He grabs my hips and fucks me harder.
“Please, Irvin.”
“Please what, baby?”
“Don’t stop.”
He bares his teeth. “Answer the question, my princess.”
“Why are you asking me absurd questions?”
“I want you to realize you’re mine.” Each thrust punctuates his words. “Fuck, Lilac. I missed you today.”
“Irvin…”
“Answer me.”
I exhale. “I think I’d be fine without you.”
He lifts me off him and tosses me onto the bed. He leans down and kisses my foot.
“I think you’re full of shit. You care; you just don’t want to admit it.”
Do I? Earlier this year, I couldn’t wait to escape him. Now… the thought of him being gone aches deep in my chest.
Is this one of his tests?
He kisses me slowly, trails his mouth down my neck, and fucks me again—slow, deliberate. He bites my neck.
“You can’t escape me, babe. Answer honestly.”
I’ll give him half-truths.
“I’ll admit there’s something between us,” I say breathlessly. “And I’d be mildly upset if someone tried to take me away from you.”
His grin is sharp, Cheshire-cat wide. He pulls my hair gently, thrusts once more, then pulls out and comes across my stomach.
Afterward, he’s gentle. Too gentle.
That smile tells me everything. He knows I’m lying.
He leaves and returns with a towel, wiping me clean. Then he settles behind me, positioning me so I’m straddling him. He vapes, eyes locked on mine, as if he can see straight through me. A shiver climbs my spine.
“You wouldn’t like someone taking you away from me,” he says.
I nod, face neutral.
“You think you can control your emotions about me?”
“I can’t control my emotions,” I say carefully. “But I can control how I respond to them.”
“Interesting…”
Silence stretches. He wants me to fill it. I don’t.
“Have you ever craved anything?” he asks.
“Like food?”
