Knox moved up my body, slid the tip of his cock along my slit, and thrust in hard, burying himself to the hilt in one brutal stroke. I screamed behind the gag, so overwhelmed by the sudden fullness I could barely even think. His thick length stretched me wide, pain colliding with pleasure as he began fucking me hard. Knox’s hands curled around my thighs, slamming into me again and again with such brutal force that my body slid farther back on the mattress with every thrust.
“Feel that, Hallie?” His fingertips pressed hard into my thighs, digging deep into my skin as he drove into me with punishing force. “That’s what happens when a stupid little slut lets her guard down. Your tight cunt’s never going to forget who owns it now.”
I tried to respond, but it triggered my gag reflex. I coughed on the ball, my eyes filling with tears again. “Mmmph,” was the only sound that came out.
Every time he thrusted, the butt plug pushed deep into my ass, the double penetration making my whole body shake and tremble. The line between pain and pleasure blurred.
After a few more aggressive thrusts, he slowed down and reached behind my head to yank the ball gag free. It popped out with a wet sound, strings of drool connecting it to my lips. I sucked in a ragged breath, ready to scream, but he crashed his mouth over mine before the sound could escape.
His kiss was brutal at first, his lips and tongue claiming every inch of my mouth like he owned it. I kissed him back desperately, thinking maybe if I gave him this, if I let him lose himself in my mouth, he’d finish quickly and this would end. But he slowed down even more, his grinding thrusts becoming more deliberate as he kissed me slow. I parted my lips more for him, tasting the cinnamon on his tongue as it stroked mine. One hand cradled the back of my head, his fingers threading through my hair almost tenderly.
It was like kissing me had turned him into someone else.
He pulled back and his body went still as he tugged the blindfold up over my head. Light flooded in and Knox’s face filled my vision. How could a man with eyes like this turn so cold and cruel at the flip of a switch? How much of what he said was even real?
Knox fucked me slowly now, every thrust making my toes curl. He buried his face against my neck, his hair sticking to my tear-soaked cheeks. And then, remembering I was no longer gagged, I whispered, “Look at me. Please.”
He hesitated for a second. This wasn’t my role. I was the one strapped to the bed—I was in no position to make commands, no matter how polite.
But he lifted his head, bracing his forearms on either side of me. I could see a crack in the mask he’d been wearing all along—a hint of vulnerability in his eyes as he rolled his hips against mine. I lifted my head from the mattress to kiss him again, closing my eyes as he pressed his lips to mine. I opened my mouth wide for him, allowing him to pinmy tongue down with his. Every time I let out a breathless sigh into his mouth, he responded with a primal grunt that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his throat.
“Fuck,” Knox said, tugging away. He pulled out of me so abruptly, the emptiness made me whimper. With his eyes clenched tight, he pressed his forehead to mine, breathing hard against my cheek. “Fuck, fuck, fuck—red.”
Wait a second.
Had I heard him right? I held my breath, waiting for him to take it back or make it clear he’d meant to say something else.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a shaky voice, still refusing to open his eyes. “Y-you were right. I c—”
His eyes fluttered open, and he swallowed, taking in the sight of my face close to his.
“I care about you too much.” His voice cracked. “You make me lose control in a complete opposite way of how this is supposed to go.”
I lowered my chin, trying to get a better look at his eyes. His bedroom was dark, but I could still make out the little flecks of golden brown in his irises. “Do you love me, Knox?” I asked, my small voice getting lost in that room.
His brows furrowed, and I already knew the answer. He reached up to cup my cheek in his hand, his thumb stroking the tear tracks. “Yes. Yes, Hallie, I love you. I love you,andI want to hurt you, which is why you’d be smart to stay far, far away from me—because I’m fucked up beyond fixing. No amount of psychotherapy can cure this sickness. I’ll never stop obsessing over you in a disgusting and dangerously unhealthy way. You should run from me.”
I cleared my throat, shifting beneath the weight of his solid body. I replayed every last word in my head, realizing he hadn’t really admitted anything to me I didn’t already know. The depth of his obsessionwas still a mystery—there were things he knew about me I couldn’t explain. And maybe one day he’d be truthful with me if I asked him, especially if we both admitted that our true desires weren’t just some temporary game.
You should run from me.
I tucked my hair behind one ear. “Will you please undo my restraints?”
He hesitated, searching my face like he was afraid of what he’d find. Slowly, he reached up and unbuckled the cuffs on my wrists, and then my ankles. The straps fell away and I sat up, rubbing my sore wrists.
Knox knelt beside me on the mattress with his head bowed and his eyes closed. Naked. Half-erect. Ashamed. And maybe even a little broken.
I bit my bottom lip to suppress a smile, knowing I could be the one to fix him.
Leaning forward, I braced my hands on both of his shoulders before bringing my mouth to his ear. “If you catch me,” I whispered, “you can fuck me.”
Then I pushed off the bed and ran through his dark apartment.
Fifteen
Knox
I watched in aweas the bedroom door swung open behind Hallie, banging against the wall. Her naked body disappeared somewhere in my dark living room. I stared at the empty doorway for a few seconds, wondering how the fuck I got here.
