Beautiful Monster (Dark Lies Duet 2)

“Yes,” she huffs out, her body trembling in fear.

Running the back of my hand along her collarbone, I move her hair out of her face. I need to look at her, to see the fear etched into her features. Still, she tries to get away, but I hook my palm at her nape and force her to me.

Siân struggles to keep from meeting my gaze while pushing at my chest to create even the smallest amount of distance between us. I yank her forward, dragging her back over to the bed despite how difficult she’s making this. Siân falls only for me to snatch her up, then claws at my wrist until she breaks the skin. There’s a sting when the air hits the newly opened wound, but I push it to the back of my mind.

“No, Christian. No. Please, I won’t try to run again.”

I tilt my head, a soft chuckle bubbling in my throat. “Now see, I don’t believe you. You promised me you’d behave, and already you’re lying to me.”

“All you’ve done is lie,” she points out.

I halt and snap my gaze to her while aggressively pulling her to me. “Wrong. You just didn’t pay attention.”

Siân continues to hold on to my wrist, but it does nothing to alleviate the hold I have on her neck. Tears brim her eyes, and her chest falls in sharp waves as she tries to keep it all together. I survey her face, letting my eyes roam her features, just hoping for a glimpse of fear. My silence makes her uncomfortable, and I can feel the tension building in her body. And then I see it, the consternation she’s fighting so desperately to keep at bay.

Her efforts are useless—pointless because, in the end, I will always get what I want. Until she accepts me for what this is—accepts herself for who she is, I will always hold this level of power or control. I get that she sees me as a monster, and so fucking be it. It’s a hat I wear proudly. But until she opens those beautiful eyes of hers and sees that we aren’t that different. She was born to live at my side through the blood, the pain, and carnage.

“What do you want from me?” she asks as warm tears trail her cheeks.

“Just what you’re giving me, topolina. You. Your tears—”

“And my fear, right? That’s what you said.”

“Right now, I want your cries,” I admit and return to coaxing her over to the mattress.

Her flight or fight instincts kick in, and she swings at me, landing a blow to the side of my head. I stop, my jaw clenched, but she ceases hitting me. From my peripherals, I can see the panic seeping from her. The painful anticipation as to how I will react is almost crippling for her. Her knees give out, but I keep her upright.

“What are you going to do?” she screeches.

“Teach you a fucking lesson.” I toss her over to the bed, and she catches herself with her hands bunched into the comforter. Quickly I’m behind her, and in an instant, I slip my fingers into the waistband of her sleeping pants and yank them down until her tight ass is staring back at me. Blemish-free olive skin is just waiting for me to mark. My cock twitches at the sight of her naked flesh, and it takes everything in me not to take her cunt right now.

“Christian, no, please.” She squirms to get free.

Gripping her hair, I tilt her head back and hover over her, my already hard dick nestling against her ass through my pants.

“Run again, and I’ll break you. I’ve told you not to test me and to behave, yet not even twenty-four hours into this new life together, you’re disobeying me. That’s a problem, so now I’m going to punish you.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t act up agai—”

Her words fall short when I land a slap on her ass, the sound of my palm against her skin echoing through the otherwise empty room. The hit stings me just as much as it does her. Siân flinches, her cry muffling out as she buries her face into the blanket.

Smack.

I slap her ass again, this time rubbing away the handprint I’ve left behind. She fists the sheets, and her breathing grows erratic. I spank her some more, and with each hit, she whimpers. From this angle, I see her biting down on the comfortable.

“Mm,” she moans, although it is barely audible thanks to the mouthful of fabric.

Fuck, I think to myself. Seeing her like this, her ass exposed for me, my mark on her skin, and the moans she’s fighting to hold back are enough to drive me wild. But I contain myself, ignoring my raging erection. I have one goal today, and that’s to show her what happens when she tries to run, to teach her that her actions have consequences.