Page 86 of The Sweetest Revenge

The metallic rasp of his zipper sliding down seemed to echo in the silence of the room. Time stretched, suspended in that moment of anticipation, of choice.

My hands flattened against the mattress. Some last flicker of resistance made me push upward, an instinctive attempt to regain control, to remind myself I wasn't a puppet dancing on his strings.

His response was immediate. One large hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pressing me down with unmistakable authority, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to remind me who was in control. Just enough to make my stomach tighten with a shameful thrill.

"Spread. Your. Fucking. Legs."

I hesitated for one heartbeat—two—before surrendering to the inevitable. Slowly, I shifted my feet apart until my hips lay flat against the bed, exposing myself completely to him.

Behind me, I heard his sharp intake of breath, the smallest victory in this power struggle between us.

The distinct sound of a foil wrapper being ripped open echoed through the silence as his free hand curled around my hip. "Take this dick like a good girl." His hips snapped forward, and I cried out as he filled me with one brutal thrust.

My hands curled into the comforter. There was no chance to adjust to his massive cock before he started fucking me. He withdrew before driving back into me harder and faster each time.

The way his cock filled me, stretched me felt so good, I couldn't think straight. My hands reached back, my nails digging into his thighs. "Oh fuck," I cried out as my belly clenched and my blood heated, sending me spiraling closer and closer to what I craved.

The wet sounds of his hips slapping against my ass filled the room.

He wound my ponytail around his fist and tugged, forcing my back to arch. "Oh—My—God."

His speed increased, thrusting faster, hitting a spot that set my body on fire. Every ruthless snap of his hips sent another jolt of pleasure coursing through me until I hit my peak.

My body tensed. "Zaiden!" I exploded around him, my orgasm so severe I couldn't breathe.

He doesn't stop fucking me hard and fast. With a harsh grunt, he withdrew one last time before slamming into me and holding himself deep as he came.

He collapsed on top of me for a long moment as we caught our breath.

"See," he breathed, his lips brushing against my ear. "You don't hate me as much as you think you do."

The satisfaction in his voice cut through the lingering haze of pleasure, a cold reminder of what happened—of my weakness, my surrender.

I placed my palms against the mattress and shoved hard enough that he rolled off me with a grunt. The sudden absence of his weight and warmth left me feeling exposed in ways that had nothing to do with my nakedness.

"Fuck you," I said, each word precisely shaped and delivered with quiet venom.

His laugh followed me as I slid off the bed, my legs still trembling slightly. I felt his eyes tracking me as I crossed the room, forcing myself to walk normally despite the pleasant ache between my thighs.

I didn't look back as I entered the bathroom and closed the door with a softness. A slam would have shown him he was right. Instead, I turned the lock with a soft click that said more than any shouted curse.

Only then, with the barrier between us, did I let my forehead rest against the cool wood of the door, eyes closed, breath unsteady.

I hated that he was right.

I stepped into the shower and turned the water as hot as I could stand it, as if I could wash away not just the evidence of him on my skin but the knowledge that some broken part of me would welcome his hands on me again.

CHAPTER40

ARIELLA

The harsh blue glow of the locked computer screen taunted me as I clicked my pen against the library table, the sharp tapping echoing in our corner of the hushed room. My fingerprints smudged the edges of the keyboard, evidence of hours of failed attempts.

"Any luck?" Zaiden asked, the wooden chair creaking as he sank into the seat across from me before sliding an iced caramel macchiato across the table. The ice clinked against the plastic.

Shaking my head, I gnawed my bottom lip raw. The cursor blinked on the password screen, mocking me. Each failed attempt felt like the truth was slipping further away from us.

Staring at the screen, I zoned Journey, Mila, Sterling, and Zaiden out as they quietly chatted around the square table. I had to get into this computer. It was our only hope of figuring out what really happened to Kacie.

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