Page 166 of The Unravelings

His home.

My home.

Every time I touch this girl, my skin breaks out in goosebumps and sends shivers down my spine. The fog in my head lifts momentarily, and she brings me back to a semi-normal state of consciousness. Well, as normal as I can be, I guess. I’ve only lived with one state of mind since the moment I was rescued from that dingy hotel on the outskirts of town. Survival by any means possible. Whether it be through violence or obedience to my boss, that’s all I had. Now, there is her. It’s truly an act of science.

Now, I’ve found the thing that grounds me. My obsession.

And she’ll never escape me again. Not even for those fuckwits across campus who seem determined to keep her in their orbit when they have no idea who they’re dealing with. It’s comical, really. I wonder when they’ll figure it out.

It’s too late now, though. I’ve got her exactly where I want her. In the palms of my hands, kissing me like I’m the oxygen she breathes.

Her back slams against the front door as I hold her there, letting my tongue dance with hers. She fists my shirt, pulling me closer and eagerly moaning into my mouth.

Fuck.

If I thought my dick was painfully hard at the thought of sharing her with Wilder, I was kidding myself before. He’s practically punching out of my jeans and trying to navigate straight to her pussy.

All in good time, pal. We’ll get there. But for now, we’re going to play with her for as long as we can. Considering the last time we were together, it was frenzied and quick. We barely cleaned up before she scurried away. I want to eat her until my tongue shrivels and I can barely speak. Only then will I fuck her into oblivion.

Having her in my arms again. My Olivia. Having my mouth pressed against her soft lips and capturing her moans with my mouth has my black heart racing inside my chest, waiting to explode. Much like my dick.

Every fantasy I’ve had of her since I fucked her in the bathroom doesn’t compare to this. Having her in my arms again. My mouth on hers. Our flesh touching. Our breaths mingling together.

It’s everything I never knew I wanted.

My fingers wind through her hair, holding her still, and move her head to the side to expose her delicious neck. My lips work down her jawline, sucking and nipping at her flesh. Deep groans vibrate from my throat at the taste of her sweet skin on my tongue.

“Fuck me,” she begs like before. “God, fuck me already.” Her low moan shakes through my damn bones and boils my blood, making it head south straight to my throbbing dick.

Chill, boy. You’ll explode before you ever make it inside her again. And we can’t have that. I want my cum running down her leg for days afterward. I want my name to be the only one falling from her lips. Well, until Wilder comes, of course. Then, he can join in on the festivities.

“There’s only me here,” I murmur directly into her ear. “Only Malic. I want you to say my name. Only mine. Not God. Not fuck. Just Malic.” I pause, biting into her flesh and sucking it between my teeth again. Leaving a bigger mark on her delicate skin. Pulling back, I force her wild gaze to mine. “Well, until my keeper comes barging through this door. Could be at any second when he realizes I’ve disobeyed his orders. Poor Keeper,” I click my tongue a few times, raking my eyes up and down her body. Her chest heaves. Sweat trickles between her breasts, and her eyes dilate at the sound of my voice. “Then you can scream both our names.” I grin at the imagery again, making my dick bounce against my jeans.

Her eyes slightly widen, but there’s intrigue sparking through them. A challenge she can’t put down.

“Both?” she asks through heavy breaths and small moans. She doesn’t dispute my words or try to run. There’s intrigue in her eyes.

“Both, if you want. Or, you can have me. Forever,” I reply with a wicked smile, taking her bottom lip between my teeth and softly biting down. Pulling away with a groan, I hold onto her tighter. “I’d do anything for you; you remember that, don’t you?” She nods once. “Whatever you want, Little Ghost. I’ll give it to you. If you don’t want this anymore, you say you don’t. If two is too much, then you can leave. From here on out, you say the word.” I promise her everything, because I know when my plan goes into effect, she might hate me. “Promise me one thing?” I hum, holding her still.

“What’s that?” she asks breathlessly, her chest heaving again.

“That you won’t hate me in the morning.” It’s the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever said before. I don’t think I could stand it if she actually hates me when she opens her eyes in the morning and realizes what’s happened.

My head cocks, and my brows furrow. A weirdness tightens in my chest, and my breath stalls in my expanding lungs. Is this what future regret feels like? Or regret in general? Will I hate myself for doing this to the girl I’m obsessed with? Sure, I’ve regretted things in the past. Not keeping my sister safe is at the top of that list. But this? Trapping my little ghost into helping me find her killers?

I guess it’s future Malic’s problem. For now, I’m going to lose myself in the sensations roaring through me and push any regret to the back of my mind.

“Okay,” she mutters without thought. “As long as you don’t hate me, too,” she offers with a soft smile, hiding her lies behind her big brown eyes.

I see you, Olivia, the real you, trying to peek out and come back to me.

Come back to me, Olivia. Or I’ll lick her out with my tongue until she reveals herself fully. That’s all I want. I want that girl I used to stand over and watch sleep. The girl I vowed to protect from the moment I saw her.

No matter, I’ll draw her out. One lick at a time.

Pulling back from our heated exchange, I let my eyes wander again as she rests against the front door. If we aren’t careful, Wilder will slam through and interrupt us before I can get her naked and sprawled out like an inviting dish. And that’s what I need to entice him to be a good little keeper. A dish to serve up to him.

“Come with me,” I roughly say, grabbing her hand and leading her into the large kitchen at the back of our Victorian home. How we were granted access to Syndicate Row, I’ll never know. Perhaps it’s the neutral zone Franco the fucker promised to every family vying for a home here at Greenwood. Or a gesture that he doesn’t see us as a threat to him.