The second was the redness in his cheek as the remnants of my blow could still be seen. Was this when he would get payback for that? Fear filled my blood, replacing the adrenaline that had been flowing through them only moments earlier. A shiver raced down my spine as his lip quirked upward into a smirk at my terrified expression.
“Going somewhere?” he asked quizzically.
A sob escaped. “Please just let me go.”
“You and I both know that I can’t do that. And, that Iwon’tdo that.”
“I hate you,” I lied because I knew he was right. His intentions had always been clear since night one, yet I’d been the one stupid enough to believe that falling in love with him would’ve altered his plans in some way. “I fucking hate you,” I repeated in a lie.
Although my voice had weakened, I found some buried strength and tried to push him off, and when unsuccessful, even budging the brick wall of muscle that was Zarren Brannington, I tried to strike him again. This time, he anticipated my action, and it took him no time to restrain both of my hands above my head.
Now, my chest was heaving heavily as I struggled to breathe. The adrenaline from earlier returned with a vengeance, and I savored every ounce of it, knowing there’d be one hell of a crash to deal with soon. I refused to cower to him.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I asked again, seeing as he did not respond to my question earlier.
“Because you try my goddamn patience like you are right now.”
“Coward,” I seethed, and the unchanging hollowness in his eyes only angered me more. I tried bucking him off me, but his hold was too great, and his frame too heavy to move.
“I’m a coward because I hate you?” he asked me.
“No, because you really don’t hate me at all, do you? And that makes you even more of one because you won’t fight for what you want.”
“And you think I want you?”
Realization dawned on me that he’d never once even suggested that he had feelings for me. There’d been moments—glimpses of time—but nothing I hadn’t assumed. He’d never once made me believe he felt anything more than lust. Even now, his cock was like a hard rod of steel pressing against me. Arousal didn’t equate to love.
“You do,” I responded softly, more trying to convince myself than him.
His smirk widened. “And that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t want you. I never have.” I gasped, but he kept talking. “I sure as fuck need you, though... I crave you... I’m abso-fucking-lutely consumed by you... And I hate you for it. I hate my uncles for bringing you into my life. And most of all, I hate myself because you’re right. As much as I should and need to hate you, I don’t at all.”
My shocked cry was quickly swallowed by his mouth as his crashed down onto mine. Zarren tightened his grip on my wrists, then started to tug my shirt upward, only stopping once it had cleared my breasts.
My bra was one with a front clasp, and it took him no time at all to undo it, then squeeze one of my freed breasts with his large hand. Zarren flicked his finger roughly over the nipple until it hardened, and the other tightened painfully without so much as a touch.
The kiss went on, as did his exploration of my body. After copping his feel of my breasts, the same hand slipped between my thighs and rubbed me through my pants. Normally, I would’ve been embarrassed by how wet I was, but there’d never been a time around him that I wasn’t. Even when he infuriated me... scared me... teased me... All those emotions would coalesce into something I couldn’t fight.
His groans of approval were felt through the kiss. Something flared inside me at knowing I was pleasing him, even though his opinion should be the last thing I cared about. But I did. And I wanted more. Needed more.
My tongue began to move against his, wrapping around it as I sucked it deeper into my mouth. Again, he groaned, and the sound made my pussy weep. I became so lost in the need to please him that I hadn’t even realized he’d lowered my pants down past my knees. A hard slap to my inner thigh had me wriggling out of them. Once they were at my feet, I kicked off my shoes, then the pants. When naked from the waist down, he tore his mouth from mine and lifted me effortlessly off my feet.
“This pussy,” he rasped before landing a hard blow on it, “ ismine. You’ll never take from me what ismine, Bellezza. Do you understand me?”
The very word he wanted to hear lingered on my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to give it to him. Zarren narrowed his eyes at my non-response, then quickly pulled my T-shirt and bra off before tossing them to the floor with my other clothing.
“One of these days, you’ll give me what I want,” he said to me.
“Never,” I seethed, but there was no conviction behind that word. The truth was that he owned me, whether willingly or not, and there was little I could do about it.
“Never is a very final word, and it’s not one you’d be wise to use,” he reminded me before moving away from the wall. Ihad no idea where he planned to bring me until my back hit something long and cold.
Once I was on the table, Zarren thrust into me, cutting off any response I might have had to him.Fuck!The way his cock always split me open nearly made me see stars each time. Not only thick and long, but each metal ring of his pierced shaft scraped against my inner walls, drawing even more pleasure from something I should’ve loathed.
Against my own volition, I began to move in rhythm with his thrusts. They were so slow and methodical, but no less lethal as he continued to grin down at me. I quickly closed my eyes, hoping it’d stop his sinful gaze from searing me alive, but I still felt the burn like flames lapping at my flesh before it melted over my bones.
And it was everywhere. Not just in his eyes, but also in his touch. A shiver erupted as goosebumps rose everywhere on my flesh at the same time his fingers left a trail of fire down my neck, across my shoulder, over my breasts, then lower.
“Stop teasing me and just fuck me,” I demanded, then nearly moaned in protest when he slowly withdrew.
