Page 94 of Drown Like Heaven
I shifted my position to cradle the side of her face with my palm. Her eyelashes were fluttering slightly, brushing her cheeks, her brows furrowed. Every tiny shift in her expression dug her deeper into my chest. It looked like she might’ve been crying earlier and I hated it.
“Mason,” she whimpered. “Don’t do this to me.”
“I have to. I have to do it.” I moved my head lower, running my lips over hers.You can’t leave me.She was so soft, like flower petals. “You’re mine.”
“I’m nobody’s.”
I sank my teeth into her plush lower lip, biting like I was trying to draw blood. Maybe I wanted to. Maybe I wanted to fucking destroy her, mess her up so bad she’d never be able to get away from me. We’d be tangled; viciously, painfully intertwined. She’d probably hate me then, but as long as she washere, I didn’t care.
Dakota whined when I finally released her lip from between my teeth.
“You know that’s not true.” I put my palm on the front of her throat, curling my fingers around her neck. Her pulse was so quick.Do I make you nervous? Do you like it?“Did you pack a bag?”
“Why do you want me to pack a bag?” she asked, her tongue darting out onto her pink lower lip to soothe the sting of my bite.
“Because I’m bringing you to my apartment for tonight.”
She was shaking her head before I’d even finished speaking. My fingers squeezed on her throat, pressing against her delicate skin.
“I’m a mess,” she whispered, almost like she was scared to admit it. Her voice tripped a little on the words.
“Ilikemessy,” I whispered back, feeling her heartbeat thrumming under the pad of my thumb, like a butterfly’s wings. “You know I’d do anything for you?”
“Even let me go?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not that. Go pack a bag.”
“I hate you,” she said through her teeth, her sadness paving the way for her anger. “You want to ruin me, to take over mywhole life, and you don’t seem to care what I want. You justtake.”
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t, but it felt like the right thing to say.
“Get off of me.”
“Will you pack?” I shifted my thumb to press on her jaw, to angle her head towards mine.
Even in the darkness, I could see the glisten of vulnerability in her eyes. She wanted to hide it, to toughen herself against me, but I knew it was a lie. Some part of her, some deeply buried and broken part, wanted this.Neededthis.
Does it feel good, being held down and forced to take it?
She finally nodded.
I rolled off her and she sprung up to her feet, darting down the hall to her bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. Rustling sounds were coming through the thin walls after a minute, and I assumed that was her gathering clothes or something.Good girl.
Flicking on the overhead light in her kitchen, I surveyed the damage she’d done to me with the knife.
The gash on my palm and fingers was deep, but already healing. Golden-streaked blood had dripped all up my forearm, and was smeared on my abs from when I’d wiped my hand off. I spotted the knife on the floor, noticing the golden glint there too.
If she kept using that knife on me, she’d eventually figure it out.
I turned the knob for the kitchen sink, rinsing my hand and wrist before grabbing a paper towel to wipe off my stomach. I washed the knife too, then flipped it shut and slipped it in my pocket.
Chapter 24
Dakota
My mind was a hurricane, my heart slamming wildly in my chest as I stumbled around my bedroom, trying to shove things in a bag, swiping tears from my eyes before they could fall. Mason was justso much, all the fucking time.
He was drowning me—but at least he was holding me.
