Page 47 of Outbreak

“Good girl. Now, get on your knees.” His deep, rumbling praise and unrelenting command are my undoing. The cold concrete greets my knees with a thud, but I don’t care. This man could shatter both my kneecaps, and I’d still find a way to crawl to him.

Dropping the chain tether in my lap.His boots echo across the floor as he turns and prowls back to the couch. Each step is slow, calculating almost. Like a predator that turns his back on his prey before he snaps around and pounces. My heart pounds in anticipation—my breaths deep and steadying.

He lowers himself down, leaning back and spreading his long legs in a wide stance. I watch him carefully, waiting for him to bring his attention back to me, waiting for my next command. When he brings his arms to the back of the couch, spread out like a king looking down from his throne, he finally brings his searing gaze back to me.

“Come here.” His demand burns through me like hot lava, melting my resistance until there’s nothing left but complete andutter compliance. Dust and debris dig into my palms as I place my hands on the floor to get to my feet. “No. Crawl.”

I want to protest—not because I don’t want to crawl to him—I do. But because I want to push his limits. Test his authority. I’d be lying if the idea of him punishing me again wasn’t already on my mind. I can still feel the hot imprints of his discipline on my ass as I lift it, getting up on my hands and knees.

With my eyes trained on him, I sway my ass dramatically and crawl, cool air prickling against my exposed wet skin as the leash drags across the dirty floor. I want to rush this. I want him to pull out his cock and fold me in half as he splits me in two. I want him to shove my face into this hard floor and make me take every inch of him. I need it. Now. But the slow tension building will make for an explosion itself. I can feel it, rising higher and higher. Threatening to blow this entire warehouse to smithereens if we let it.

When my palms reach his boots, I sit back on my heels, waiting. The anticipation climbs to new heights as his unyielding eyes burn into mine. I want to crumble under his commanding presence. It feels like he’s sifting through my soul, picking through the broken pieces and fitting them to his. We stare for what feels like forever, but in reality, I’m sure it wasn’t more than a minute until he finally breaks the connection. I take the reprieve and stare down at the chain curled in my lap, letting my fingers twist the cool metal. I can feel his eyes roaming over my body, before he leans forward, snagging a pink lock of hair and twirling it around his finger.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to have you like this? On your knees, at my mercy?”

“No.” I let my eyes shudder closed as his rumbling timbre slides over my skin like a low humming vibration.

“Since the moment you stumbled into the alley between our houses—you were mine then, and you’re mine now. You’ve always been mine, Death.”

“I’m yours, and you are mine,” I vow breathlessly. He grips my chin between his fingers, and I slowly lift my eyes to him.

He slowly nods as his thumb rubs over my lips, his gaze honed in at how my lips part under his pressure. Darting my tongue out, I swipe at his digit, tasting his skin.

“Careful,” he hisses, pressing his thumb further into my mouth until my lips enclose around it. “I’m so close to snapping, and I don’t want to hurt you, Death.”

I let my eyes deliver the message since my mouth is occupied.I want you to hurt me.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he groans, popping his finger free of my hold. His voice is borderline ragged, like he’s teetering on the edge and really might snap. I want that. I want that so bad I can fucking taste it. Dropping the leash, I lean up and hold onto his knees.

“How am I looking at you?” I ask coyly, sliding my hands slowly up his legs until I reach his waistband.

His breath catches as I undo his button, then his zipper, opening the fly to reveal his black boxers. He doesn’t answer my question, just stares into my eyes. I feel empowered, on my knees, for this beautiful, powerful man. Knowing he could break me without even blinking.

But my confidence waivers when I feel his bulge pressing into my wrists on his lap. “Don’t be scared, Death. Take out my cock. See what belongs to you.”

He lifts his hips slightly as I slide my hand into the fabric of his boxers. My fingers wrap around his cock, his skin smooth and warm against my palm. He’s big.Too big.“That’s never, ever,evergoing to fit inside me.”

“Oh, we will make it fit,” he says, his dark laughter skittering over me, making me shiver. He reaches inside and wraps his massive hand around mine, pulling his cock free. And I just about swallow my tongue in shock.

“Oh. My. God. What did you do?”

Swirls of black ink adorn the entire length of his tender flesh before finishing at the tip, where a metal ball sits. I let my fingers trace over the gothic letters as his hand falls away.

DEATH.

“I told you, I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”

CHAPTER 38

Ghost

“Ghost,” she breathes as her fingers trail over her brand.

I’m not going to lie, it hurt like a bitch, but the look on her face and the tear that slips down her cheek are worth every agonizing second.

“It’s beautiful,” she says quietly as she leans down, her words feathering over my heated skin. I need her mouth on me more than I need my next breath. And I don’t have to wait another second. Her tongue traces the black ink, and my cock twitches under her attention. The growl that leaves me is nothing short of feral.

“Fuck. That mouth, Rue. I knew it would be good for more than just talking shit.”

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