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It started with an argument, which wasn’t a huge surprise. The Ghoul had picked at her steadily, seemingly annoyed that she wasn’t her usual upbeat, annoying, naive self. She assumed he would be happier now that she was sobering up to the horrible realities of life, but the exact opposite had happened. Now she had really angered him and was genuinely afraid she had crossed the line for good.
“What’s wrong Little Killer,” he drawled through gritted teeth, part growl, as he pinned her down on the dusty floor with his gloved hand wrapped around her neck in warning. She looked terrified, something he hadn’t seen in a while. “Or should I call you little coward?”
Lucy fought against the Ghoul, shoving at his leather-clad forearms fruitlessly. He was unmoved, looming over her, face shadowed by his cowboy hat, eyes shining with an indecipherable emotion. He kept his hips pinned against her so she couldn’t kick him.
“I’m sorry,” she pleaded, clutching at his sleeves. “I shouldn’t have said that. I just…I had a moment and I snapped.”
“Hmm,” the Ghoul rumbled, leaning closer. “You snapped,” he deadpanned.
“Yes!” Her eyes were wide, tears starting to squeeze out. “You’re right. Okay? You’re right. I made a mistake and insulted you. I’m sorry.”
The genuine regret in her voice made him lean back slightly. He wheezed a little, clearly trying to keep from coughing and losing control of his grip. Lucy furrowed her brows, worry becoming her forefront emotion.
“You need your inhaler,” she spoke softly.
He let go of her and sat back on the ground, finally allowing himself to cough. It was hard and violent, and Lucy strode over to his pack and pulled out a vial from his stash and loaded it up in the inhaler.
“Here,” she said, kneeling down and handing him the device. He took it without argument and inhaled deeply, his eyes closing as relief flooded his chest.
There was an extended moment of silence as The Ghoul savored the ability to breathe normally again. Lucy took the inhaler from his hands and walked back to his pack, placing it back in its holder. She stood for a second and stared at the pack, shaken from what had just transpired. Before she could turn back around, she felt his hot breath at the back of her head. He was standing behind her, not quite touching her. She froze in surprise.
“Sir?”
A low growl hit her ear and made every hair on her body stand up.
“Like I said, you don’t know nothin’ about want. The kind that eats at you like this fuckin’ radiation. The kind that keeps you up at night when you’re bone tired. You ain’t lived that yet, Vaultie.”
Lucy could tell he was holding something back, but this time it wasn’t anger. Something had shifted in him.
She ever so slowly turned around. If the Ghoul still had a nose, it would be touching her own right now. He was breathing ragged but slowly, and his eyes were narrowed as they met her gaze. She took a deep breath and watched as the motion of her body captured his attention. His gaze traveled down her neck to her chest and back up again. He didn’t bother to hide it.
A shudder ripped through her entire body as she realized what was happening. Warmth had begun to gather at her core, and she realized in one sharp, sudden moment of clarity that what she felt for the Ghoul wasn’t hatred.
“Sir, I…I..” she stuttered.
“You…you…” he mocked, not backing up even a little bit. He cocked his head a little to the side as he drank her in.
“Maximus,” she whispered.
The Ghoul flinched backwards.
“Your little brotherhood of steel boy,” he mumbled. “That’s fuckin’ funny.”
He turned from her and made his way to the old bed by the window. They were in a destroyed house that just barely kept the wind at bay. He flopped down onto his back ungraciously, groaning as the tension left his body. He laid his hat over his face, not willing to look at the young woman who had gotten under his calloused, wrinkled skin for the past few days. What the fuck had he been thinking, letting his base desire run away with him like that? He needed some sleep.
Lucy stared at him with her mouth slightly open, her mind reeling with this new found information. Maybe it was being on the surface that had made her head fuzzy. She had promised Max she would find him, but things were different now. Everything was different now. What she felt for Max wasn’t at all the same thing that she felt for the Ghoul. No one had ever gotten into her head like the Ghoul, ripped her out of her cushy little reality and thrown her head-first into the rudest wake up call she had ever known. In a way, he had done her the biggest kindness one could do for another being. She had survived because of him, and was better for it.
“Well,” she spoke finally, her voice cracking, “it’s not like we’re married.”
There was a pause, then the Ghoul picked his hat up off his face and glared at her from the bed. He was clearly irritated.
“What are you on about?”
She hesitated but pushed on, finally sure of what she wanted. “From what I understand, when people are dating in the traditional sense, they are allowed to experience different relationships before they settle on a marriage partner. Max and I have only shared a kiss, so I couldn’t possibly know enough about him to rule out any other option for myself. Logically, it would be unwise for me to refuse to explore other options when you think about it.”
The Ghoul finally raised himself up and leaned back against the headboard, making the wood creak under his weight.
“What's your point?” His voice was gruff, as if he was under strain. She had no idea that he as close to imploding.
“My point is, I am sexually attracted to you, so I have an obligation to myself to figure out what that means while I have the moral freedom to do so.”
Shock flashed briefly across his face, but he quickly reigned himself in, scowling at her ridiculous way of speaking.
“Sweetheart, you talk like a god damn text book.”
At that, Lucy giggled. A smirk appeared on the Ghoul’s lips, making Lucy’s stomach flip. She wasn’t sure how a ghoul with no nose could look so appealing, but after everything that had happened, she was in no position to question it.
“So you want to explore another option, s’that it?” His voice was low, threatening. Heavy with lust. She squirmed noticeably at the sound.
“Yes, I do,” she responded. She had tried to sound confident, but her voice had betrayed her by coming out in a meek whisper.
The Ghoul was on her in an instant, shoving her against the wall of the bedroom, dust exploding every which way from the impact. He gathered her hands above her head and held them there by the wrists. He still wouldn’t let their bodies touch, not yet, which made Lucy even more anxious.
“You sure about that, sweetheart?” He leaned in and sniffed her neck, and she watched his eyes roll back in his head. She had never been so turned on in her life. “Cause once I have you, I might have to keep you. I don’t like to share.”
He nosed at the tendons of her neck and trailed up to her ear where he nipped her earlobe. She squeaked, accidentally bucking her hips against him. He moaned a growl directly into her ear as her center brushed against his rigid cock straining against the leather of his pants.
“What if I don’t want to be kept?” She asked, tilting her head to give him more room to explore.
The laugh that rumbled up from his throat when straight to her pussy.
“I got no problem keeping you tied up like before.” He shoved his glove off his hand using his thigh, then slid his bare hand across her center, feeling the moisture through her vault uniform. “And judging by how wet you are, darlin’, I think you like the sound of that.”
She moaned loudly now, unable to keep it in.
He pressed her clit firmly, making her cry out. One more nip on her earlobe and the Ghoul took her wrists and dragged her to the bed, tossing her down on her back and straddling her thighs. He placed both hands on either side of her head and hovered, just staring. She was so intimidated that she closed her eyes.
A gloved hand pinched her cheeks and chin roughly, causing pain. “Look at me.”
Her eyes flew open in alarm, but he didn’t let go of her face. “You don’t get to close your eyes and imagine some smoothie makin’ love to you. You got to accept the monster on top of you, cause that’s what I am. A monster who’s gonna fuck you. Hard.”
She made a motion for him to let go of her face, so he did. She looked up at him, eyes so sincere that he felt his heart break a little. It made him angry, but he still waited for her to speak.
“You’ve got me all wrong,” she said, reaching up to touch his face. He closed his eyes instinctively at the gesture, cursing himself for losing his edge so quickly. “I don’t want to imagine anyone but you.”
He opened his eyes and stared in disbelief before slamming his lips down on hers. He kissed her with a ferocity that he hadn’t felt in so many years. To his delight, she kissed him right back, grabbing at his neck and knocking his hat off. He pressed his hard length into her, making her arch her back and open her mouth wider. He sucked her tongue and bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, then licked it up like an edible treat.
“Hot damn, that beats ass jerky by a fuckin’ mile.” He spoke against her mouth, making her laugh out loud. He smiled in spite of himself, the sound of her laughter making his head spin with desires that had been buried for centuries.
He slid down her body, taking her vault jumpsuit with him by the zipper with his teeth and hand, making her stop laughing abruptly from surprise. Her white tank top underneath was ripped and dried bloody, but he could see her nipples through the thin fabric as her chest heaved.
“Sir…s…” she stopped suddenly, raising up on her elbows. “What is your name?”
The ghoul paused to look at her. He hesitated before giving in. “Cooper.”
The smile that she graced him with was nothing short of a miracle.
“Cooper,” she repeated softly.
The sound of his name shot him with adrenaline, and he ripped the rest of the jumpsuit down her legs, taking her panties with him. The cold air hit her exposed skin and made her shiver.
“Get that top off,” he ordered, making a point to let her see him staring hungrily at her bare center.
She blushed at such a bold display but did as she was told. He reached up and took the tank top from her and twisted it into a makeshift rope. He grabbed her wrists again and forced them against the headboard so he could tie them to one of the posts with the tank top. He worked fast and efficiently, making Lucy’s head spin.
“Wh…what are you doing?” She asked.
“What’s it look like I’m doin’?”
He didn’t wait for her to reply before he was back between her bare thighs, his lips barely touching her hip bones and skimming across her mound. It was too much not being able to move her arms, and she arched her back in protest.
“I can’t touch you,” she whined.
“What did I say earlier? About how you ain’t never felt that kind of want. You’re about to find out now, darlin.”
Suddenly, his tongue was on her clit, licking and rolling across the swollen bud. She screamed in pleasure and shock, bucking her hips to get away from the overwhelming pleasure.
“Sit that ass back down,” he scolded as he threw an arm across her lower belly to pin her hips in place. “You’re at my mercy now.”
He was unhinged, the sounds she was making causing his cock to become painfully hard. He rutted against the bed absentmindedly as he worked her up and up.
“Cooper!” She yelped when he sucked her clit hard before going back to his former illustrations. “I’m gonna…”
Suddenly, he pulled away. The change was so jarring that Lucy shouted angrily at the ceiling, her hips still pinned by his heavy arm.
“What are you doing?!” She shrieked. “Why did you stop?”
The ghoul smiled menacingly. “Oh, I’m sorry sweetie. Did you want me to keep goin’?”
Lucy opened her mouth in shock. “Of course!”
“My apologies, darlin’. I didn’t realize that’s what you…”he bent back down and sucked her clit again, “wanted.”
She howled. It was guttural and animalistic, which made him rut even harder into the mattress. It took everything in him to keep from shoving his cock as far into her as he could, but he wanted to make his point first.
“Please don’t stop this time,” she pleaded. “Cooper, please…!”
He pulled away again and licked his lips greedily. She groaned loudly in frustration and pulled at her binding. “This is cruel!”
“You knew what I was, Vaultie,” he said, voice gruff from holding back his own lust. “I’m a monster. And you wanted all of this monster.”
He shoved his tongue into her center, swirling it up against her internal walls. This was entirely knew to Lucy since Chet had been almost useless with cunnilingus. It felt foreign and dirty and oh so good.
“Oh fu…fu…f…”
“Say the actual word or I’ll fucking stop again,” he warned against her hot, swollen pussy lips.
“Fuck!” She yelled.
He shoved two fingers inside of her abruptly and sucked her clit, pouring all of the passion he felt for her into his actions. He stroked her front walls then pushed his fingers even farther inside, reveling in the mess she was making all because of him.
She came. Finally. It was the most powerful orgasm she had ever had. Her head slammed back into the mattress as the feeling washed over her entire body, relief flooding her to the point that she cried.
What little bit of heart he had left felt for her, but he was far from finished. Quick as a cat, he was on top of her again. He untied her binding and kissed her, not bothering to wipe his mouth. She tasted herself on his tongue, and it was shocking and arousing. Her tears dripped onto the mattress, but as angry as she was, she didn’t care. She wanted this too badly to complain.
“Cooper, fuck me,” she begged as she wrapped her sore arms around his neck and pulled him against her. “Now, gosh darn it.”
He had already unzipped and had his cock out, the head of it weeping with his desire for her. She felt him push into her forcefully and without warning. Even with a pinch of pain, it was ecstasy. His cock was thick and scarred much like the rest of him, and it only added to the pleasure as she met him thrust for thrust.
“You’re gonna come again on my cock,” he growled. He reached up and pressed his ungloved hand on her neck lightly so he could feel her erratic pulse. “I ain't touchin’ that pretty little clit this time.”
“What?” But the word fell flat as he angled himself so that his shaft rubbed across her clit with every thrust. He slid his hand down to pinch her nipple hard enough that she squealed. His mouth followed, sucking on her skin and breasts like a man starved. He was ravenous, and it was the hottest thing Lucy had ever seen.
The new angle and sensations brought on another orgasm without warning, and he felt her pussy grip him suddenly like a vice. He groaned loudly as he came seconds after her, pouring himself into her knowing full well he didn’t ask her where she wanted it. He felt a little guilty, but when he looked down at her tear-soaked face and swollen, bloody lips, he didn’t care. She was blissed out underneath him with a tired smile, and it was the most beautiful sight.
Minutes went by. The Ghoul rolled off of her eventually and laid on his back, pulling her over with him. The feeling of her head on his chest and her long brunette hair in his face broke him, right then and there. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was gone for the fresh-faced vault dweller now.
“Lucy,” he spoke finally, breaking up the silence. She turned her head to look at him, the sound of her real name in his voice making her head swim . “I…I’m not a nice guy. I’m not…”he faltered, hating himself for what he was. “I’m not sorry for what I just did to you.”
Lucy pondered this as she gazed into his eyes. His vulnerability startled her, but it was more than welcome.
“I already knew that,” she said. There was no anger in her voice.
“I’m not sorry for takin’ you the way I want, for makin’ you bleed. I ain’t gonna change. Not now.”
Silence followed. The Ghoul breathed her in, knowing this was probably the last time he would have her this way. She was too pure for him, for all of this.
“Cooper?”
Her voice startled him out of his thoughts. He met her eyes.
“I want you to keep me.”
He smiled, genuine and crooked and everything Lucy had been searching for her whole life.