Page 87 of Villainous Rise

Annie moaned making small circles with her hips to draw out every last pulse. I’d never come so hard in my life, the sensation nearly blacking out my vision as I emptied myself.

“Fuck,” I managed, the word barely audible as I struggled to catch my breath, every nerve ending in my body still singing with aftershocks.

Annie collapsed against my chest and a quiet sob escaped her, the sound so small yet so devastating it nearly stopped my heart. I lifted her hips just enough to pull out of her, but kept her body pressed against mine.

“Shh,” I whispered, cradling her face between my palms. Tears glittered in her lashes where the light caught them.

I kissed her gently, all the earlier violence gone from my touch. Her lips trembled against mine, her entire body shaking with emotions she’d kept bottled up for months.

“Let go,” I murmured against her mouth. “I’ve got you.”

Another sob tore from her throat, this one louder. The sound of something breaking, finally, beautifully breaking.

Good. This was what she needed. What we both needed.

I’d spent three months watching her from a distance, calculating the exact pressure points that would crack her perfect façade. I knew Annie Bishop better than anyone. She needed to shatter before she could heal and she needed someone strong enough to hold the pieces while she put herself back together.

Her tears fell faster now, gathering in the edges of the mask.

“I hate this,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I hate feeling this way.”

“I know.” My fingers traced soothing patterns along her spine. “But you need to feel it.”

She pressed her face into my neck, her body convulsing with silent sobs. I held her tighter, one hand cradling the back of her head.

I fucking loved her. Loved every complicated, contradictory inch of her. Loved her strength and her vulnerability. Loved her righteousness and her secret darkness. Even if she wouldn’t—couldn’t—love me back, I would always give her what she needed.

“I’ve got you,” I repeated, the words a promise against her hair. “Fall apart. Break. I’ll help put you back together.”

And I would. Over and over again. If she tried to rebuild those walls, I would tear them down. She might hate me for it, might think I was ruining her, but I was the only thing keeping her alive. I would tear apart every lie she told herself just so she could finally breathe.

I would be her Villain. Her lover. Her monster.

Whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. I would be the darkness that kept her safe, and I would never let her go again.

CHAPTER 15

ANNIE

I buried my face deeper into the crook of Cipher’s neck while the night air whipped around us as he carried me across the skyline.

The chill seeped through the coat he’d wrapped around me, but the shivering wasn’t just from the cold. It was from everything, our sex, the tears, the surrender. My body trembled against his, and his grip only tightened in response. I couldn’t find the strength to pull away even though I knew I shouldn’t be doing this.

We landed on the rooftop garden of his penthouse, the plants swaying gently in the night breeze. Without a word, he carried me inside, the penthouse dark except for the soft glow of baseboard lighting that illuminated our path. Each step he took was careful, like I might shatter if he moved too quickly.

The door to his bedroom closed behind us with a soft click, sealing us away from the rest of the world. Sealing me in with my Villain.

“I should go,” I whispered, the words lacking any real conviction. “I can’t be here.”

“You can,” he replied, his voice a low rumble against my hair. “You are.”

He set me down on the edge of his bed, but didn’t step away. His hands remained on my shoulders, steady and warm.

“Please,” I said. “I need to leave.”

“No, you don’t.” His fingers brushed my cheek, impossibly gentle.

That gentleness was unbearable. I could handle his anger, his passion, the rough way we’d fucked. But this tenderness?