Page 96 of Bride By Initiation

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" women seductively interject, matching the vitality of the grunts.

I writhe under Sean, lifting my chin so my breath merges with his.

He moves his arm and runs his thumb over my nipple.

An "Oh!" flies out of me, matching the audience's as if in a song.

He lowers his fingers to the heat between my thighs, teasing it lightly.

"Take me," the women desperately call out.

I jerk my head toward the audience. My bravery disappears, and panic takes its place.

Sean turns my head back to him. "It's you and me, Zara. Forget about them and focus on me."

I gape at him.

His expression softens. He quickly kisses me and repeats, "Me and you. It's always going to be me and you. That's all that matters."

My eyes well with tears. I blink hard, hating the onset of emotions but unable to stop them. A million thoughts about what I'm about to do with thousands of strangers watching, the eternal vow I just made after killing a man, and the worry my friendship with Sean will be ruined, attack me.

He swipes at the first tear that falls and then lowers his mouth to my ear, asserting, "The time to cry is later, my beautiful wife. Don't show them any weakness. Focus on me. It's you and me and everything we've both always wanted."

I sniffle, taking a deep breath and meeting his eye. I ask the question to which I already know the answer, but for some reason, I want reassurance on. "You've always wanted this?"

He gives me another chaste kiss and confidently answers, "You know how much I've lusted over you, my pulse."

My anxiety fades. I've never heard Sean call any of his girlfriends a pet name, but something about him calling me his pulse seems sweeter than anything else he could call me. And I realize I love it as much as I love him calling me his little brat.

Sean demands, "Now, tell me you've always wanted me devouring you, Zara. Taking you to the point of no return and consuming you until you're spinning out of control with me inside of you."

I don't hesitate. "I've always wanted you, Sean."

Approval fills his expression. "Good. So it's you and me. Embrace the rest of this situation."

I nod, taking a final sniffle. "You and me."

He dips to the curve of my neck and kisses it, then murmurs, "Show everyone what they can't have because it's mine."

I slip my hand into his hair, clinging to it, as I slide the heel of my stiletto over the silk sheets and then raise my knees toward the sky.

His erection pushes deeper into my pelvis.

I tug his hair until his face is in front of mine, finding my courage and ordering, "Give me what I want, Sean."

His green eyes flare. His lips curve before they meet mine, and the dam breaks. The years of abstaining from the mystery and fascination of what we'd be like if we gave in to our desires come to an end. His mouth possesses mine with a burst of enthusiasm twisted with greedy need.

I dig my heels into the mattress, lifting my pelvis, craving to feel our bodies join together.

He holds my hip to the bed and taunts, "You don't run this show, my little brat. I do."

I open my mouth, and the chanting changes again.

Omsfill the air once again, but they aren't in unison, and it seems to never come to an end. As soon as one starts, another one begins.

It's chaotic, and creates a soft buzz inside me, adding to the ache I can't escape.

I turn my head, staring at the flickering torches and masked audience. Heat infuses my cheeks.

---