Page 69 of North

“No,” I sobbed, unable to lie to him. My body arched into his, my traitorous hips lifting to meet his every movement. There were signs that I was pregnant—but I could barely believe it, and I’d been far too fucking heartbroken to see if it was true.

“I would rather die than have your baby,” I choked out, the words barely a whisper between us.

His lips curved into a smirk against my skin. “Liar.”

I wanted to shove him away, to push him out of my life for good. But my body betrayed me, clinging to him, responding to every shift, every whispered word. North knew me too well, knew exactly how to unravel me until all that was left was raw, aching need.

“I love you,” he murmured, his fingers dragging down my side, igniting a shiver I couldn’t suppress.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him what he wanted. “This doesn’t mean anything.”

“Bullshit.” North snarled at me. His hands slid lower, gripping my hips and pulling me tighter against him, filling me so completely that I felt owned in a way I never had before. His breath was hot against my ear, his voice a promise and a threat.

“I’m gonna fill you up, Quinn,” he rasped, thrusting deeper. “Gonna put my baby in you. Make sure you never forget who you belong to.”

A sharp, startled moan tore from my lips. Heat curled in my stomach, pleasure and panic tangling together in a dangerous mix. “North—”

“You feel that?” he murmured, his lips brushing my jaw as he drove into me harder. “Your body knows. It’s begging for it.”

I shook my head, but it was useless. I was already too far gone, my walls clenching around him, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My fingers curled into his hair, pulling, trying to ground myself, but he just groaned in approval, his grip on me unrelenting.

“You’re gonna take it all, baby,” he continued, his voice rough, desperate. “Every last drop until your pussy’s puffy and swollen, and so fucking full that it’s leaking out of you.”

His words shattered the last bit of resistance inside me. My climax hit me hard, sharp, and consuming, my body tightening around him as a cry escaped my lips. North followed seconds later, his movements turning erratic, his grip on me bruising as he groaned my name, his release spilling deep inside me.

He didn’t let me go. Not even as the tremors faded, not even as our breaths slowed. He stayed wrapped around me, his lips brushing over my temple, his voice softer now, but no less certain.

“You knew what you were getting into, baby,” he murmured, his fingers tracing my hip possessively. “You can’t tell me it’s nothing now.”

I swallowed hard, my mind still spinning, my body still trembling from the force of it all. I should have pushed him away. I should have told him this was a mistake.

But I didn’t.

Because the worst part?

I wanted what he wanted, too.

I was still going to argue, though. He didn’t get to break my heart and then come back like it didn’t happen.

The sound of our ragged breathing filled the silence between us. My body was still trembling, every nerve alight with sensation, every inch of me aching from the way he had just taken me—owned me. But my mind? My mind was screaming at me to push him off, to fight, to do something other than lay here and let him hold me like I was something precious, something worth keeping.

I wasn’t.

North’s arms were locked around me, his body pressed against mine like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go. His lips, still swollen from our kiss, rested against my temple, a silent plea I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to be steady. “You don’t get to do this.”

He exhaled sharply, his fingers flexing against my waist. “Do what?”

I turned my head, barely resisting the shiver that crawled down my spine as his lips brushed against my skin. “Pretend this means something.”

His grip tightened, his body going rigid. “Pretend?”

I forced myself to nod, even as everything inside me rebelled against it. “That’s all this is, North. A game. A fucked-up, toxic, obsessive game we both need to stop playing.”

I needed him to prove to me that this wasn’t the case.

He was silent for a long moment, his breath warm against my cheek. Then, slowly, he pushed up on his forearms, just enough to hover above me, his stormy blue-gray eyes burning into mine.

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