use me, Jace. Don't hold back."
He obeyed with a savage groan. His hands left her hips, one snaking around to fist in her hair, pulling her head back sharply, exposing her throat. The other hand slid down her stomach, fingers seeking her clit. His calloused thumb found the swollen nub, rubbing hard, fast circles. The dual sensation – the brutal pounding of his cock deep inside her, the rough friction on her clit – was overwhelming. Pleasure detonated through her, sharp and blinding. She screamed, her body clamping down on him, milking his cock as wave after wave crashed over her.
Her climax triggered his. With a roar that seemed to shake the loft walls, Jace buried himself to the hilt inside her pulsing cunt. His hips jerked erratically, grinding deep as thick, hot pulses of cum flooded her, filling her in hot, wet bursts. Vera felt each spasm, each jet of release deep inside her core, a primal claim that echoed through her trembling body. He held her pinned, impaled on his cock, his forehead pressed against her sternum, his breath coming in harsh, ragged gasps that vibrated through her bones.
Slowly, tremors subsided. The frantic energy bled away, leaving them both spent, slick with sweat, joined in the heavy silence punctuated only by their labored breathing and the dog’s steady snores. Jace’s grip on her hair loosened, his hand sliding down to rest limply on her thigh. The hand on her clit fell away.
He lifted his head, his eyes finding hers. They were still dark, but the frantic need had been replaced by a dazed, sated intensity. A slow, filthy smirk touched his lips, still slightly swollen. He shifted beneath her, his softening cock still nestled deep inside her warmth. He reached up, calloused thumb tracing the delicate line of her jaw.
"Pretty boy, huh?" he murmured, his voice wrecked but laced with dark amusement. He leaned up, capturing her lips in a slow, deep, possessive kiss that tasted of sweat and sex and something uniquely them. He pulled back just enough, his gaze locking onto hers with unnerving focus. "You got me begging, Vera. Remember that." He kissed her again, slower this time, a simmering promise in the deliberate slide of his tongue. "Cuz I’m nowhere near done with you tonight." His hand slid possessively down her spine, fingers tracing the moon phases tattooed there. "Not even close." His other hand tightened on her hip, pulling her impossibly closer against his spent body, the silent threat of renewed hunger already coiling in the air between them. His eyes, heavy-lidded but intensely focused, held hers, promising the night held more than just sleep. "Gonna make you scream my name till you forget any other fucker ever touched you," he breathed, the words a low, possessive growl that vibrated against her skin. "Starting…" His fingers dipped lower, skating over the curve of her ass, drifting towards her still-sensitive core, slick with their combined release, "…right fucking now." He watched her pupils dilate, the sharp intake of breath that hitched in her throat, the fresh tremor that ran through her body pressed flush against him. A slow, predatory smile touched his lips. "Unless you're tapped out already, princess?" The challenge hung in the thick air, raw and undeniable, the loft suddenly feeling charged with the electricity of unfinished, desperate