I can’t let her see this, how my heart is cracking open for her. This weakness.
This isn’t the time.
“Mmm,” Skylar mumbles something that sounds a lot like please.
She wiggles in my arms, desperate to free herself. Maybe fight me.
This little bird, I could crush her with how turned on I am.
“Mmm. Mmm.”
I’d free her mouth. Make this whole scene believable by letting them hear her shouting in fear. But fuck, I love the feel of her lips on me.
My muscles are wound tight, ready to wreck her. My head’s a mess of crackling noise and her name.
I thought I could wait. Thought I could put off touching her the way I need to, keep myself in check until we’re in my basement.
I thought wrong.
Watching her had already torn me open, turned me inside out.
Holding her shatters whatever restraint I had left.
I’m aching. Raging.
Losing my fucking mind.
“Son, good job catching that one,” Papa shouts from downstairs. “Now, you comin’ or what?”
Jett laughs, then laughs harder when Easton screams,Help. “Oh, rich boy, you need me to help you?”
“No!” he shouts.
Skylar’s wide, watery eyes turn toward me, panicked. Pleading.
I see my reflection in them. The monster.
I love how she tries to make sense of me, of this entire situation. Sweet thing, blinking back her tears, squinting, her eyes boring into mine.
Later, she can study me all she wants. I’ll welcome every probing gaze, every question she shoots my way.
Until we’re alone, the only thing she needs is to stay obedient.
“Mine.” I inch my face closer to hers. To smell her. To scare her.
Most of all, unless she’s screaming in pain, she has to stay quiet. Asking questions will make it seem like she isn’t scared of me. Like I’m being nice to her. Alarms will blare downstairs, and soon enough, everyone will come up here.
“Not theirs, not anyone’s,” I growl. “So you better not try to run, understand?”
She blinks once.
“Good call.” Without letting go of her, I lift my head and yell, “I’ll be down soon. Gotta discipline her first.”
“Here?” Jett’s footsteps grow louder on the ancient floorboards, closer to us now. “You forgot the way to your place or something, Brother?”
“Can’t have her like that in my basement, all rowdy and shit,” I say, making sure they don’t hear the need clogging my throat. There’s so much of it. I have to make her come. I don’t know why. I just do. “She’ll mess everything up. I won’t have it.”
“Good idea,” Papa agrees.
