She slapped my back and twisted her neck, “Get off.”
Not a fucking chance. I was just getting started, and I needed more. But every time I tried to slip my tongue in her mouth, my stubborn Little Bird clamped her lips shut. I would not be denied.
Yanking on her hair, I deepened the kiss and growled, “Open your fucking mouth.”
I needed to taste her anger.
Marnie’s jaw clenched as she tightened the seal on her lips. The only thing defiance would get her was a sore ass after I threw her over my knee. Her pain and fear were mine to feast on.
I let go of her hair, grabbed her chin, and dug my fingers in to pry her jaw open.
The instant my tongue dipped into her hot little mouth, I knew I was fucked. I’d never get enough of her sweet flavor. The hint of copper lingering from that asshole that dared to touch her only added to it. Fuck me. I wanted to slit someone else’s throat just so I could lick the blood off her.
That would have to wait for another day. I had other things to do. Like, contain the hands clawing me. I felt that last rake of her nails down my arm.
Begrudgingly, I released her jaw and lifted off of her to pull away. Until Marnie’s hand slapped down my ass and stilled, her palm was right over my pocket knife. I wasn’t lying when I told her I had one.
“Go on,” I coaxed. “Take it.”
I could feel her hand twitching as her eyes snapped up to mine. But she didn’t trust me.
Smart girl.
“What are you waiting for, Little Bird? Your salvation is right there.”
All she had to do was reach out and take it. It wouldn’t get her anywhere, but I was game to let her try.
“I don’t believe in salvation,” she hissed back at me.
Kind of ironic coming from a preacher’s daughter, but I got it. However, I was curious about when exactly she decided to give up on her faith. Was it the first whipping or one of the many after? Maybe it was when her sister started acting differently, which, according to Marnie’s diary, was around the age of thirteen. Apparently, the good pastor had a thing for teenagers. Wonder if Shelby ever told Logan about the last night she spent at the Dupire household.
“Don’t say that.” I pushed myself up on my hands so I could slide my eyes over the top of her breasts. “Maybe God will hear you this time.”
I should’ve taken her bra off.
“There is no God.”
That one she got wrong. “I am your God.”
I watched her jaw clench and smiled inside when her hand darted into my pocket.
So easy to bait. That was the thing about temptation. It was predictable. What wasn’t predictable was what Marnie did with my knife. I thought she’d fumble around trying to open the locked blade, and then I’d take it from her like a petulant child.
That was not what happened.
Marnie didn’t even look at the weapon before cracking it off the side of my head.
“Goddamnit.” Fuck me, that shit hurt.
It’d been a long time since someone hit me hard enough to see stars. It was also kind of hot. If Marnie kept this shit up, gentle was the last thing she was going to get.
“Give me that.”
I reached out for her hand, but she threw it back, then twisted to the side and thrust her hips up, knocking me off balance for half a second.
“You’re starting to piss me off,” I warned.
That didn’t stop her. If anything, Marnie amped up her struggle. Ever tried to hold onto a wriggly worm when your head was ringing? It didn’t work so well.
