“Why can’t you just let me take care of you?”
She shakes her head violently.
She has always been so fucking stubborn. Unable to accept help. I wanted to flay the pride from her skin the moment I met her.
My hand brushes lightly over her stomach. A wave of affection rides through me, and I crush her protesting mouth against mine. Her fingers grip my waist, and a glow of warmth swells inside my chest. I want her more than any other woman in my life. The whole year we spent apart from each other, I replayed our relationship in my head over and over. It was the only thing keeping me sane.
“Love isn’t ownership.”
Something metallic wraps around my wrists. My arms snap back as I lunge for Claire, who leaps out of my reach the moment she attaches the handcuffs to my wrists. How the fuck did she do it without me noticing?
“Goddamn it.”
Both arms stretch behind me painfully. It’s as though a dark cloud hovers over my head, and instantly I’m transported back to that moment. Pinned. Helpless.
Claire stands with her head cocked to one side, her hands on her hips. “How do you fucking like it?”
I yank on the metallic bar, my rage slicing into my flesh as the metal digs in. “Claire, let me go.”
“Why the fuck should I?”
I think I hear her voice, but it’s too deep. The room disappears as black fog seems to crawl over the floorboards, and cold freezes my chest. My arms are pinned down, and I feel death’s icy grip clutching my heart. My father stands in front of me, shrugging as the knives dig in my body. Rivulets of blood stream down my sides.
“Luc, what’s wrong?”
“GET ME OUT!”
I scream to the dim voice, struggling to maintain a grasp on reality, but what the hell is real? Am I still in prison? Or the hospital?
Their laughter rings in my ears as my face splits open. I remember seeing the flap of flesh hanging from my cheek before they stitched it closed.
Something touches my wrist, and a slight pressure goes away. The same thing happens to my other arm, and I fall into a warm embrace, but my chest still feels way too tight.
“I’m sorry!”
Claire swims in my vision, her warm hands clutching my face. I blink as the room comes back into focus.
Then shame fills my guts with poison.
I don’t want to be weak, but I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t escape the suffocating terror I feel when I’m rendered helpless. They took every ounce of control from me and left me for dead. Now I can’t even hold it together in front of her.
Her hand brushes the scar on my face. A knife flashes in front of me. Jesus. I seize her hand, squeezing hard.
“Don’t touch my scars.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Stop apologizing!”
Her face falls at my look of disgust. I can’t stand to see it. I push her aside and stand shakily to my feet.
Her tortured voice calls after me, and suddenly she’s backed up against the headboard, locking the metal rings around her wrists. “Will this help?”
Her hands splay on the headboard as the cuffs keep her confined, and suddenly my fear evaporates. Her eyes widen as I climb over the bed and wrap my hand around her neck, a surge of rage hitting me suddenly. I squeeze slightly, feeling her wild heartbeat pulse into my fingers.
“You broke my trust. Never, ever try to take control from me.”
She opens her mouth. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
I know.
Right now I need to dominate her. I need to feel in control. I need to feel the sting of my palm hitting her skin.
I shove her t-shirt over her body, sliding it up her tits. I push the fabric over her eyes so that it acts as a blindfold.
“Turn around.”
With difficulty she twists her body around, her ass in my face. I grab her hips and slide my fingers under her panties, yanking them down to her knees. My cock pounds with blood as I smooth my hand over her perfect skin.
She makes a pretty sight, bent over, offering her pussy freely to me. Her tits hang like teardrops, and I can’t wait to feel the weight of them in my hands.
I raise my hand.
“You’re going to count them.”
She screams in pain as I bring my hand down on her ass. The sound is so loud that it makes my cock jump in my briefs.
“That was one. Count.”
“O-one!”
Another crack splits the air as I spank her again, loving the rush of pink blooming over her skin.
“Two!”
On and on it goes, my dick hardening with every shrill yelp she makes. I spank her until her ass burns bright red and she has two permanent white hand marks on her ass cheeks.
“Forty!”
Then I rip my boxers from my legs, eager to plunge my cock into that shimmering pussy.
She cries out, her palms against the headboard as I plow into her. I watch my cock sink in, my hands gripping her ass as I give her a second spanking with my balls and hips. I tangle my fingers in her hair and yank back, feeling her squeeze me. Then the pressure explodes from my cock as I claim her body.