“You didn’t choose me,” he insists and I start to respond, but he continues. “Choose me now, and kneel.”
My pulse quickens at the look in his eyes. I’ve seen it before, so many times. And I’m grateful for the change. Hopeful to reach the man I love through this veil of hate.
I look him in the eyes as I obey him. The blood that rushes through my veins heats with desire. There wasn’t a single part of me that hesitated.
He crouches in front of me, bringing him to eye level, and my gaze stays pinned to his. The depths of his dark irises ignite with power, with a primal need.
Take from me, Carter. Take what you need and what’s left of me will still love you.
Spearing his fingers through my hair, he makes a fist and forces my head to tilt. My breath hitches with the sudden grip, and my body bows to his. There’s barely a hint of pain; it’s merely him taking control as he crashes his lips to mine. My hands reach up instinctively, bracing either side of his jaw as he ravages me.
The kiss is everything. It’s warmth. It’s home. It’s a touch that awakens the pieces of me that have been silent and waiting for him to come back. I moan into his kiss, wishing I wasn’t in this position so I could lean into his hold, so I could take more of him and show him how desperate I am for us to go back to what we were.
But there’s no way we could ever go back.
You can never go back.
My lips feel swollen and bruised by the time he releases me, slowly loosening his grip. My chest heaves for air, and I love it. When I peek up at him, my vision hazy with lust, I see his eyes closed and his own lips parted as he takes in a steadying breath, then opens his eyes to pin me in place.
The gaze of a hunter, a predator even, stills my beating heart.
In the pale light of the early morning trickling through his curtains, the soft shadows line his jaw and make him look even more domineering.
He stands slowly, leaving me where I am and I can see his thick length as he does, pressing against his pants.
He paces in front of me, deliberating on what to do next, and I’m eager to find out.
“You’ll pay for what you did.”
“What I did?” The question is spoken with confusion. I have to blink away the desire as fear creeps in.
“Raising a gun to me. Standing in opposition to me.” He doesn’t hold any anger in his words. Only truth and certainty.
“I thought I already did.” My voice is choked as I gasp out the words.
“You lost my trust.”
I can only nod, not trusting myself to speak. I think about everything he’s done to me since the first night I laid eyes on him. How he’s deprived me, lied to me, locked me away and punished me with both pleasure and pain.
“Holding grudges hardens the heart,” I murmur to myself, but my words are for him as well.
“I don’t have a heart, songbird.” His response is quick, but so is mine.
“I don’t like it when you lie to me.”
It’s quiet for a moment. Carter’s mind is made up for tonight. But we have time. I don’t know how much, but there’s always hope. And I know my soul speaks to his. My soul is desperate to stay with his. It’s the only truth that matters. I need him.
“If you’re staying in my bed tonight, you’re going to have to satisfy me.” As Carter speaks, my gaze is drawn to his strong jaw and then to his throat. I watch as his chest rises and falls and he stands in front of me, unbuckling his belt. The sound of the leather hissing in the air as it’s pulled through the loops makes my pussy heat and clench.
“I’m staying with you,” I tell him with a mix of defiance and the greedy need to be taken by him. I can’t help but think he just needs to be touched. To be loved. To be given free reign over me and to feel how much I need him. This is what we need.
He doesn’t speak as he unzips his pants and then lets them fall to the floor with a soft thud.
His cock bobs in front of me, swollen and each vein protruding. I can practically feel his thickness pulsing inside of me already. He may need this, but I know I need it too. I need to be loved. Loved for the person I am, by this man and this man alone.
“Lie on the bed on your belly,” he commands me and I’m eager to move.
I want to make this right between us however I can.