I take the stairs two at a time, and stop at the top. Liquor bottles and beer cans litter the floor and bed. He’s lying on it, dressed in the same clothes from yesterday. Passed out on his stomach, he has his hands above his head. The pillows cover the floor along with the sheet and comforter.
“Cole?” I ask, placing my hand on his arm.
He doesn’t budge.
“Cole?” I say a little louder.
He growls.
“Cole!” I snap, shoving his arm.
He rolls over onto his back and opens his eyes. They’re bloodshot and land on mine. I tense. I’ve never seen them look so cold. So void. “Are you okay?” I ask softly.
He blinks a couple of times as if he’s seeing two of me. Then he slowly sits up.
“Leave,” he orders roughly.
“Cole what’s going on?”
“Leave, Austin,” he snaps.
“No, Cole! What the fuck are you doing here? Drunk of all things?”
He grabs my arm and yanks me down onto the bed. He buries his head into my neck. “Cole …”
I try to shove him off, but his hands grip my wrists and he pins them down effortlessly. I start panting.
“Fuck, sweetheart.” He straddles my hips. “You smell so Goddamn good. Did you come to cheer me up?” he whispers.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, ignoring him.
“Did you come for me to break you?” His nose traces my jawline. “Because that’s what I need, Austin. I need to break. Destroy. God, I want to wrap my hand around your delicate throat and squeeze while I fuck you.” His body pins me to the bed, and I feel how hard he is.
I take a calming breath, trying to slow my racing heart.
He kisses up my neck gently to my ear, and my skin breaks out in goosebumps. “I wanna see tears run down your gorgeous face with your mouth open in a silent scream. Begging me to stop. Begging me for air. So I’m gonna ask you again. Did you come to cheer me up?”
He pulls back and looks down at me, and I swallow at the look of nothingness in his eyes. I have no clue what happened or why he needs to break me once again, but I want to give it to him. I hate how much I want to give him what he wants. But I can’t deny that it sounds like exactly what I need too. “Yeah, Cole,” I say softly. “I came to cheer you up. Now, I dare you to do your worst.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
COLE
I sit up in bed while Austin lies passed out next to me. It’s a little after eight at night, and she fell asleep hours ago. I used her. I fucking took and took from her like she was a lifeline.
I had reverted to my old self. How I was before I ran into her in that cemetery. Deke was right—she had changed me—but I found my way back to the real Cole.
The heartless bastard who feeds off violence. I choked her. I ripped hair out. I fucking marked her with my hands and my mouth. She cried big, beautiful tears as she stared up at me while my hand was wrapped around her throat. And her body shook from the orgasms I gave her. She never broke like I wanted her to. She didn’t beg when I held her wrists above her head. Or when I flipped her over and buried her face into the bed. At one point, I had her bent over the railing with my hand fisting her hair. She let me use her however I wanted.
And I fucking loved that she was so strong. That she can take my demons.
I get out of bed and pull on my jeans before walking into the bathroom. I splash cold water on my face. Looking up at myself in the mirror, I watch as the water runs down my face and splashes on the countertop. Gripping the edge, I bow my head. I have a fucking migraine, but I know that’s from the alcohol I’ve consumed over the past twenty-four hours.
I hear the door open to the clubhouse downstairs, and I grind my teeth. I’m in no mood to put up with bullshit. All I want to do is crawl back into bed with Austin and wake her up with my hand around her throat again.
“No, Deke.” I hear Becky’s voice.
I walk out of the bathroom and go to the stairs.
Becky stands downstairs, her hands out wide. “What the hell happened?” she demands.
He says nothing even though he knows. He was here along with the rest of the guys to witness my destruction last night.
I start to walk down to them. “Why are you here?” I demand.
Becky spins around to face me, and her eyes narrow on me as I come to the bottom step.
Deke sighs. “Sorry, man. She wanted …”