Page 137 of Through the Flames
“N-no. Oh my God, Hunter, please fuck me!” she whispered.
“Say it.” My teeth scraped her shoulder as I rammed into her. “Say you’re mine while I ruin this perfect little pussy.”
“I’m yours! Fuck. I’m yours, always yours!” Her voice cracked, a frantic whisper, and then she clamped down on my cock, convulsing and shaking so hard I had to lock an arm around her waist to keep her upright.
I didn’t stop. Not when she went limp, not when her knees buckled. I fucked her through it, drove her into the now faintly rattling glass, until the mirror was slick with breath, and her sobs turned to hoarse little moans.
When I finally came, it was with my teeth buried in her shoulder and her name torn from my throat, raw and guttural.
“You look so pretty, plugged with my cock and filled with my cum.”
She was nothing but trembling limbs and soft whimpers, her reflection wrecked. Bruises bloomed on her hips, my handprints painting her ass, my marks everywhere.
If anyone looked at her tomorrow, they’d know. Ella wasmyfucking girl.
My hands never left her, but they weren’t urgent anymore. They were steady, protective. Finally allowed to exist without panic or fear.
After we’d cleaned up and slid into bed, she snuggled against my side, burrowing her face in my neck. Her chest rose and fell against mine, soft and steady, and for the first time in years, I felt the weight in my chest loosen.
The pressure wasn’t gone, and maybe it would never be completely, but … it was manageable. Because she was here, because she knew me,all of me.
“You’re insane,” she murmured, a sleepy grin tugging at her lips.
“I know,” I muttered against her skin, a stray piece of hair tickling my skin. “But only for you.”
She laughed softly, a sound somehow making every scar inside me ache in the best way. Her fingers traced idle patterns along my arm, and I memorized every curve and line of her, every minuscule detail.
No one else mattered. Not the world outside, not the expectations, the chaos, the past. Right here, right now, it was just us.
I pulled her closer, tightening my arm around her shoulders and curling my fingers possessively into her sleeve.Mine. She would always be mine.
I allowed myself to believe that maybe this was the life I could have after all. It wouldn’t be perfect or easy. But it would beours.
The night stretched on, but I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. With her by my side, I knew I could face anything.
Forty
Hunter
I didn’t go to sleep.
Ella burrowed into me, weighed down by exhaustion, her warm breath ghosting over my bare skin. She fell asleep in minutes, as if her body had finally surrendered to the day.
I watched her long enough to be certain she wouldn’t stir when I moved.
She looked so peaceful, and for a moment, I hated the thought of leaving her side. But there were debts to collect, and I wasn’t the kind of man who let the balance go unpaid.
When I slid free, the mattress dipped, but she didn’t wake. I took the steps slowly, the silence stretching between each one until I stepped outside into the crisp night air.
Peace stayed behind with her. There was only unfinished business out here, and I was done waiting to settle it.
The drive was short, and Carver’s truck sat crooked in the driveway as I strode up to his front door. When he opened the door, his body went rigid and his eyes darted around like he was looking for an escape route.
“What the … who the fuck are you?” he barked. Fear and aggression oozed from his every pore.
Without a word, I shoved him back and stepped inside.
“Motherfucker, what do you think you’re doing?!” he sputtered, but I could feel the tension radiating off him.
