The Lair

by Lisina Coney

He’s close. So close, I can feel every inch of his warmth. So close, he may be able to hear the frantic beating of my heart. His voice is low, hoarse. His eyes don’t leave mine as he asks a question that I’m not sure I understand. “You have no idea, do you?”

My lips part at the possessive gesture. “You have no idea what you do to me. Do you, sweetheart?”

The hottest line ever

Travis is a whole foot taller than me, but suddenly his forehead is pressed against mine. Our proximity traps the air in my lungs,

“You really want to go on a date with some guy?” he asks roughly as his hand cradles my cheek, holding me with gentle firmness. “No,” I tell him with every inch of honesty I have. “I don’t.”

“You don’t want me to go on a date?” “Only if it’s with me.”

He positions his body between my legs, his arms caging me until we’re mere inches apart. “Fucking hell, Allie,” he rasps, forehead against mine, hands on my waist. “What?” I breathe out, my eyes settling on his plump lips.

“Tell me this isn’t right.” I swallow. “I won’t lie.” He opens his eyes to search mine, his gaze intense and scorching. “Tell me this is a mistake,” he says. “This isn’t a mistake.” He inches closer. “Tell me to stop.” I can’t. I won’t. “Allie,” he growls, bringing me impossibly closer. And closer.

Maybe I’m being greedy, taking what has never been mine. And maybe I should feel bad for leading Travis on when he deserves better than this, than me. But it’s been way too long since I a...

“I don’t want you to stop,” I whisper against his lips. My boss, the man who has taken better care of me than anyone else ever has, who shows me through his actions that I mean something to him, doesn’t move an inch. He doesn’t pull away, doesn’t lean in either, and it sends my heartbeat into overdrive.

“Allie,” he grunts. His last warning. My last chance.

Because Travis pecks my lips once, twice, before the beast in him lets loose. The warmth of his hands seeps into my skin as his tongue explores mine. Our kiss starts slow, then changes to something less gentle. But his roughness is never cruel, never unwelcome.

A groan escapes the back of his throat as I wrap my arms around his neck, needing his body against mine more than I need my next breath. My legs curl around his waist, and suddenly I’m not on the pool table anymore.

I just didn’t know he could support all my weight with such ease, and now my mind is going places it should stay away from. My center being pressed against his hardness isn’t helping either. “Goddammit, Allie,” he grunts when he breaks our kiss. I don’t think I’ve ever heard his voice ...

his mouth descends on the sensitive skin of my neck and h...

“You have no fucki...

“How badly I need you. Like the fucking s...

“Tell me what you need,” he growls against the curve of my neck as I throw my head back to grant him better access. “Whatever you need, sweetheart, it’s yours. I’ve waited long enough to kiss you.”

Travis cares about me. Just as deeply as I care about him. In his own quiet way, but he does.

between our lips again, his tongue meeting mine. His movements aren’t slow, and it shocks me that despite my inexperience, I can follow his pace with ease. When he squeezes my ass, a whimper escapes the back of my throat. He meets it with a grunt of his own, sending the most delicious thrill down my spine. “Travis…” My voice slips in between kisses. “I need⁠—”

“I fucking knew it.” Travis and I watch his smirk grow wider, clearly unfazed by having walked in on us. “You know what? Good for you,”

“It was about damn time anyway. Just tell me I can wear sneakers to the wedding because dress shoes make my feet hurt, and I plan to dance until you kick me out.”

“I forgot my keys in the dressing room. I’ll be out of your hair real quick so you can… keep going.” With a smirk, he darts off toward the back.

“You like him, don’t you?” “I… may or may not have a tiny crush on him.” “A tiny crush?” “All right, maybe a medium-sized one.”

“A medium-sized…” He shakes his head. “You know what? As long as he doesn’t have a medium-sized di⁠—” “Charlie.” “Not that there’s anything wrong with medium-sized dicks, but looking at how big he is, I would assume⁠—” “I’m done with this conversation,”

“What do you need?” “You, Allie.” Our eyes lock.

“I’ve never done this before, and I’m a fucking mess. Give me a second.”

“All right,” he starts again, the intensity of his gaze almost unbearable. “What I meant to say is that you are my⁠—” “Travis,” I interrupt him gently. My heart is beating too fast, my head is screaming too loudly, and I’ve had enough.

“Before you say anything, I need to tell you something important.” His expression remains open despite his slight frown. “Okay.”

“Allie?” Charlie calls out from outside the office. “Some people came asking for you, and they’re, um, very insistent. I think you should come out.” There’s a strange edge to his voice I don’t have time to overthink. Travis gestures to the door with his chin. “Go. We’ll talk later.” “But—”

“Allison.” No matter how much time passes or how far I run, I will never forget the voice I still hear in my nightmares. My mother’s voice. A tremble runs through me, making my voice and my hands shake. “W-What are you doing here?”

SHIT

And so is my father behind her and my brother, Johnny.

“You know why we’re here,” my mother snarls, inching closer to me. “You thought a little hair dye and a change of name could hide you forever? Please.” “Who’s this, Smith?” Jude’s voice joins in from behind me. My pulse jumps. “Smith,” my mother spits out, as if the word disgusted her. “You have these people fooled, don’t you? Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll let them know exactly who they’re dealing with.”

“How… how did you find me?”

“We hired a private investigator a while back. You might have hidden from the world, but you can’t hide from your family. We knew where you were all along.” “W-What?”

“Where’s Cindy?” “Your sister is at home,” my father says. “We didn’t want her to⁠—” Johnny cuts him off. “Stop giving her explanations. She left us and is about to sell us out for dirty money, for fuck’s sake. Let’s just take what we came for and get the hell out of here.”

“I have nothing that belongs to you.” “You do,” Johnny accuses. “We searched for it and didn’t find it, but you’ve always been sneaky. You must have kept a copy for yourself. We want it gone.”

“The video,” my mother snarls, interrupting my thoughts. “You had no right to spew such lies about our family.” Lies? “Delete your copy of the video at once and sign an NDA,” my mother continues. “You may be our daughter, but we won’t hesitate to take you to court if you so much as breathe a word to George Eden or his social-justice-warrior wannabes.”

“I want nothing to do with you or George Eden.”

“My car, my apartment…” My throat closes up. “Did you have anything to do with it?”

“We want the video,” my father says. “Tell us where it is, delete it, sign the NDA, and stop this charade.” A weird calmness takes over me, like that day at the warehouse. And before I know it, I blurt out, “Or what?”

“Who are these people, Allie?” Travis asks, his voice low.

“These people are her parents and her brother,” my mother starts with no short amount of venom in her voice. “Don’t think we haven’t looked you up, Travis Ward.” “Let’s talk outside,”

“Get out of my bar.” Travis doesn’t need to raise his voice. It drips authority on its own. “Or I’ll throw you out myself.” My mother snarls, “Are you threatening a woman?” “Stop,”

“You ruined my life,” I snarl, turning to my parents, tears gathering in my eyes. I hate it. I hate them. I hate myself. “You made money off me without my consent for years, exposed me to millions of strangers, and got me kidnapped. And you have the nerve to barrel into my life six years later, demanding I give back the only thing that protects me from you? How dare you?”

“I didn’t steal that money because I earned it.”

“You pimped me out on the internet for years, selling my image to publicity campaigns I never agreed to participate in. You used me, and I never saw a cent. I didn’t want your money, couldn’t care less about it when you’ve scarred me for life. I only used it to get away because I had no other choice. You didn’t leave me any other choice.”

“Are you hearin...

“You privileged, ungrateful bitch. We gave you an eas...

privileges. More than a brat like you could’ve ever strived for, and this...

“What did you just call