Markus’s eyes immediately lower to my body, my nipples are hard like small diamonds, but it’s not because I’m turned on. I’m freezing. Markus can’t seem to differentiate that thought because his gaze turns heated a moment later.
“I think I like you like this. Naked and helpless. Besides, it wouldn’t be a punishment if you were comfortable. How are you going to learn your lesson if I baby you?”
“I’m going to freeze to death,” I point out, hoping he’ll go for that.
“You won’t. It’s not that cold down there. Just enough to keep you uncomfortable. The only way you can earn clothes back is if you tell me what you were planning on doing?”
“I told you. I was just going to call my parents—”
“Liar!” He grabs my arm roughly.
He drags me back to the cell. My much shorter legs can barely keep up with his large strides, and I almost trip twice. Each time, he pulls me back up by my arm like a rag doll.
By the time we are back in the cell, my chest is heaving, and panic grabs me once more, but this time it’s not because Markus is here; it’s the fear of him leaving again. I’m lonely, so incredibly lonely.
Shoving me back in the room, he turns to leave, and I grab his arm and make a pathetic attempt to pull him back. “Please, don’t go.”
It’s a feeble attempt, and I think the only reason he stops walking out is because he is so surprised by my begging.
That makes two of us.
But every time I think about him leaving, my pride goes out the window. I’m so fucking desperate for him not to leave. Desperate for his touch, his company. I’ve grown accustomed to him, and now he’s gone. It’s just me and the cold now, and I hate it.
“Please, just stay here with me. Just for a little while.”
“Whatever game you are playing, you’re not going to win,” he half growls, half slurs.
“No game. I just don’t want to be alone anymore. Please.”
He shakes his head, but his body is leaning closer as if it has already made up its mind. He pulls his arm from my hold, and I immediately miss the contact. I step closer once more, reaching out for him, but he shoves me away like I’m nothing more than an annoying bug.
Stumbling backward, I crash into the wall, scuffing my shoulder against the brick wall. Even with the tears in my eyes, I can see the conflict in his eyes. He is one second away from staying, from rushing toward me, and checking my shoulder is okay.
“Please…” I beg one final time, and I see the resolve crumbling in his eyes. Those crumbles fall away completely when his eyes zoom in on my shoulder, where I now feel something trickle down.
I tilt my head down to look at my skin to find it cut open and bleeding. I don’t even feel the pain that should accompany the wound.
What I do feel is Markus moving around in the cell, heading straight for me.
When I look up again, he is right in front of me, his fingers wrap around my arm once more, but this time his touch is gentler, kinder as he inspects the wound.
“It’s nothing…” I tell him, and he must agree because he looks away from the wound and into my eyes. With a deep groan, he flops down onto the unforgiving ground, taking me down with him. I don’t object or fight him at all.
Quite the opposite, actually. As soon as he is sitting on the floor with his back resting against the wall, I curl up in his lap like a fucking cat. It’s sickening how drawn to him I am like a moth to a flame, like an addict to their drug of choice.
I might be able to chalk it up to the lack of human contact and my body being in a constant state of cold, but deep down, I know it’s more than that.
He wraps his arms around me, and I sigh at the warmth. It feels like he’s giving me a hug. I cuddle into him, unable to get close enough. I’ve never craved anything so much in my life as I’m craving Markus right now.
I don’t want an inch of space between us. I want to be engulfed by his body, by his warmth, and his strength. I want him to surround me in every way, and for once, I don’t care about the consequences. I don’t care about what may happen tomorrow. All I care about is the now and him being here with me.The next time I wake up, that imaginary safety I was feeling when Markus was holding me is gone, and so is his warmth. I blink my eyes open, and I’m greeted with the familiar gray brick of my cell. The only difference is, I’m not shivering like normal. It takes me a moment to gather my wits and realize a large, heavy sweater is draped over my naked body.