Death Blow Page 9

  “There you go, whiskey on whiskey on whiskey on whiskey,” Lila said, passing one across the bar to him. He took it from her and his fingertips grazed hers, which sent a shiver up her spine and through her collarbones. “What are we toasting to?” She joked to cover up her reaction. “You and your big head?”

  “Which big head are you referring to, the one on my shoulders or the one in my pants?” Barrett retorted as he picked the shot glass up. “No, let’s toast to you.” Barrett let the words hang in the air, stunning Lila for a moment until she picked up her shot glass. They clinked theirs together, glasses meeting, eyes meeting, and just as they started to toss them back, Barrett added, “To you and the way your ass looks in that dress.” It was too late for Lila to change her mind, and the alcohol burned down her throat in celebration of those words. As it dripped into her stomach, Lila realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning.

  Whoops, she thought. There was no turning back now.

  Barrett leaned forward over the bar, so close to her, her head started to spin a little bit. “So tell me, Lila.” She loved thinking about her name making its way around his mouth. “Which one’s the real you?” Lila looked at him, confused, and leaned forward an inch or two onto her elbows, closing the gap between them even more.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, since he wasn’t offering any clarification.

  “I mean, which one’s the real you? The one who smacks me or the one who slobbers all over me with her eyes?”

  “Can’t they be the same one?” Lila muttered. Her tone came out so seductive it surprised even her. She held her poker face though, and Barrett’s eyebrows flew up. He brought a finger up to his mouth and dragged it across his lower lip slowly, looking at her the whole time.

  “Let’s find out,” he said. Lila could see Lucy heading back towards them from the other end of the bar. “Meet me in the women’s bathroom in five minutes and we’ll put it to the test.”

  Lucy was at Lila’s side now. “Still bothering her, Barrett?” She put an arm around Lila’s shoulders.

  “Who can say, Lucy? I know for a fact you’re still bothering me.” He slid his stool back and turned around, and walked off in the direction of the bathroom. After he’d gone, Lucy let go of Lila and started cleaning up.

  “Ugh, that fucker. So it looks like the crowd is clearing up and—“

  “Lucy,” Lila broke in. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Barrett as he strutted away, and she didn’t know what had come over her, but she knew what her decision was. Maybe it was a bad one, but at that moment, Lila didn’t care. “Can you do me a favor now?”

  “Oh no,” Lucy groaned. She pulled away to look at Lila’s face. “Wow, that took no time whatsoever. Well, I guess I can, you did one for me earlier.” It was Lila’s turn to put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder.

  “Can you take care of clean-up duties for me? Just for tonight, I’ll tip you out, I’ll—“

  “Save it, kid,” Lucy cut her off. “Go do whatever terrible thing you’re going to go do and I’ll take care of the bar.”

  “I owe you a million,” Lila said, almost in a trance as she ducked under the bar and headed after Barrett.

  “You don’t owe me anything!” Lucy called after her. “Trust me, you’re making a decision that you’ll end up paying for more than enough!” Lila heard her but didn’t register what Lucy was saying, couldn’t understand anything outside of the one thing she knew was happening: she was going to meet Barrett in the bathroom.

  Chapter Eleven

  She pushed through the door and didn’t even have time to look for him before his hands were around her waist, pulling her to him roughly. She’d barely had time to realize that was happening before his mouth was on hers, his tongue hot and coarse in her mouth, roving around, pushing against hers. She gave over to it completely—what else could she do?

  He backed her up against the door and she finally came to enough to get her hands moving. She’d wanted to touch him so desperately, and now she was. Her palms ran over his shoulders, the muscles in them tightening under her touch, ran over his amazing pecs and brushed over his perfect, hard nipples. Barrett’s hands found their way down to her ass, groping hard and firm, as Lila slid her wrists up and around his neck, pulling his face more into hers. Neither of them had broken for a breath yet.

  Finally, Lila tried to pull away for air, but Barrett bit her bottom lip and wouldn’t let her go until she came back to him, parted her lips and flicked her tongue back into his mouth. With a sound somewhere between a groan and a roar, Barrett butted his body up against her hard, and Lila could feel him growing against his tiny shorts as he pressed up to her. His hands were ravenous now, making their way from her ass to her hips to her breasts and down her stomach, where they groped at the hem of her short dress and eventually pushed past the clothing up to her panties, which were now sopping wet.

  At the touch of Barrett’s hands up her dress, Lila let out a loud moan. It’d been so long since she’d been touched by another person there, and for it to be Barrett, this annoying, amazing, gorgeous man—Lila’s voice escaped her throat with a deep, guttural passion. Barrett’s mouth slid down her chin to her throat, sucking the soft skin there, until he whispered against it, “Let’s get into a stall.” The bathroom stalls were floor-to-ceiling, and Lila’d never been so happy for whatever sliver of privacy they afforded them. She nodded, still not able to form words, grabbed Barrett’s hand, and rushed into the nearest one. Barrett locked the door behind him without turning around, too busy licking from Lila’s ear to her collarbone to her sternum to bother.

  “Oh my god, Barrett,” she murmured, throwing her head back and sliding a hand through his short hair.

  “What, no nicknames yet?” She could feel him smirking against her chest. Her nature took over and she shoved him back lightly, teasingly, and a look of pure carnality flitted across his face. He lurched forward and wrapped his big arms around her tightly, pinning her to him, both of them sweating. “Go ahead,” he said, the heat of his breath blowing down on her face. “Try and push me again.” Lila bucked against him lightly, smirking up at him. He stared down at her with a lustful intensity, a half-smile. He swooped down and kissed her ferociously, ravaging her mouth with his. “Come on, is that the best you got?” he said into her lips. Lila bucked again, a little harder this time. He was relentless in his hold.

  “This isn’t a fair fight,” she breathed.

  “I don’t like fair fights,” he retorted.

  She leaned her face up to his and their tongues met again, feverishly sliding against each other. Lila pushed deeper into his mouth, harder, and she felt Barrett moan slightly. He loosened his grip on her slightly, caught up in the moment, which is when Lila bucked hard and broke free of his embrace. She grinned at him.

  “Me neither,” she huffed.

  Barrett started laughing, low and soft, with a tone that let Lila know they were going to have fun together. “You’re something else,” he said, not taking his eyes off hers. In a flash, Barrett had dipped to his knees and had his face in Lila’s crotch, surprising her. Before she could get her bearings, his hands pushed her dress up and ripped her panties to the floor. She’d only just gotten her fingers in his hair when he spread her legs with his big biceps and pushed her thighs onto his shoulders so he could lift her completely up off the floor. For a moment, Lila was weightless and burning with desire, and none of it felt real. Then her back found the wall as Barrett’s hands found her hips and his tongue found her pussy, and Lila was alive and real again.

  Lila’s lungs were collapsing, or it felt like it, as Barrett’s tongue explored her sex. She was nothing to him, sitting on his shoulders—he’d picked her up like she was a twig, and he held her there the same. He ran his tongue lightly along the lips of her pussy, tantalizingly slow, and Lila tightened her grip on his head. Finally, he plunged deep inside her, curling the end of his tongue and pulsing up and down enough to make Lila cry out and pull his hair.
Her hips rocked against his face as he continued to slip his tongue in and out, and when he moaned slightly against her, the vibrations shook her to her core.

  “Barrett, Barrett, oh my god, Barrett.” She couldn’t stop moaning his name. She knew he liked it, could feel him smiling into her as she did it. He pulled away slightly and looked up at her.

  “You taste so fucking good,” he muttered. She slid her hands down to his face and wiped the corners of his mouth, bringing a couple of his fingers up to her own lips.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered, looking into his eyes. He held the gaze and lowered his mouth back down to her, kissing her clit gently. She tried to keep her eyes trained on his, but was having a hard time keeping them from rolling back into her head. Waves were rushing over her, cresting down her body and crashing at her hips, foaming in the center where Barrett’s mouth was. He began slow, sensuous circles around her clit, and Lila couldn’t control herself anymore. She began grinding harder into Barrett’s mouth, and Barrett picked up the speed of his circles, and Lila’s pulse was racing, and her breath was catching, and she didn’t know how much longer she’d last.

  “Oh god,” she groaned, throwing her head back. “Oh my god.”

  Barrett picked up on it and worked her faster with his tongue. Her breath got shorter and her moans got louder, higher pitched. Barrett’s hands were massaging her ass, his face was buried in her, and he was loving every moment of Lila’s pleasure. She felt her abs clenching, her toes curling, the light going hot in her eyelids and—with a gasp and a clipped moan, Lila came hard and fast. She slumped a bit against the wall, lazily stroking Barrett’s head. He slid his hands up and down her back, smiling up at her.

  “That was so good,” she breathed, finally opening her eyes and looking down at him. “That was so fucking good.” He cocked his eyebrow at her, licking his lips. “It’s been so long,” she said, more to herself. She shifted to try to get off Barrett’s shoulders, but he held onto her.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked slyly, clamping her down to his shoulders.

  “Aren’t you going to put me down now?” She felt a bit shy. Barrett gave her a wolf grin and began to stroke the inside of her thighs.

  “I wasn’t done with you yet,” he purred. He dipped back down to her, his tongue again parting her folds and pushing gently between them.

  “Barrett,” she whispered, exhausted and turned on again all at once.

  “Mmhm?” he hummed into her pussy. Lila sighed and a hand of hers fell back into his hair.

  “I—“ Barrett pushed his tongue deeper as Lila tried to answer. Torturously, he fucked her slowly with his tongue for a moment before pulling out completely.

  “What’s that, Lila? Did you want me to stop?” That bastard, she thought, but she wanted him more the more he teased her. In response, she put her hands on the back of his head and pushed him back into her. She could play the game as well.

  He plunged back into her, his hands coming up and over her thighs this time, sliding across her stomach. His thumb found its way to her clit, rubbing and sucking Lila straight back up into the heights. She was really bucking against him now, but he barely swayed on his feet. She couldn’t believe how strong he was, how good he was. She pulled at his hair, a little harder this time, and he gave a grunt of satisfaction.

  “You like that?” she managed to stutter through the intense pleasure.

  “Mmm,” he moaned into her, again sending the vibrations up through her very core. She pulled a little harder, and Barrett responded by speeding up his circles, bearing down into her. Lila felt herself peaking again, that frenzy building in the pit of her stomach—she could hardly believe it was happening again—and, shuddering, she came a second time. Barrett rode out her orgasm, keeping his mouth on her, lapping softly as her climax eased into a finish. Before Lila had time to catch her breath, Barrett slid her legs off his shoulders and eased her down against him. He was sweating, whether it was from the fight or the hook up, Lila couldn’t tell, but she was sweating now too. He held her to him, arms wrapped gently around her lower back, hands caressing her sides. She laid her forehead against his pectoral muscle, licking gently at the glisten that covered it.

  “Are we calling that one a tap out?” Barrett broke the silence.

  “I don’t think I was given much of a chance,” Lila sighed, running her palms up his forearms to his biceps to his collarbones. “But then again, that seems normal for you.” Barrett smirked at her, smacking her ass lightly.

  “Watch it, Lila, or I’ll put you in a chokehold.” He laughed.

  “I think I just put you in one,” she smoldered, bringing her face up to his and kissing all over his jawline, his chin, his upper lip, all still slick with her.

  “I hope that’s not what my chokeholds feel like in the ring. Really changes the way I’ve been looking at fighting.” He grinned into her mouth as she kissed him. “How’d you get away from the bar?” he asked softly. “Or did I just get you fired?”

  She giggled. “Lucy owed me a favor.”

  “Oh boy, bet she was happy about this being the favor.”

  “Surprise, surprise,“ Lila joked, “she wasn’t.”

  “Well,” Barrett kissed her full on the mouth. “That was fun, but it’s almost my bedtime, so I’m going to head home.” He turned around and opened the stall door so fast, Lila almost didn’t have time to pull down her dress. As Barrett blew out of the stall, she grabbed her panties off the floor.

  “Wait, seriously?” Lila gaped. Thankfully no one was in the restroom, or an awkward scene would’ve ensued. Barrett stopped at the door and turned to her, devilish grin on his face, eyebrow up.

  “Yeah, I like to get a good night’s sleep after a match, and you’re definitely not coming home with me, so…” he pushed the door open and Lila just stood there, watching him strut out. The door slammed shut and she laughed a little to herself, shocked at the whole turn of events, reeling from the experience. She snapped to and popped back into a stall, wiped herself clean and slid her underwear back on. She stepped out again and went to the sinks, wetting a paper towel and dabbing at her face. She brushed through her hair with her fingers, and slid it up into a messy bun. Looking at herself in the mirror for a moment, she took in all the bizarre new details of the reflection: flashy dress, heavier make-up, now the red swollen lips. She barely recognized the woman in the mirror. Then, surprisingly, she broke out into a grin, then laughter, which took off and spun out of her control until she was doubled over, clutching at her stomach, tears forming in her eyes. She laughed and laughed and laughed. Suddenly Lucy burst in.

  “Oh my god, there you are,” she sighed, putting a hand on her hip and remaining in the open door. Lila wiped her eyes and stood up straight.

  “Worried I was never coming back?” she smiled.

  “No, I saw Barrett leave. I was worried he crushed you in here and left you for dead.” Lucy stepped towards Lila and slapped her ass. “Get back out there and help me clean up, instead of laughing like a crazy person in here by yourself.” Lila couldn’t help herself. She started to giggle again and threw herself into a big hug with Lucy, which caught the Ice Queen off guard.

  “Oh my god,” Lucy groaned into Lila’s hair, “gross. You smell like sex.”

  Chapter Twelve

  One afternoon, Lila and Jackson were sitting on the back patio at the Morans’ when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID: Dad.

  “Uh,” she said out loud, starting forward in her chair. Her father had maybe never called, not that she could remember. He’d sometimes sent texts for money or a ride or something, but that was the extent of their communication, both on the phone and in life, more or less. So to see his name on the screen was surreal for Lila. Jackson took a sip of his beer and watched her.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “My dad’s calling me?” She looked to Jackson. He furrowed his brow.

  They’d talked a lot about her parents, especially her
dad, over the last few times they’d hung out. Lila had never had a friend before, but opening up to Jackson had been so easy. He knew, when she was revealing stuff to him, that she mostly just wanted someone to listen to her, not give her advice, and Jackson was a great listener. Lila could see why a girl like Tiffany would fall for him, and fall hard. Not that Lila harbored any attraction for Jackson—ever since the amazing oral sex she’d had with Barrett a week ago, he might as well have been the only man to exist on the planet to Lila, despite not seeing or hearing from him—but she knew that Jackson was a catch and a half.

  But now, something was happening in the present, not a story she could tell him or a painful secret she could reveal. This was really happening right now.

  “Don’t answer,” Jackson said definitively.

  “No?” Lila asked, still staring at the vibrating phone.

  “No. If it’s an emergency, he’ll call back immediately. Or leave you a voicemail—that’d be better, then you could decide if it’s worth your time or just another bullshit stunt.” He’d done it again, said exactly what she needed him to say at exactly the moment she needed it said.

  “You’re right,” Lila said, unnecessarily. She silenced the vibrate and laid her phone back down. “I can’t imagine what he wants,” she trailed off.

  “Don’t worry about it unless he leaves you a voicemail or calls you back. Then we’ll worry.” Lila sipped her beer and sat back.

  “Do you talk to your parents?” she asked, wanting to distract herself from staring at the phone.

  “Not really,” Jackson sighed. “They’re fun sometimes, they’ve given me everything I could hope for, but I wouldn’t say we’re close.” He uncharacteristically avoided eye contact with Lila in favor of inspecting his beer bottle.

  The call from her father ended and now she was just waiting to see what he did next. “Would you say they were good parents?” she probed.