Page 127 of Vicious Kingdom

“Which one is it?” I demanded. “Because that’s not good enough.”

She faltered. “You didn’t figure it out?”

“It has to be someone at the house that day.” I let out a strangled roar. “Dio! I should have been there. I should have protected you.”

“But you’re healing me, can’t you see that?” she whispered.

But she couldn’t see me. I craved blood. Carnage!Revenge.

I turned on my heel and marched upstairs. A cold shower, time to cool down, and then maybe we could patch up the rest of the evening.

No sooner did the pelting drops of cold water fall on my face than the door flew open. Annaliese strode to the shower and yanked the glass open.

“We’re not done talking, Leo.”

“Yes.” I gripped her hand and gave her a tug. “We are.”

The beast was loose, and he needed satisfaction. He took it in the form of a bruising kiss.

Annaliese struggled in my arms, but I held her gently in place, remembering her bruised body. The kiss cut off her oxygen, leaving her gasping.

“Fuck you,” she hissed and launched herself on me again.

It was a tangle of arms and legs. Her clothes fell to the shower floor as we struggled to move closer.

Somehow, through the chaos, I managed to turn the water warm. Lifting her in my arms, I pinned her against the shower wall. One hard thrust, and we groaned.

She cried out, her nails digging into my shoulders as I buried myself to the hilt. The hot water cascaded over us, steam rising around our bodies like a carnal fog. I gave her no time to adjust, pulling back only to slam forward again with punishing force.

“Is this what you want?” I growled against her ear. “To be fucked until you forget everything but my name?”

“Yes,” she gasped, head falling back against the tile. “Good lord, yes.”

I gripped her thighs harder, spreading her wider as I drove into her relentlessly. Each thrust pushed her up the wall only for gravity to pull her back down onto my cock. The wet slap of skin against skin echoed through the bathroom, punctuated by her desperate moans.

“Look at me,” I commanded, slowing my pace to a torturous level. “You make me crazy, cara mia.”

I withdrew almost completely before slamming back in, cutting off her protests and making her whole body jolt with the impact. Her legs tightened around my waist, heels digging into my lower back as she urged me deeper. I was mindful of her bruises, placing my hands carefully to avoid causing pain, but there was nothing gentle about the way I pounded into her.

Water streamed down her face, plastering her hair to her scalp as she writhed against me. Her eyes locked with mine, pupils blown wide with desire, a silent challenge in their depths.

“You think this makes you right?” she panted, voice breaking as I hit that perfect spot inside her.

“No,” I growled, adjusting my angle to strike that same spot again. “This makes us even.”

She cried out, her inner walls clenching around me. “Not even close, Baldwin.”

Her defiance only fueled me. I captured her mouth in another searing kiss, stealing her breath as I maintained my punishing rhythm. The shower's steam enveloped us in our own private world, where nothing existed beyond this primal connection.

“Tell me who hurt you,” I demanded against her lips.

“Drop it,” she challenged, eyes flashing with stubborn fire even as pleasure made her gasp.

Something primal roared to life inside me at her words. I captured her mouth in another bruising kiss, swallowing her cries as I resumed my relentless pace. The shower’s steam enveloped us like a cocoon, sealing us away from the world and its complications.

I felt her body tensing, trembling on the precipice of release. Her defiance only drove me deeper, harder, my need to claim her overwhelming every rational thought.

“Tell me,” I growled again, slowing my thrusts to an agonizing pace that had her whimpering.