Page 58 of Peripheral Vision

For a second neither of us moves as I try to catch my breath and as she holds my gaze. There’s pride and a level of… mischief there that I haven’t seen in a long, long time. “You’re going to have to try harder than that. I’m not the same girl you pulled out of that place.”

I laugh, low and amused as I sit up. “Is that a challenge?”

“I’m done being afraid.” She steps back to give me space to stand. The flush on her cheeks, the spark of adrenaline in her eyes—it’s the most alive I’ve seen her in months.

“Careful, sweetheart, you don’t know what you’re asking for,” I say as I stand up.

She takes another step back, her gaze never leaving mine, and for a moment the world narrows to just us. The challenge in her eyes shifts, but the fire is still there. She takes another step, then another, until the distance between us is almost taunting. “I know exactly what I’m asking for.” Before I can respond, she turns on her heel and darts away from me, away from the safety of her house, and across the tree line into the woods. The very spot we began. I give her a few seconds as I watch the sway of her silhouette as she disappears into the fading daylight. And then my instincts kick in, the pull to chase and to claim what’s already mine. I sprint after her, the sound of my boots crunching against the fallen leaves. She’s fast—faster than I expected—but she forgets that I’m also theone who’s been training her. I know how she moves, how she thinks.

“You know you can’t outrun me, little viper,” I call out, my voice carrying through the night.

Her laugh floats back, light and free. “That sounds like a lot of confidence for someone still behind me.”

I push harder, my breaths forming clouds in the cold night air. She’s just ahead now, the faint moonlight catching in her hair, her figure cutting through the trees like she belongs to them. But she doesn’t, she belongs to me. And then she glances back, a rookie mistake. Because I’m on her now, reaching out to grab her wrist and pulling her to a stop as we enter a small clearing. She twists again, trying to slip free, but this time I’m ready. I grip her waist and pin her to a nearby tree, careful not to hurt her but firm enough to keep her still. “Caught you,” I murmur against her neck.

“Took you long enough,” she breathes out, her voice shaky, but sure.

I press closer, my hand sliding to cup her jaw as I use the other to grab her hair, tilting her head back. I inhale deeply. “You’re definitely trouble.”

“And yet, here you are,” she whispers, her words brushing against my face like a dare.

“I’ll always be here, little viper,” I promise, and this time when I kiss her, it’s not just soft or steady. It’s consuming, a wildfire sparked by the chase and fanned by the fact she let me catch her. But she tenses in my arms, caught off guard by the intensity of my passion and I immediately retreat, giving her space.

She reaches out, stuttering over her words. “N-no. Don’t stop, please. I need to do this. I just… can we take it at my pace?”

“Tell me what you need me to do,” I say as I step back toward her.

She wraps her arms around my neck. “I just need you to hear me.”

I nod, understanding and fury rushing through me all at once, at the implication of those words. If Connor was still alive, I’d killhim all over again. But before I have too much time to mull over it, she seals our lips together once more. They’re soft and feel like silk against my own. Her tongue brushes along the seams of my lips, and I open to her demand. I can taste the sweetness of her hesitation as it mixes with her underlying need. My hands find her waist, pulling her closer to me and spinning us so that I’m the one against the tree, giving her the control she seeks. I can feel myself growing hard against her stomach as she starts to tug at my shirt. I oblige her by removing my hands from her waist and pulling my shirt over my head in one swift pull. Goosebumps break out over my skin, the cold weather fighting with the heat burning inside of me.

I reach out for her, but pause. “May I?”

She nods and I grab the hem of her own shirt, tugging it up slowly until it’s discarded on the ground beside my own. It never gets easier, seeing evidence of what she went through—not because it makes her any less beautiful, quite the opposite really, but because it makes me want to go on a rampage, to tear down the world that ever thought it could hurt her. I force myself to keep breathing, to stay in the moment, to not let the anger swallow me whole. She needs me to keep it together for her sake, otherwise I might fuck this up. Her skin is soft beneath my touch, unmarred in some places, raised bumps in others. I trace my fingers along her spine, and she shivers, but not from fear. I can see it in her eyes, a vulnerability mixed with trust that I’ve waited so long for. “Are you sure?” I ask again.

Her gaze doesn’t waver and without a word, she unclasps her bra, letting it fall to the forest floor before tugging off her leggings, shoes, and socks—leaving her in nothing but her underwear. I tilt my head back, breathing deeply through my nose. She’s going to be my undoing. And when I feel her hand go inside my training pants, all rational thought leaves my brain. Her hand grasps my cock, squeezing ever so slightly as she tugs painfully slowly back and forth. When I look back down, her eyes are boring into my own. Shestarts to pull my pants down, but I stop her. “You don’t need to do that.”

Her grip on me tightens as she says, “I want to.” And damn if that doesn’t crack any resolve I had left. I relax against the tree as she pulls my pants and boxers around my ankles, kneeling as she does it, weighing my cock in her hand before she takes a tentative taste. She keeps one hand wrapped firmly around the base as she opens her mouth wider to take me further, until I hit the back of her throat. It takes everything in me to not start pumping my hips, to not force my cock down her throat, but I have to remember this is about her—about her regaining the control she lost, so when she forces me past the back of her throat, I’m surprised. I gently curl my fingers around her throat, just enough to feel the rough slide of my cock as she retreats and swallows me whole again.

I groan. “Fuck, Dylan. If you keep doing that, I’m going to embarrass myself.” A satisfied moan wraps around the length of my cock, the vibration causing my balls to tighten as I pull her from me. “I haven’t had you in months, and I’ll be damned if I don’t finish inside that pretty pussy of yours.” She stands back up with a self-assured smile plastered on her face despite the few tears that managed to escape when she was swallowing me. I kick out of my bottoms, taking her own in my hands and gently pulling them over her thighs and off her feet. “Lay down, little viper.”

She slowly lowers herself to the ground as I crawl over her, spreading her legs apart as I settle between her thighs. I take my time kissing each of her scars, worshipping them like they’re a blessing instead of a curse. To let her know that she will always be perfect to me and that there isnothingthat could ever change that. When I make it to the apex of her thighs, I breathe in her scent as I trace my tongue along the skin there. Her hips writhe with unadulterated need as I tease her, not giving her what she wants yet. “Please, Fletcher.” But fuck, if she says my name like that, I’ll give her anything she wants. I settle my mouth over her clit, working her in languid strokes before I encourage her to roll with me so that she’ssitting on my face. She squeals at the movement and lifts herself off of me. “Wha—what are you doing?”

“Youare going to sit on my face, little viper.” I wrap my arms around her thighs and tug her down on me and her eyes widen in surprise, as though she’s never done this before. “You’re in control here, take what you need,” I say through her pussy before I start licking her again. She tastes fucking divine, and she’s soaking wet as she drips down my chin. Before I know it, she’s given over to the sensation and is grinding herself shamelessly against my face as she tugs my head deeper into her. Her legs start to tremble so I secure my hold on her thighs even tighter, making sure she can’t escape me as her orgasm takes over. She throws her head back and screams and I work her through her orgasm as she comes down, drinking every drop like it’s the last bit of water in a desert. When I release my hold on her thighs she tries to roll off of me, but I don’t let her move, instead I slide her down my body and tuck her into me so that I’m holding her. “You had enough yet?” I chuckle into her hair, although I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to say. Not sure if she is going to regret this as she comes down from her high.

She lifts her entire body, positioning herself perfectly over my cock, the sensation painful at this point. She must see the way I grit my teeth because a small smile comes over her face and she grinds her hips. I’m going to take that as a no. I go to grab her hips, to do anything to ease the building pressure, but she grabs my wrists. “No, keep them above your head.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She tightens her grip on my wrists, and my pulse spikes, a mix of frustration and extreme pleasure stirring inside me. The command in her voice makes it impossible to refuse, yet it doesn’t stop the tension that’s winding tighter in my gut. When she releases my wrists and sees that I’ve done as I was told, her fingers trail down my arms, teasing. The contrast between the softness of her touch and the control she’s exuding only heightens the anticipation. I watch her, breath heavy, heart pounding as she straddles me.

“You want it, don’t you?” she murmurs, her voice low and steady, like she knows exactly what this is doing to me.

I try to speak, but my words come out in a low growl. “You have no idea.”

Her smile deepens, and then she shifts slightly, just enough to make me feel her heat, her rhythm. I swallow hard, resisting the urge to move, to take what I want. But the game has changed now, and this time I’m the one playing by her rules. “I want you to lose control, but only when I say.” She leans closer, her lips brushing against my ear as her tongue darts out and licks at the skin there. Every nerve in my body is taught, urging me to act, to break free and take what she’s offering. She notes my struggle, the faintest glimmer of satisfaction dancing in her eyes as she grinds her pussy against me again. The pressure builds between us, my control slipping further with each subtle movement of her body. Her hands move to my chest, fingers splayed wide, then trail down to my stomach, her touch light and mocking in its gentleness. “You’re doing so well. But you’re starting to tremble, I can feel it.”

I don't respond, my entire body on fire with her relentless taunts, pressing me further and further into this game of control. “Do you want to beg?” she asks, and I can’t find my voice at first. This little minx knows exactly what she’s doing by asking me to do that. She knows it would be a surrender I’m not ready or used to making. But at the same time, I know I’m teetering on the edge of giving her everything she asks for and more. “All you have to do is say please. Or do you think you can make it?” I want to say no, I want to beg her to let me go, to give me just a second of release. But instead I close my eyes, focusing on the sensation of her against me, trying to hold onto my last thread of control. But when she moves again, a slow, deliberate grind, I feel it snap.

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