Page 80 of Our Little Dove

I stare at him as he stalks closer to me again and I see a flicker of something unfamiliar in his eyes. It’s a fleeting moment of vulnerability, so quick that if I blinked, I would have missed it. But it’s there, buried beneath layers of arrogance and defiance.

“I am nothing like you,” I whisper. The words hang in the air between us, charged with an unspoken challenge.

Fintan’s smirk falters for a fraction of a second before he regains his composure. “Oh, little Dove,” he drawls, his tone daring. “You are, whether you’re brave enough to admit that or not, but you’re probably right. Whatever this is between the three of us, it won’t end well. You couldn’t handle the darkness even if you tried.”

His dismissive words fuel the fire in my veins, pushing me beyond the edge of reason. Without another thought, I launch myself at him, fueled by an overwhelming need to prove him wrong.

“Fine! Let’s say you’re right…You wear your darkness like a badge, Fintan. Mine is more like a concealed weapon, always ready when I need its sharp blade,” I sneer as I dig my nails into his throat.

“Well then. Make me bleed, Dove. Let me taste the darkness you think you possess.”

She steps closer, lifting to her toes as she moves closer to kiss me. The surprising boldness that slips through the cracks of her recognizable madness is enough to make me hard and her tears from earlier seem like they were never there.

“You’re positively insane, little dove,” I breathe as she pauses a whisper away from our lips touching. “So are you,” she responds in a hushed tone before killing the remainingdistance between us.

The kiss is urgent and hungry. She sinks her teeth into my lower lip, biting down until I feel the sting and taste the copper on my tongue.

She sucks hard before releasing my now bloodied lip and takes a step back. She looks dangerously gorgeous with my blood glistening on her lips and when she smiles, showing off her slightly reddened teeth and the beautiful lunacy in her eyes, I lose it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I step forward and clamp my hand around her throat, returning her kiss. As our lips lock, her hands dig into my hair, tangling in the strands and pulling me closer to her as she lets me taste more of my blood on her tongue.

Fuck, I feel like I could drown in this moment. Kieran’s in for a surprise. He’ll be sorry he spent all this time in the shower – this is going to get messy.

As soon as my grip falls from her neck, she breaks the kiss and trails her tongue along my jawline and down my neck. Her lips graze my pulse point, sending shivers down my spine.

She breathes me in and captures my earlobe between her teeth, drawing more blood before soothing it with her tongue. It makes me shudder in pleasure.

Her hand slides down my chest and stomach until she reaches my hard cock, teasingly brushing her fingernails against my skin. She smirks as she locks her hands together around the back of my neck and takes me by surprise when she lifts her knee and pressed it against my dick as she leans her weight against me.

I groan at the feeling and with a sultry chuckle, she whispers. “Pain is what made you who you are. If you want this, I will use it to show you what we’ll look like together. The three of us. Submit,pet,” she orders and drawls on the nickname she gave us in her basement, and I fucking despise it as much as it turns me on.

Her voice is like velvet wrapped around a blade; sharp edges gliding smoothly across my skin. Her eyes are fierce and demanding while mine are filled with lust and an ever-growing hunger for her touch.

She’s convincing but she is not in control. She has done her research, but she still fails to understand that I do not submit. To anyone.

“Hmm, kinky but not happening, little Dove.”

Her eyes grow dark, and she lowers her knee and drops her hands from my neck as she steps away. “Does everything that comes from your mouth need to be sarcastic and condescending?”

“Oh baby, you love it. Don’t get upset just because I playyourgame with my own set of rules instead of yours,” I chuckle as I cross my arms, keeping my eyes on our sexy, volatile little plaything. She slaps me before pushing me, cursing and hyping herself up even more.

This is cute but I’m getting tired of this manic hot and cold attitude.

Taking a deep breath while she loses her fucking mind, I reach my arm up and grab her throat, squeezing until she settles enough for me to get a word in.

“Shut the fuck up before I do something I might actually regret,” I warn, my voice low and dripping with a sudden annoyance. She blinks up at me with only defiance blazing in her eyes before I drag her toward the bathroom with my hand around her throat.

She struggles all the way inside and Kieran turns to face us. Surprise is written all over his face before he instinctively helps me get her in the shower. We need to get her cleaned up before she goes home.

She fights as I hold her against me under the hot water and Kieran starts washing her, trailing kisses over her skin as he lathers her body with my bergamot and leather scented shower gel.

She stops struggling in my hold and I grab the shampoo, washing her hair as she leans her forehead against Kieran’s chest.

Kieran and I share a look but before either of us can say a word, she starts crying. Despite the water cascading down her face, it doesn't wash away the shadow of pain that lingers in her eyes.

Her shoulders shake as she murmurs something under her breath, her voice breaking with emotion. Kieran hugs her tightly against his chest as his expression softens. “It’s okay, baby.”

He flicks his gaze to mine and mouths,“what happened?”I shake my head and start washing myself as I stare at the soapy water trickling over the scars on the small of her back.

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