Scarred Asphalt (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Apollo was a little bummed that he was missing out on all
the fun. Okay, more than bummed. It wasn’t every day that you got to run 66
with the club and do damage. Maybe next time.

He had made other plans anyway, which would have been
screwed if he had been able to roll with them.

Before Thorne left for work, he told her that they had plans
for the night, to make sure that she was ready by seven that night. He wanted
her in a nice dress: the sexier, the better. She seemed surprised by his
request, but agreed to it.

While she was gone, he spent the day setting everything up.
Just off her deck, he set up her patio table with a white table cloth, candles
and roses in a vase in the center. Wine glasses were cleaned and set to the
table, along with a wine bucket, the chardonnay on ice and ready for the evening.

A bungalow tent was set up around the table, twinkle lights
ran around the inside and through a couple of elephant ear plants giving the
area a mid-eastern harem feel. A plush fur rug was set up in the corner with a
multitude of throw pillows to give comfort. Off to the side was his portable CD
player, with sounds varying from Enigma and Kaskade / Deadmau5 to Jesse Cook
and Loreena McKinnett.

The meal? Lobster and crab with red potatoes and corn on the
cob, salad and crawfish bisque to start. He would thank his mother for that
later.

Everything was set and ready to rock and roll right before
the sun began to set. She would be home in a few minutes. Apollo was quick to
shower and get dressed in a pair of loose fitting khakis and a sheer white
cotton beach-style long-sleeved shirt that he only buttoned to mid-torso, and
left the sleeves rolled three quarters. It was casual, but still dressy.

He could hear her moving around in the living room, just as
he expected, so he had drawn the shades closed, hoping she wouldn’t look out.
Apollo didn’t want his surprise ruined by her accidently seeing the bungalow
basically set up in her backyard.

Barefooted, he ventured toward her, though he had to stop to
regain his wits. She was simply stunning standing there in a royal-blue dress
that barely left anything to the imagination. He had never seen anything like
it, and he wasn’t sure what the hell was holding it up. It almost looked like a
sarong, crisscrossing in the front with tiny gatherings of material at her hips.
Low cut and barely covering her breasts, a bejeweled pair of spaghetti shoulder
straps stood out against her tanned skin. There was no back to the dress, the
hem coming to a stop just below her lower back.

The only jewelry that graced her limbs was a small gold
chain around her ankle that clearly accentuated the length of her legs.

“Just…” Apollo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
“Wow.”

Thorne turned slightly to look at him from under thick
lashes, a stray curl falling lazily over her cheek as she blushed. “You don’t
look so bad yourself.”

“Only because you make me look good.” Apollo walked over to
her and held out his arm to her. “Shall we?”

“You’re barefooted.”

A mischievous grin formed as he bounced his brows. “You
might want to follow suit.”

“Alright.” Placing a hand on his outstretched arm, Thorne
lifted a leg just enough for her to lean over and slip off a heel, then she
slid off the other.

When she leaned over, it took everything Apollo had in him
not to ravage her. Her dress opened just enough to give him a teasing glimpse
of the crest of her breast and it was enough to drive him crazy. He cleared his
throat and shook his head.

Apollo placed his hand over hers and led her to the sliding
glass doors. With aching slowness, he opened the curtains to reveal the tiki
torch walkway that led right to the opening of the cabana.

“Oh…” She exhaled as her hand came to rest at her chest.

Sliding open the glass door, he motioned for her to step
out. “After you.” He closed the door behind them and guided her to the pathway,
making sure to keep his hand on hers, because if he had put his hand to her
lower back, it wouldn’t have stopped there.

Rounding the edge of the cabana, Apollo watched as awe
spread across her face. Her eyes lit up with delight, her smile widened as she
gave his forearm a squeeze before she released it to step deeper inside for
look around.

“You did all this?” She stood breathless with amazement,
then glanced over her bare shoulder at him, then back to everything in the room
again.

“With a little help.” Apollo got more out of her enjoyment
of what he had done for her than the act itself.

“This is amazing.” Thorne whirled around and threw her arms
around his neck, lifting up slightly on her toes to brush her lips over his in
a quick movement.

His arms encircled her, one hand on the small of her back to
bring her closer to him. After the sweet, innocent kiss, he tilted his head
down and whispered into her hair, “Anything for you.”

Her blush deepened as she pulled away from him, though he
was almost reluctant to let her go. She fit so damn perfect against him. He was
falling for her and had been since he first laid eyes on her two years ago, but
to see her like this, to feel her in his arms, willingly, was almost too much
to bear.

Thorne motioned to the CD player, demurely looking at him
from the corner of her eye. “How did you know I like Stephan Moccio?”

“I know a lot more than I let on, Thorne.” He closed the
distance between them as a sultry JES song came on. “Dance with me?”

Her brows shot up in surprise, followed by an almost silent
nervous giggle. “Alright.”

Apollo needed no more encouragement. His left hand took her
right, his right hand sliding along her hip to the small of her back, urging
her to step closer to him. When she did, her pelvis brushed his, causing him to
catch the hiss that almost escaped. With a squeeze of her hand, he led her
around the small area.

The slow song lasted only a few moments, leading into a
little salsa number by the Gipsy Kings, which made her ember eyes light up as
she squeaked in delight.

“This is one of my favorites.”

Her voice was breathy as she twirled around, letting go of
herself. Her arms were outstretched, her head tilted back as laughter filled
the tent, her feet moving in time with the rhythm of the music.

Apollo stood back and watched her dance solo, the sheer
pleasure on her face was enough to thrill him to the very core. He had not seen
this look on her face before and it was extraordinary. The lighting made her
hair shimmer with blue undertones; her skin looked like caramel and soft to the
touch.

Her body movements stirred something near animalistic in
him. That ultimate need to possess every inch of her body and soul flooded
through him as her hips rocked in time to the beat. Apollo had never felt so
feral before and he was growing to like this dominant side of him that planned
on making Thorne his. Permanently.

* * * *

Thorne had been taken off guard by his invitation for a
date. She wasn’t going to say no, but the idea thrilled her all the same.

Dalton had surprised her with his romantic side: the cabana,
music, dinner, candlelight. It was not exactly something she was used to. Yet,
here she was dancing her heart out, letting herself have the freedom that she
had kept from herself for so damn long.

Her own laughter surprised her as she wound down with the
music, stopping as the music changed to something slower. Carried away by her
own response, Thorne failed to notice Dalton staring at her. Heat slammed
through her body as her eyes met his. He was looking at her as if he were
photographing her with his eyes.

She couldn’t deny the spark of excitement that coursed
through her as his eyes washed lazily over her, her body tightening at the very
idea of him taking her out in the open. Her lips parted as she inhaled sharply
when he moved toward her.

There was no denying him and she knew that. The savage
hunger for him rose like a tidal wave and she felt as if she were drowning in
her own desire.

Dalton reached out and hooked a finger under the shoulder
strap of her dress and slipped it down over her shoulder, his eyes never
breaking contact with hers. Releasing his hold on the strap, he moved to the
other and pulled it down as well. The dress hung on her momentarily before it
slowly slipped down her body, exposing her inch by agonizing inch to him.

Thorne stepped out of her dress and moved toward him,
impelled involuntarily by her own passion. He never flinched as she placed her
hands against his bare chest, pushing back the shirt to expose his golden flesh
to her. Head tilted back, Thorne ran the tip of her nose against his jawline.
She could hear his breath catch as she nipped his chin in a playful jest.

That didn’t last long. Her head was pulled back by the fist
that had tangled in her hair, exposing her throat to him. His head dipped,
teeth taking hold of her skin at her collarbone, eliciting a cry of delight
from her.

“Tell me what you want, Thorne.” His voice was husky as he
lifted his head to gaze at her, keeping his hold in her hair.

The movement caused her breasts to brush against the fabric
of his shirt, sending sparks of fire through her, her nipples tightened against
the chilling air. His question sent her mind reeling, her ability to focus was
next to zero.

“Answer me, Thorne.” He growled low as his teeth nipped
harshly at her bottom lip in punishment for not answering him.

Thorne hissed in pleasure, her eyes fell half way closed as
the pain turned quickly into a jolt of pleasure. Her mouth opened but nothing
more than a whimper came out; she was unable to speak.

“Don’t make me punish you. I’m only going to ask you one
more time.” Dalton tightened his grip in her hair, her head pulled back at a
harsh angle.

To be punished or not to be punished, that was the question.
Shattered breath escaped her lips as her fingers curled against his chest, the
tiniest of tremors raced down her spine. “I—I don’t know.”

A single brow lifted as he tsk’d her. “That isn’t an
answer.” He released her hair and spun her around so her back was to him.

She gasped in surprise as his fingers dug into her hips as
he thrust his pant clad hips against her ass cheeks, allowing her to feel just
how much he wanted her. Thorne let her head fall back, the heels of her palms
ran down his forearms until her hands covered his.

Dalton interlaced his fingers with her own. “You’re going to
touch yourself for me.”

She could feel his fingers on top of her own, her lips
parted and she took a sharp breath as he raised their right hands together and
set them on her left shoulder. With aching slowness, he urged her hand down
toward her breast, urging her to cup herself. Her eyes fell closed as she
squeezed her breast, his fingers forcing her own apart, a rock hard nipple slid
between them. Her nipple tugged outwards and Thorne could not stop the hiss of
delight as he turned her hand just enough to twist the hardened bud before he
allowed her to release it.

Her breath caught and released slowly, her lashes fluttered
open as the couple traced the underside of her breast together. This was
completely undiscovered territory for her, exploring her body with someone
else. Yes, she knew what her body felt like, but experiencing it like this? Was
titillating.

Her stomach muscled jumped as he used their nails to trail
across her rib cage, crossing her naval to reach her hip. His breath was hot
against the back of her neck as she pressed her ass back into him; a soft moan
crept out from the back of her throat. Pushing her hand further down over her
pelvic bone, her fingers brushed over her damp lips, her body ached to be
touched, the teasing driving her near mad. She could smell her own desire as it
mixed with the salty air, musky and heavy in the night.

Dalton growled as he urged her hand up her thigh, inch by
agonizing inch toward the inner side, brushing the edge of her index finger
against the outside of her lips. It was a tease as he moved her hand over her
apex, not allowing her to slip into the wet folds like she wanted to. She knew
just how wet she was, she could feel how she was already pulsating with the
need to be filled.

Thorne’s head fell back against his shoulder, her back
arched as he finally allowed the very tip of her finger to flick over her clit;
her hips bucked back as she bit her lip from crying out in delight. Dalton
pushed her hand further down and dipped both their fingers just inside of her,
his other hand’s fingers tightened against her hip to keep her from grinding
her hips down to force them in deeper.

Dalton slid their fingers free, only to push her forward toward
the table, blatantly ignoring the place settings and wine glasses. “You are
going to do everything I tell you too, understand?” His lips moved over the
crook of her neck, giving her flesh tiny harsh nips.

Thorne swallowed her heart that was caught in her throat,
and offered him the slightest of nods. She couldn’t find her voice at all; it
was hidden somewhere in all of the excitement that rolled through her. That
excitement grew as he pushed her down toward the dark glass table. He spread
her hands out from one another, his foot edged her feet apart, forcing her to
spread her legs. The action made her ass push out toward him.

“I want you to touch yourself with one hand.”

Dear. God.

Thorne could see herself in the reflection of the table, her
breasts heavy with need, nipples hard and ready to be teased more. She hissed
softly as she reached down to drag her nails along her inner thigh, listening
to his belt unbuckle. She could hear his pants zipper lowering as she slid a
single finger between her lips, pressing up against her hood. Thorne’s head
dropped forward as her knees almost buckled, she cried out in surprise as she
felt a pair of hands on her butt cheeks.