by Cali MacKay
“Last chance for what? And why does that sound like a threat?” I knew the chances of making it out of my apartment without him catching up to me were slim to none. It’d never work—but could I really live with myself if I didn’t at least try to fight back against my father’s absurd plan? Because I already knew all too well what it was like to live with the guilt of fear and inaction.
“I’m not here to threaten you, Wren—and it fucking kills me to see you hurting. But there’s only one way this night’s going to end—and that’s with you coming back to Seattle with me. I’m just asking you not to make this more difficult than it has to be.” He stood and crossed to my side, his six-three height towering over me as his broad shoulders blocked my escape. “Please, Wren… And you never know. Maybe you can talk your father into seeing sense.”
I wanted to fucking scream. Because I knew he was right about how this would all unfold if I put up a fight. And I knew firsthand that sometimes it was a whole lot easier to just get it over with, especially when the end result would be the same—the only difference being that one road was less combative than the other.
And yet it didn’t mean I’d go down without a fight.
“I can’t do this, Ash. I’m tired of my life not being my own…tired of being a pawn in a game I want no part of…and I’m tired of being fucked around because people think it’s amusing, and they just want to have their way.” And though Ash had been the exception in the past, he was now demanding far more from me than I was willing to give. “I’d do a lot for you and your family—you know that. But getting married? The whole thing is insane—and trust me…someday, you’ll thank me for turning you down.”
With a shake of his head, he let out a ragged breath. “I’m willing to give you another day or two to come to terms with this, but there’s no way out of this, Wren. So wrap your head around it, because we’re getting hitched, one way or another.”
He was dead serious. And so I did the only thing I could, even though I knew it was an exercise in futility.
I ran.
Fucking hell…
I tackled Wren to the ground just outside her bedroom door, pinning her small body under my weight, my cock immediately going even harder at the feel of her. “You should know better, little bird… Why did you have to do this? This really doesn’t have to be so difficult.”
“Fuck off, Ash. You’re trying to force me to marry you, and you think it’s not going to be difficult?” She struggled to get free of me, but it wasn’t happening, no matter how hard she tried.
And then I flipped her over, so we were face to face, my heart hammering as I took her in, her long, dark hair cascading around her, her fierce blue eyes locked on mine with a glare, and those plump ruby-red lips…just begging me to kiss them. “It wasn’t always bad between us, Wren…and you have my word, I’ll do all I can to make you happy.”
“It’s. Not. Fucking. Happening.” Our eyes locked for just a moment more, and then my mouth was covering hers with a brutal kiss, her protests and cursing falling silent as she returned my passion, our tongues clashing in a heated battle.
Grinding my hard cock against her heat, I swallowed each and every moan that passed her lips as her hips rocked against me, urging me on. And then she was reaching down between us, fumbling with the button and zipper on my jeans as she freed my cock, guiding me to her slick cunt as I claimed her once more with a single thrust, any thoughts of protection vanishing as her body tightened around my cock.
I pounded one thrust after another into her, unable to hold back, even as she wrapped her legs around my thighs, urging me on to take her deeper, harder, faster, my teeth sinking into her neck and shoulder as I fucked her into the hardwood floors with complete abandon, my orgasm starting to build at the base of my spine. But it was all too quick…too frantic…and I wanted so much more.
Pulling free of her body, I kicked off my jeans, and ignoring her protests, scooped her up off the floor and carried her back to her bed as she bit my neck, the pain only making me want her more. I put her down on top of the comforter, even as she attempted to rid me of the rest of my clothes, and yanked her dress up over her head, leaving her naked before me, since she hadn’t bothered to wear a bra and I’d already torn her panties from her body. And as badly as I wanted her, it took me only moments to finish stripping down naked, my cock aching to sink into her once again.
“On your hands and knees, Wren.” I didn’t really give her any time to comply before I grabbed her hips and flipped her onto all fours, giving me a perfect view of her plump ass.
My hand landed against her ass cheek with a hard slap, loving how she cried out and dropped her head to the mattress, her ass rising high as if asking for more. The second blow was quickly followed by the third, my handprints red against the pearly skin of her ass, so I could hold back no more, sinking my cock deep as I fisted her hair and pulled her head back.
I leaned forward, pounding each thrust into her slick heat, my mouth by her ear as I kept my hold on her tight. “You’ve been so bad…but that was your plan all along. Wasn’t it? So that I’d punish you…so that I’d fuck you…”
“I fucking hate you, Ash…” But despite her words, her hips were slamming against mine to take my cock deeper, harder, quickening our pace, as she pushed me closer and closer toward my orgasm.
“And yet, you still want me. Don’t you?” I was so close to coming…and then I slipped my hand down between her legs, stroking her clit as she bucked against me, crying out as she came, her answer to my question riding on her scream.
“Yes.”
It was all I needed to push me over the edge, claiming her as mine once more as I spilled my cum deep inside her with a few more thrusts. I rode out my orgasm, each wave of pleasure and release building on the one before until our bodies finally stilled, linked together as one, our breathing heavy and ragged.
“You’re mine, Wren. And soon you’ll be my wife.”
“That’s what you think.” She glared at me over her shoulder and pulled free of my cock, my cum slipping from her pussy and onto her thighs. “I fucking hate you.”
“I know. And yet it doesn’t change anything.” Ignoring her struggles, I pulled her into my arms and lay back against the pillows, holding me to her. “We’re still getting married.”
“It’s pointless to keep arguing with you, because it’s not fucking happening, and you don’t want to listen to me.” She tried to push me away and wriggle out of my arms, but since I didn’t feel like having to chase her naked through the house when she attempted to pull a runner, I only tightened my hold on her, earning me a glare as she cursed me between gritted teeth, “I swear, if you don’t let go of me, I’m going to fucking lose it.”
“Make me chase you, and you’ll find yourself handcuffed to the bed for the rest of the night.” And I meant it, though it might still come to that, since I was tempted to get some sleep before hitting the road again in the morning. “And in case you think I’ve forgotten, don’t worry…I already know that you hate me and I’m a fucking bastard.”
She shrugged my hand off her shoulder, though I only slipped it down to her waist, pulling her tighter to me. “Aren’t you even worried that you didn’t use a condom? I haven’t exactly been celibate since we broke up, you know.”
It wasn’t as if it hadn’t crossed my mind for a split second before I’d plunged my stiff cock into her slick heat. But I knew Wren, and I was pretty confident that it wasn’t really an issue. “Have you gone bare with anyone else since we broke up?”
She rolled her eyes with a look of frustration. “No. I haven’t. And I’m on the Pill, in case you were thinking you could get me pregnant as a way to convince me to marry you.”
“I won’t deny that it crossed my mind—though I wouldn’t be trying to get you pregnant just so you’d marry me, little bird. It’d be because I wouldn’t mind starting a family.” And that was a confession I had not planned on making to anyone at all. Not even myself—let alone
to Wren.
“Well, count me out, buttercup. ’Cause I’m not marrying you and I’m not having your baby. Not now. Not ever.”
I just had to laugh. “That’s what you think.”
The man was infuriating—and even worse was the fact that he was a light sleeper. Every time I tried to slip out from under his arm, he tightened his hold on me, making it impossible for me to try to get out of this mess. Because I knew what my father was like, and if this was what he’d decided was best, then he’d find a way to make sure it happened, come hell or high water.
As for Ash? Well, he was so worried about his family, he’d do anything to keep them safe. And though I wanted to blame him for it, I couldn’t. Not after he’d lost his father, especially when he and his family were so tight-knit.
Not that I’d be marrying him, even if I understood why he was doing all of this. My father was the only family I had left, since my mother had died when I was just eleven.
That had been the start of my nightmare—a nightmare that still haunted me. My father had remarried just a few years later, even though my stepmom divorced my father after my stepbrother’s death, wanting nothing more to do with him—and good riddance to the whole lot, as far as I was concerned.
I pushed aside my memories, knowing no good would come from digging up past wrongs and poking at old wounds, when I had enough problems on my hands already.
I needed to get free of Ash, any way possible. Instead of trying to slowly ease myself free of Ash’s grasp, I just pulled free of him, not caring that it woke him. “I’m just going to run to the bathroom. Go back to sleep.”
He gave me a sleepy grunt in response, as I climbed out of bed, pausing at the doorway to see if he’d fallen back to sleep. Moving as slowly as possible, I crouched down to grab my packed bag, having abandoned it earlier in the night, and then headed to the bathroom, which was, thankfully, down the hall instead of being attached to the bedroom. I locked the bathroom door behind me and quickly pulled out some clothes and got dressed.
Now to get out of here without Ash waking up.
I turned off the light in the bathroom, not wanting to risk any light making its way down the hallway, and then as quietly as I could, I unlatched the door and headed for my front door, pausing to find my handbag so I could leave.
Fuck. Where the hell had I abandoned it in the commotion of finding Ash in my apartment? And it wasn’t like I could flick on the light, which meant I was left feeling around in the dark.
But not for long. Light flooded the room.
Fuck.
“Little bird…you’re in trouble.” His voice was still thick and ragged with sleep, even if his eyes were alert and locked on mine, as his naked, muscular body stalked toward me, his cock already hard.
“If you won’t leave, then I will.” I glanced at the door, but knew he’d take me down, already a breath away and pushing me back against the cold, hard wall, pinned there under the weight and strength of his tight body, as he dragged my hands up over my head and he clasped them in his tight grip. “Please, Ash…”
“You should have heeded my warning…” He bent his head to mine and bit my bottom lip; my body sagged against his hold, the anticipation of what would come next only serving to stoke my incessant need for him. “Because now…now you’re going to need to be punished, though I have a feeling you might like that far too much for it to be a deterrent.”
The worst part was that he was right. And I knew how fucked up that made me…knew that I was totally messed up…that my body and head had gotten their wiring all sorts of screwed up. Because anyone with even a drop of sense would not be turned on by being at another’s mercy, wouldn’t crave the pain that only heightened one’s pleasure…wouldn’t need to have someone force them into doing what they already wanted to do.
But that was me…all sorts of fucked up, and no real way to hide it. Especially not when I was pinned against Ash’s body.
“Just let me go…please.” Because I didn’t know just how long I’d be able to resist him and keep up this façade. Not that he didn’t already know my true nature, even if he didn’t know the reasons behind it.
“Now, where would the fun in that be?” He didn’t wait for an answer, nuzzling me before he crushed my lips in an all-consuming kiss that had me struggling against his grip so I could run my hands over his skin and down to his cock.
He broke our kiss, but only to feast on my neck, before moving to my breasts, biting them through the fabric of my shirt, leaving me to cry out in need. And then he was hauling me onto his shoulder, leaving me squirming and trying to get free as he carried me back toward my bedroom, nipping at my ass.
I cursed him, the flicker of pain sharp enough to have my clit throbbing with need as he tossed me onto my bed and tore the clothes from my body, stripping me down to nothing and then using my belt to bind my hands to the bed. “Ash…please…”
“Sweetness, I don’t know what you want from me, but if I had to guess…” He ran his fingers up the delicate skin of my inner thighs, all the way to my cunt as it ached for his touch, his fingers slipping along the folds to find me so slick with my need for him, it was embarrassing. “Fucking hell, Wren…I love how wet you get for me…love that you can’t resist me…even if you hate me.”
And though I wanted to beg for more, wanted him to ravage me, I instead bucked against his touch and struggled against my bonds, feeling far too guilty for wanting him. “Untie me, Ash. You fucking bastard.”
He sat back on his heels, kneeling before me, a stern look on his face. “If you want me to untie you, then use your safe word.”
I’d rather die than speak it, because in the end, despite everything, I wanted every bit of torment and pleasure he had to give me. “Fuck off.”
“It’s just one word…say it, and I’ll untie you.” A smug smile slipped onto his lips, making me want to scream. “Or maybe you need a little help making up your mind as to whether or not you want to use your safe word.”
When he reached over to my nightstand and pulled open the drawer, I knew I was fucked. “Don’t, Ash…please…”
“Use your safe word, babe… Because until then, these are just games and we’re both enjoying ourselves.” He pulled out one of my vibrators and held it up with a smile as he turned it on and ran the tip over my nipples before dragging it down my stomach and over my clit, forcing me to bite back my cries and my curses, as he spread my legs apart and slipped it inside me. And then he was back to digging around in my drawer, as I was left fighting back the building energy of my orgasm. “What do we have here?”
“You’re such a fucking bastard.” He was holding a warming balm in his hands, and I knew that if he used that on me, there’d be no way I’d be able to keep myself from coming.
“Tell me you don’t want this…” He ran his tongue up my neck and nipped at my ear, sending a shiver of need right through me, even as my breath went shallow and ragged. “Tell me that you don’t love it when I push you to the edge.”
It was nothing but the truth, though I’d never in a million years admit it. Not that he needed me to when he had all the evidence he needed. “I have nothing to say to you.”
And yet, I practically had to bite my lip to keep from begging him to stop when he popped the tin open and scooped out a generous amount of the balm on his finger. “It says it’s an orgasm booster, Wren. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun?”
I cursed under my breath as he massaged the balm over my clit, the feel of it mingling an icy coolness with a burning heat—and then he pressed a slick finger against the bud of my ass, working it just past the tight ring of muscle, to set my senses on fire. “Fucking hell, Ash… I can’t take it…I’m going to come.”
“Not yet, little bird.” He pulled the vibe free of my body, leaving me teetering on the edge, and yet unable to come now that it was gone. And then he was kissing me once again…my need for him overriding what little sense I had. “I’ve missed this, Wren…missed you.”
“I never meant to hurt you, Wren.” He kissed my tears away, trailing his warm lips over my skin as he nestled himself between my legs even as I buried my face in the crook of his neck, needing him to hold me. And he did…as if he knew my every need.
Held tightly in his arms, he caught my mouth in another kiss as he claimed me once more as his, stretching my body tight around his long, thick cock, thrusting into me with such determined purpose that I was left fighting off my orgasm once again. My head was swimming with too many thoughts, and far too many emotions, leaving me feeling vulnerable…leaving me to wonder how Ash could still have such a hold on me.
Yet I knew the answer to that question, even if I didn’t want to admit it.
I still loved him—even though I hated him.
And it was with my messed-up thoughts rattling around in my head that I surrendered myself to the moment, his pace quickening as he took me, our tongues clashing in a heated dance, until I could take no more. He swallowed my cries as I came, continuing to pound into me as my body quivered in his arms, until he joined me with a primal groan, pumping his cum deep inside me, with just a few more thrusts.
“Wren…” He pulled away just enough to take me in, his mood far more somber. “Please…just say you’ll marry me.”
“I can’t.” Because if he knew the truth, he’d never be able to look at me the same way again.
“You need to eat, Wren.” I’d cooked us some breakfast, but after everything that had happened last night, I couldn’t even get her to look at me for more than a second or two. “Is it ’cause my cooking sucks?”