She eyes my torso, brushing her fingertips over words inscribed on my ribs. It takes a certain kind of darkness for the stars to shine.
“What does it mean?” she asks.
I swipe my thumb across her cheek. “It’s a reminder that sometimes you have to do bad things for good reasons.”
Ellie creases her brow as I feather soft kisses against her lips. “I hope one day you’ll be able to understand.”
“Understand what?” she asks a little dazed.
“Me.” I shift inside her and she sucks in a sharp breath.
“Take it off,” she pleads, rocking her hips. I instantly remove the clamp and she winces, breathing through the pain as blood rushes to her clit.
“Better?”
“Yes.” She looks worn out, but the lust in her eyes is evident. She’s not sated yet.
“What do you need?” I ask, dotting kisses on her lips.
“You.” She tightens her legs and wraps her arms around my neck.
I’m hers for the taking, the devouring, the destroying.
I lean forward, with Ellie latched onto me for dear life, and brace myself with one hand on the countertop, aligning us at the perfect angle. I thrust slowly, in and out, savoring her soft sighs and indulging in her pleasured moans. God, she feels good. Tight, wet, warm, euphoric.
“You’re perfect.” I punch deep inside her. “Perfectly made, just for me.”
She groans, sliding her hands into my hair. Her muscles contracting, squeezing me tight, driving the orgasm I’m fighting to control right up the fucking wall.
“Make me forget,” she pleads, undulating against me. “Make me forget everything but you.”
I grab her ass and slam into her. What my kitten wants, she gets.
“Oh, God yes!” She lifts her legs higher, giving me deeper access. I slam into her again, and again and again until she’s flooding with desire.
“More,” she demands, so more I give. Striking my hips over and over, our skin slapping together as her starving little pussy eats up every inch of my cock it can.
Wet, hot, branding arousal, that’s what she damns me with. Because I know no one will ever make me feel the things she does. No one will ever wield my emotions or satisfy the beast that hungers only for her. I need to keep her.
The relentless pounding and asphyxiating contractions of Ellie’s core causes my orgasm to spark at my tailbone. There’s no controlling it as it ignites up my spine.
“I’m going to fucking come,” I warn her.
“So am I!” she cries out, a rush of warm heat drenching my cock, spurring my orgasm to catch fire all over my body. We freefall together. A symphony of untamed, feral sounds echo around the room, bounce off the walls, and ricochet straight through my soul.
Holy fuck.
Did she feel it? Our connection, our link. You’re mine.
With ragged breaths I open my eyes and hold her tight. “Will you stay with me, Ellie?” I ask in desperation. “Would you wear my collar not because I forced you to, but because you wanted to?”
She pops her eyes open, her gaze the darkest I have ever seen, like I’m staring straight into an evergreen forest.
She searches my face with confliction on her own. I never find out her answer because someone starts pounding on the door.
“Fuck off!” I snarl, still staring right at Ellie. I need to know, will you stay?
“Amigo,” Javier’s voice penetrates through the door like a buzz-saw. Ellie stiffens in my arms.
“You’re safe,” I whisper.
She nods silently, with wide frightened eyes.
“Que?” I answer.
“Your presence is requested.” I don’t like his slimy tone one bit.
Fucker.
“Coming,” I snap, withdrawing from Ellie, beyond irritated. I was hoping to still be in the bathroom when the shit went down. I glance at my watch, ten after eleven.
We put ourselves back together in a hurry. We’re still covered in color and now smell like sex. The scent I’ve come to live for.
I grab Ellie’s leash once she’s done cleaning herself up, kiss her on the lips, and then wind the chain around my hand. “Behave. I’m right here; I won’t let anything happen to you.” I kiss her again. I never want to stop.
“Amigo!” Javier pounds on the door wildly. Yup. Definitely cutting off that motherfucker’s hands.
“Fuck you!” I bark, and then look over my shoulder at Ellie. “It will be over very soon.” I try to reassure her as I grab the door knob and turn.
She nods, panicked and confused. I think her ability to speak is gone.
I swing open the door to Javier, two of his thugs, and three semi-automatic weapons pointed right at me.
“That was quite an earful,” Javier says lewdly with that evil smirk.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?” I spit.
“Armed escort. Move.” Javier motions with the pistol in his hand.
With no other option at the moment, I do as he says; walking down the hall surrounded by muscle and machine guns. I keep Ellie close. This shit isn’t good.
We’re forced into my study at the front of the house. It’s away from the party and very secluded.
“I think El Rey would have something to say about you treating your host like his.” I sneer.
“I’m sure he will.” Javier smiles brightly. A moment later The King is strong-armed into the room at gunpoint.
Definitely not good.
“What’s the meaning of this?!?” he demands outraged, looking between me and Javier.
“Hostile takeover.” Javier lifts his gun and shoots El Rey right in the head. Ellie screams as The King’s body falls to the floor and bleeds out all over the hardwood. I stare Javier down as Ellie quickly crumbles.
“Shut your bitch up!” He motions with the gun. “I’d shoot her too, but I have plans for you both.”
I try to calm a trembling, pleading Ellie down, but she’s in shock. It’s no wonder, she’s been traumatized over and over ever since she stepped foot in this house.
“Shhhh. Ellie. Calm.” I yank on her chain, trying to command her. I’d rather wrap her in my arms and console her, but the moment calls for dictative actions. She looks at me with the most distressed eyes I have ever seen on a living human being.
“Kneel,” I order, my voice firm, cold, and calculating. Nothing like the man she was with moments ago. I’d much rather be that man, but he has flaws and feelings. And those two things can get you killed.
“Do it,” I hiss through my teeth and spank her so hard my hand stings. She drops to my feet so fast her knees slam against the floor.
If we survive this, the penance I will pay.
“I’ll teach her better.” Javier snatches her leash out of my hand and drags her across the room. I bolt forward but am met with several guns shoved into my chest.
“Not yours anymore,” he heckles with a grip so tight on Ellie’s collar he’s restricting her airway. She’s gasping and clawing at the leather begging for oxygen.
I’m quaking with rage from the inside out. I am going to kill him. Fuck cutting off his hands, I’m just going to put my fist through his chest and rip out his heart. I watch helplessly as he ties the leash to a thick gold sconce high on the wall.
“Kneel,” he orders her.
Ellie doesn’t move quickly enough and he shoves her down, the collar nearly hanging her. “Move and I’ll rape you in front of everyone with that letter opener on the desk.” My steel-plated letter opener that looks like a mini sword. Ellie kneels with barely enough chain to reach the ground. That cocksucker has turned her collar into a noose. She stares at me with pleading eyes as she slowly starts to suffocate.
I weigh my options. There aren’t many. I have no gun, I’m outnumbered, and I don’t want to go all Rambo and end up getting her killed.
As I formulate a strategy, Javier drops another bomb. He pulls something out of his pocket and throws it at my feet.
“Recognize that?”
I stare down, studying the scrap of something on the floor. I nudge it with my toe and then realize what it is. My head snaps up. “Where is he?”
“Gone,” Javier sings. Terrorizing me.
All rational thought evaporates. That scrap on the floor in front of me is skin. Jett’s nautical star tattooed on his left arm, Javier sliced it off. In a moment of unbridled rage, I go after him.
He lifts his gun without hesitation and shoots me in the shoulder; pain rings through my whole body as I grab my arm and fall to my knees. Son of a bitch.
Javier stands over me and presses the barrel of the gun to my forehead.
“What’s yours is now mine, amigo.”
He presses harder and I steady myself with my heartbeat echoing in my ears and my blood whooshing through my veins like white water rapids. I glance at Ellie fighting for her life and fearing for mine. Then I look at the clock on the wall and erupt in a fit of laughter.
Javier looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.
Eleven thirty-seven.
“Jett’s death won’t be in vain.” I glare at him manically. “BANG.”
Moments later, a dozen men dressed in black and armed for war flood the room. They break through the bay windows and kick down the door. When shots ring out, I hurl myself at Ellie, shielding her with my body. I yank on the chain, pulling the sconce right out of the wall. The gunfire lasts only a few seconds, but I’m sure it feels like years to her.