Hitched: A Dark Hitchhiker Romance (Ride or Die Romances)

Lex

I’m being incredibly fucking dumb over some woman who wouldn’t have given me the time of day had I not forced her. I’m wanted. Every law enforcement agency in New York is actively seeking me out, and yet here I am, driving back into the heart of their search. I’m taking a huge risk by bringing us back here, but I can’t let her go home to him. I have to protect her, even if she’s not with me.

Especially if she’s not with me.

I’m not sure how she feels about everything. If she thinks I’m kidding when I say I plan on killing her husband, she’s in for a big surprise. I’ll get rid of that piece of shit and when we get to Texas, I can leave while knowing she’ll be safe.

When have I ever given a shit about someone’s safety aside from my own? Never. Old me would have wished her good fucking luck and let her go home to that shitbag. Or I would have just killed her. Either way, this selfless behavior is very new to me.

We drive past darkness. I turn off at an exit, which piques Selena’s interest.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Where are we going?” she asks. Her voice is heavy with exhaustion. We’re both tired. I can’t drive anymore, and neither should she.

“I want to show you something. And besides, motels in this state would be too risky.”

We drive down a road dense with trees on both sides, and I pull to the side of the asphalt, concealing the car among the overgrown bushes before I cut the engine. I get out of the car, open her door, and offer her my hand. She stares at me.

“Come on, rabbit.”

She draws a sharp breath before taking my hand and getting out of the car.

Crickets chirp and break the quiet. There’s little to see except for lightning bugs blinking between the trees. She wraps her arms around herself. I’m not sure if it’s from fear of the dark or what. She should know by now I would protect her, even if I’m the one who drags her toward danger in the first place.

“You’re okay,” I tell her, though I feel her gaze burn through me.

When we get to the end of the path, I leap onto the rocks and reach down for her. She sighs and puts her hand in mine as I help her up. A sharp gasp leaves her lips the moment her feet hit the stone beneath her.

We overlook the town below. Lights on every building dot the landscape. It looks surreal. Like how I remembered, but better, because Selena is here to enjoy it with me.

“What is this place?”

I swallow hard. “Someplace I used to go when I was younger. A safe place when my foster parents were being extra shitty.”

I sit at the edge of the cliff, dangling my legs over. Dirt falls from the soles of my shoes. “Come sit,” I say. She walks over and squats down to brush off the grass. I cock my head at her. “Even fancy show rabbits get dirty.” I tug her down beside me, and she plops onto the grass with a huff. I hate that look on her face. The judgment.

She clears her throat. “I’m not used to—”

“Getting your designer jeans dirty?” I ask with an annoyed snap in my tone.

She shakes her head. “That’s not what I meant.” She sighs. “I’m not used to being free.”

Oh. “Me neither.” I lie back, dropping my head onto my hands. My shirt rises and I feel true freedom against my skin as the wind races over us.

The moon illuminates her silhouette, and I take a deep breath. She feels so right to be around. She almost feels like a friend. It’s as close to having a friend as I’ve ever known, anyway. But I know it’s all pretend, and that makes me sort of . . . sad. I didn’t get sad when I was sentenced to life, sentenced again, and then once more. I can’t remember ever feeling sad like this. I turned that emotion off at a very young age. I had to. I wouldn’t have survived if I let myself feel anything but anger and hatred for myself or anyone else.

“Lay with me, bunny,” I whisper as I grab her shoulder and pull her into me. As if she has a choice. She tenses before relaxing into me.

Silence blankets us, except for the sound of nature. That’s something I haven’t listened to in over a decade. I close my eyes and bathe in it. Listening to something other than the hoot and holler of fellow inmates is fucking incredible.

Selena shivers, and I sit up enough to shimmy out of my long-sleeved shirt and offer it to her. She hesitates before she takes it and slips it on. I lie back, not giving a shit about the scratchy grass beneath my bare skin because at least I can feel it instead of the rough mattress in my cell.

She traces my tattoos, or what she can see of them under the light of the moon. I’m not proud of all of them, and I’m thankful she doesn’t ask about them as her fingertips glide along my skin. I didn’t hang out with the best crowds on the inside. Not that any of us could be considered the best crowd.

Her hand falls away, and soft snores come from beside me. The way she’s snuggled up to me feels fucking weird. I’ve always been alone, especially in prison. In there, loneliness was a godsend. Growing up, I had to be okay with being alone because being lonely meant I wasn’t having the shit beat out of me by the man paid to care for me.

I close my eyes. “Goodnight, bunny,” I whisper as I let myself drift into sleep.

Selena

I wake up to a shiver of cold morning air racing over my cheek. Cool dew wets my skin. Birds chirp from somewhere nearby. I look around, trying to orient myself. I’m on Lex’s arm, which is insane. He’s shirtless and I’m wearing his shirt. He gave it to me when I was cold. He’s such a walking contradiction. He looks almost . . . sweet. Serene.

“Morning,” he says as he opens his blue eyes. His skin pebbles with morning chill. He leans over and wraps a strong arm around me, but I push him away. We aren’t going to cuddle like this. We can’t.

He takes no offense to my shrugging him off as he sits up, pulls his arm from under me, and gets to his feet. He puts his hand down and smirks. “Come, rabbit,” he whispers.

I grab his hand and stand on legs that feel heavy. I’m stiff from having slept outside on the cool ground. We walk toward the car, but he pulls me to the right before it comes into view.

“Lex, the car’s that way.” I point back the way we came.

“Excellent observation.”

“Where are we going?”

“Do you trust me?” he asks as I dig my heels into the ground.

“Not really, no.”

He looks back at me and chuckles.

The trees open up and expose a large pond. The early sunlight reflects off the dark water. Ripples drift across the surface with every puff of breeze, and a small bird struts along the opposite bank, pecking here and there for its breakfast.

I stare as Lex unties his shoes and slips off his socks. He unbuttons and unzips his jeans and lets the fabric spread, exposing the soft, light hair on his pelvis. My mouth gapes as he tugs off his jeans. His cock is limp, hanging low against his thigh, but the flood of memories from him being hard rip through me, heating my body.

“Your turn,” he says with a flirty grin.

“Wh-what? No. I’m not swimming in that,” I tell him, as if I have any say in the matter.

“Get undressed, rabbit, or I’ll come do it for you.”

I pout. Childish, yes, but I do not want to go in that water.

When I still don’t remove my clothes, he steps closer and makes good on his threat. He strips me until I’m naked in front of him. His cock is now hard and pressed against my lower belly.

“Why must you always fight me? You’re the little bunny, and I’m the coyote. I’ll always win.”

I stare at him, my lower lip trembling in time with the rest of my body. My skin freezes, and not even the sun is enough to warm it. He grabs me, pressing his hard dick against my lower back as I flail. He carries me to the pond and throws me in. I scream until my head submerges, and I continue to scream the moment I resurface. The water isn’t as cold as I expected, and it doesn’t choke the air from my lungs. It’s almost refreshing, but still, fuck him.

“Fuck you, Lex!”

He smirks and jumps in after me. When he surfaces, he tosses his head, his hair rushing back. Water drips from his nose and lips, and he looks so handsome at this moment. I hate how much I want to take in all his soaked and naked features and commit them to memory. He looks like he was carved by the devil himself.

I kick my feet to keep my head above water while he just stands. He’s annoying like that. He moves closer and wraps me up in his arms. I steady my legs and float there as he holds me.

“Rabbits don’t like to swim, huh?” he says as he curls my legs around his waist.

“Not by force.”

“All of this has been by force,” he says with a smirk. Lex brushes the hair away from my face. “You swam just fine so far.”

My heart thrums against my chest. The sun blazes down on my pale shoulders. The world melts around us, dripping down like the water off our naked bodies.

“What do you want, sweet bunny?” he whispers. I didn’t realize I was staring so hard at his lips until he spoke. His words paint the landscape again, dotting it with trees. His finger rides along my pouty lower lip. “If you want a kiss, you need to take it.”

I won’t kiss him. It still feels too wrong. Even though he’s made me come, it wasn’t initiated by me. I can still hold on to that stupid fact. I pretend my refusal to initiate means I’ve somehow negated the copious amount of infidelity we’ve already engaged in.

Even though my thoughts are unfaithful.

“You’re so fucking stubborn,” he says when I don’t make a move. His hand wraps around the back of my neck and pulls me into him. He kisses me, and I let him. A frustrated groan leaves his cold, wet lips. “I’m going to take you back to the car, lay you down on the hood, and fuck you with my mouth.”

No one has ever talked to me like that. It’s exciting and equally terrifying. I can count on one hand the number of times Bryce has gone down on me, and I remember the stale movement of his jaw as he did. It seemed like a chore to him. I have a feeling Lex will eat me like I’m his last meal before going to his death. He’ll walk to his execution with a belly full of every moment since we met. He’ll leave me feeling devoured, never happy with the feasting of any other man. And he knows it as his hand rides up the back of my thighs and grabs my ass.

I push away from him and start to swim across the pond, kicking my feet as I tread water with my hands. The thought turns me on and pokes at a playful side of me I didn’t know I had. I’ve probably always had that side, but I’ve never been allowed to let it surface until now, in the freedom of a serene pond with a man like Lex.

“Where are you going?” he calls.

“Catch me if you can, predator.” I let out a chuckle.

He growls and takes off after me as I swim away from shore. Once the pond gets too deep, he swims toward me, his muscular body cutting through the water like a bullet. I hold my breath, dive under, and propel myself beneath the cool surface. Sounds are muffled, and a suffocating silence surrounds me. I open my eyes and take in the greens and browns on every side of me. I can’t hear him or feel a change in the water, but I know he’s there, hot on my trail. I feel his breath on my neck, even when I know it’s not possible.

When my lungs beg for air, I pop up to take a quick and hearty breath. I can’t see him. Ripples of the disrupted water roll away from me. As I turn to swim toward shore, I hear him surface behind me.

“Sneaky little prey,” he says. I don’t need to turn around to know his eyes have taken on a darker cast. I hear it in his voice. It’s a visceral hunger lurking just below the surface that chills my veins and tells me this is no longer fun and games. When he catches me, he’ll devour me.

I kick my legs and push myself toward the shore. I have to swim long after he can walk, but I still make it first. Barely. The rocky bottom scrapes my knees as I try to get to my feet and run from him. I can’t look back because he’s only steps behind me.

Grass cushions my bare feet, pine needles cling to my wet ankles, and I can hear his heavy, dedicated footsteps closing in. They thunder in my ears and compete with my heartbeat. I have no choice but to leave my clothes behind as I take off toward the car.

My heart nearly beats from my chest, ready to rip through my sternum. I instigated the chase and now I’m the one feeling hunted. Afraid. But I should be. I picked a true predator to chase me—to hunt me like the little rabbit he thinks I am. It’s all so fucking dumb. The moment he gets his hands on me, I’m in for it. No amount of pleading will stop him from taking what he wants. What he captured. What he worked up a sweat for.

I touch my car’s silver hood. It’s hot from the sun’s early rays. Just as my fingers land on the hot metal, strong arms grab me. He pants against my ear; it’s the worst frustration I’ve ever seen. Like a predator who chased his prey, only to have it pivot at the last moment and escape his mighty jaws. Only . . . I didn’t escape, and I won’t be able to now.

He’s trying to hold back and stay in control. I feel it in the tremble of the muscles in his strong body. Lex growls as he turns me around and pushes me against the hood of my car. He lifts me and lays me on my back. He has me in his grasp and doesn’t look like he has any intention of letting me go. Pieces of his slicked-back hair fall over his forehead, and he brushes them back with a frustrated motion.

“That was really stupid, rabbit.” He’s so close to my mouth I feel every syllable against my lips.

I know it was stupid. He doesn’t need to remind me. I have no clue why I did it. I just did, and now I’m in the clutches of the most dangerous predator I’ve ever met. He’s not a coyote. He’s a wolf. A majestic and beautiful creature that would happily tear me to shreds.

“I want to rip through you, take you,” he groans. “But I’m trying . . . really trying . . . to make you feel good instead.” The metal burns me as he yanks me toward him and lifts my thighs. I try to keep them closed, but he rips them apart with a rough touch. His fingers make the bruises on my thighs ache, and when I flinch, he ignores the pain and holds them open.

“Don’t you close those legs. I told you I would lay you on this goddamn hood and fuck you with my mouth.”

And he does. Oh god, he fucking does. He buries his face between my legs and licks at me like he’s ripping the flesh off my bones with his tongue. It’s rough enough that I raise my hips to put some space between my pussy and his mouth. He releases one of my thighs and puts a flat hand on my pelvis, pushing me against the metal.

“Don’t you move away from me. Stay here and let me take what I caught.” He looks up at me from between my legs. “Don’t start a game you can’t handle losing.”

I shiver at his words, and he buries his face into me again. He keeps me firmly planted against the metal. His teeth rake the hood of my clit between him sucking on it, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt—an uncomfortable pain and pleasure fighting for survival within me.

“Lex,” I whisper.

He doesn’t respond, just shoves three of his fingers inside me. I scream out as he stretches me. It’s too sudden. I wasn’t ready for it. I’m not ready for any part of him.

I never will be.

With his fingers deep inside me, he starts to lick me again. “I love it when you moan, bunny,” he whispers against my clit. “It shows me you’ve forgotten you’re married for a few minutes. Forgotten I’m the bad guy and that you let me make you come.” He growls and dips his tongue inside me before pulling out and running it over my clit in a long stroke.

I bury my hand in his hair and tug him toward me, unable to resist the growing pleasure between my legs.

He pulls away from me. “I’d tell you to get your hand off me, but I want to feel you force my mouth into your pussy when you come.”

I tremble at his whispered words.

His fingers push deeper inside me, and my warm wetness slips past them. He fucks me with his fingers while he works me with his tongue until I spasm around him. My chest rises, lifting my back from the hood of the car. I ride out my orgasm with a few long licks of his tongue that leave me bucking my hips against his mouth with every intense sensation.

He pulls me off the hood of my car, the metal scraping my sweat-coated skin. He turns me around, puts my hands on the hood, and drops to his knees. Before I can even get a word out, his tongue moves across my slit and keeps rising upward. I gasp as he reaches the only place on me he hasn’t put his mouth.

Oh God, we are not doing that.

I try to pull away from him, but he grabs my hips and holds me back.

“No, Lex,” I say firmly. Even as his tongue starts to feel good there. Different.

“Shh, rabbit. When I eat you, I want to devour all of you. Prey doesn’t question how they’re being eaten, they just let the predator get its fill.”

He licks me and I surprise myself when a moan leaves my lips. This is wrong. It feels so damn wrong. But why does it also feel good? Dirty? Rugged? Like the man behind me.

“Every bit of you tastes like a delicacy I shouldn’t get to eat. Something much too fancy for me.”

“Lex,” I say through a moan, and reach back to grip his hair. I surprise myself once more when it’s not to pull him away but to keep him there.

He pushes his fingers inside my pussy, and I’m overwhelmed by the sensations all over again. He fucks me with his fingers and licks me until I find myself teetering on another edge I never expected.

One I’ve never known.

I drop my free hand back to the hood and steady myself as he brings me toward another orgasm. “Fuck,” I moan, and he gives me a hard thrust in response. His fingers pull out of me to rub my clit, circling until he’s over it, thrumming my hood directly. It’s a sensation that instantly kicks me over the edge, like a pulse of electricity with every swipe of his thumb.

I drop both hands to the hood. My thighs tremble, and I struggle to stay on my feet. He spanks my clit as I ride the coattails of my orgasm with a whimper.

“Naughty mouth on you,” he says through a laugh as he slips his tongue back in his mouth and stands up. He wipes at his chin, which is coated in my come. “I knew you’d like that, dirty little rabbit. I bet your husband has never eaten you like that.”

I look up at him, a hint of fear crawling over me when I recognize the darkness in his gaze. He wraps his hand around the front of my throat and squeezes.

For a moment I wonder if this is it. If he’s going to kill me.

“Get your clothes and get in the fucking car,” he snarls, and loosens his grasp on my neck.

“What’d I do?” I ask.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Feeling that around my fingers, the clench of your tight fucking pussy, makes me want to put my cock inside you, but if I fuck you now, I will rip you apart.” He forces me to take a step back, my thighs hitting the front bumper. “I don’t want to hurt you like I’ve hurt others, so get your sexy fucking ass dressed and get in the car before I rip you in two and make you hate me.”