by Dani René
“Oh, wild rose, you’re just barely eighteen, and there are so many more illicit things that I can imagine doing to you all day, every day.” Damien leans in close, his mouth brushing along mine. His lips hot, breath warm, and his thumbs swiping along my cheeks, ever so gently, but I know that Damien Thorne is not a gentleman, he’s animalistic.
“I want it to hurt, I want all the pain, all the agony.” I look up at him, as I say this, and I swear I see fire dancing in his gaze. The corner of his mouth tilts into one of those seductive smirks that make every inch of me tremble with need.
“No more cutting and I’ll give you anything you want,” he tells me, with the promise clear as day in his voice. I nod. “Good girl.” His hands drop to mine, and he laces our fingers, as we make our way back to the house.
I don’t know what’s going to happen now, but what I do know is that Damien Thorne is slowly stealing me piece by piece, and the day he gets all of me is the day I know my heart is in his hands.
He has a power over me, an all-consuming command that takes hold of me and I can’t fight it. And losing that control is what makes my heart skip a beat while my stomach churns with nervous energy. No matter how much I try to deny how I feel about him, I can’t because Damien Thorne has engraved himself in my bones. And there’s no cut deep enough to extricate him.
But when I think about it, I realize I don’t want to.
I ache for him to be there. Inside me. Within me.
And that’s what scares me the most.
19
Damien
The night is coming to an end, and dawn is peeking on the horizon. I can’t sleep, I’ve spent most of the night on my balcony, looking out over the garden.
Thorne Manor offers each bedroom a private wrought-iron balcony, with views of the town that are usually hidden amongst the trees of our property perimeter.
I spent my childhood looking through those trees, seeing the murkiness that hides amongst the thick trunks. I knew that one day when I was old enough, I’d venture into them, but I never thought I’d play the games we did.
The memory of my last burning rose comes to mind.
She must’ve seen it. The directions were clear as day. Creed is hidden somewhere to my left, along with Brody and Cassian. The younger boys—Finn and Keirin—are at home, prepping for the party.
My body is alert, my ears prick at the faintest sound. I inhale a deep breath, trying to still both my thudding heartbeat and the hardening of my dick. I guess being a horny teenager, I have to put up with it.
I know, as soon as I start the chase, I’ll calm my erection down and focus on the trees that will be whipping by me.
Seconds later, I see it. The swooping lights from a car pulling into the lot. It won’t be long now, until she walks into our line of sight, and then we’ll sound the whistle that normally startles them into a frantic race for survival.
“Damien!” Her voice is drenched in fear, which only seems to make me harder, ready to feel her pulsing around me, as I make her come. Shaking my head, I attempt to focus, but it’s been off for a few of our runs now.
Creed blows the whistle, and like clockwork, we watch as the pretty blonde spins on her heels, but she doesn’t run toward the car, that’s not part of the rules. I can’t help but smile.
None of them ever run for their cars because they know what lies at the end of the cat and mouse game. We wait the five seconds, and then we move. The rustling of bush has my head turning to see Creed and Cassian, along with Keirin, making their way out onto the path. Only we know where it is.
“You want the blonde?” Creed arches his brow, looking at me, and I nod.
“Yeah. She’s mine.” I’ve laid my claim, now I need to make good on my promise. I allow my feet to carry me. Listening to the broken twigs echoing in the darkness, I follow the sound, moving swiftly through the trees.
We’ve done this so many times, I know where I’m going, without looking. In this darkness, you can’t see much in front of you, but the white skirt of my prey is right in front of me. I don’t catch her; instead, I allow her to think she’s getting away.
A howl comes from behind me. Creed. The asshole loves to scare them more than I ever do. But I can’t help chuckling at him. We’ve been friends for most of my life, growing up together, learning about each other, we’ve all become like a band of brothers.
Brother-in-arms.
Another long, pained howl bounces against the trees, and it’s as if the sound is following me and blondie. I can’t even remember her name. My legs work quickly, as I decide to make my move.
I’m in pouncing distance, but I watch in awe, as she races through the trees. Her breathing is panicked, and my dick gets hard. I bet her pupils have dilated, I wonder, briefly, if her pussy is wet. Because my dick is ready to find out.
It doesn’t take long for us to reach the clearing, and that’s when I grab her arm, spinning her around and pinning her against one of the last trees in front of us.
A squeal escapes her lips, which I quickly steal with my mouth. The kiss is frantic and sharp, short breaths mingled with the trembling of her body. I’m so fucking hard; I probably wouldn’t last long the moment I felt her slick heat around me.
“Damien,” she mumbles through the kiss.
“That’s all me, Baby,” I chuckle, leaning in to inhale her scent. A soft, strawberry fragrance mingled with the light scent of sweat. My hands travel down her body, gripping her ass, I pull her up and nestle myself between her thighs.
Time to collect my prize.
Shaking my head to clear the memory, I try not to think about what happened next. How my friends and my brother watched me claim her in the darkness.
She had no idea, while we were fucking, that they were there; it was only as she was screaming my name, did she notice them. But girls who came to the forest to play our game didn’t care about morals, or how they were seen by the rest of the town.
No. These girls enjoyed being watched. Just like I did. And even though I walked out of the group and left The Black Knights behind, I still crave it so badly.
The voyeuristic tendencies still have a way of sneaking through the confines I’ve locked them in. They escape and take hold of me. And even though I haven’t seen Nesrin coming apart, yet, I know I will. And to watch that will be euphoric.
Usually, Creed and I would share her, we would take turns, sitting back and allowing the other to have his wicked way. But with her, it’s different. I can’t share her. Even the thought of someone else’s hands on her makes me livid. Rage, jealousy, and anger take hold of me, and in its feral grip, I’m lost to the need of having her all to myself.
I have never been obsessive, that’s Creed, which is why these emotions she’s stirred within me are fucking with my head. I can’t focus on anything else, besides her.
But I also know how wrong it is to want her.
I know I’ll only hurt her in the end.
I turn toward my room and grab my leather jacket. Shrugging it on, I make my way to the door and down toward the living room, where I notice Cassian drinking bourbon.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, moving deeper into the room.
He looks up at me, his gaze is far away. “I’m thinking.”
“About?”
“The dance, if Creed knows you claimed her, since you did it in front of him last night…” Cass’s words disappear into the heaviness that hangs in the air above us.
“I’m going to the cabin. I’ll be back tomorrow.” I don’t answer him about Creed, and I don’t talk about what I did with Nesrin, how I showed the possessiveness in the forest last night.
“So, you’re just leaving her?”
“Cass, please don’t give me shit for this, I need to think.”
He stares at me, lifting the tumbler to his lips and taking a long sip. I know I should stay. I should talk to Nesrin and tell her that I only said those things to get Creed away from her. But even as I think it, I know it�
�s a lie; I said it because I do want her.
“Go. I’ll watch over her,” Cass tells me, waving his now empty glass toward the door. “We have three days to get her ready,” he warns me. “I’ll start showing her the dance, but I’m not leading her onto that dancefloor.”
I nod. “Thanks, brother.”
I turn to leave. Knowing that when I return, everything needs to change.
20
Nesrin
The night of the forest run has come and gone, and my body aches in ways I never thought it would. The sun is streaming through the window, forcing me to scoot up in bed.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I grab it, reminding myself that I walked away from friends in LA. Even though we weren’t close, there was still a hint of a connection, especially with Jenny. But the name on the screen is none of those, it’s my mother’s.
I’ve tried not to think about her because I knew the moment I did, the attraction I have to Damien would make me feel guilty, or worse than I already seem to have it.
I open the message and scan it while my heart sinks to my stomach.
I hope you’re behaving. God knows we don’t need to return to any of your antics again. Choose a college and make sure you’ve got your major sorted out. Mom.
She doesn’t ask me how I am. She doesn’t even show that she cares from the way she’s worded her message. Perhaps I’m reading into it, but I know Marcia Ellington, now Thorne, and affection is certainly not her strong suit.
I don’t know how to respond to her. How to tell her that I haven’t given college a second thought. I’m not even sure what it is I want to study. Perhaps I can take a gap year, travel, and then decide.
Sighing, I push the blankets from my body and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I sit there for a long while, trying to decide what I’m meant to tell my mother.
The phone buzzes again. This time, it’s a call. I knew she’d do this if I didn’t respond in time. She’s always been manic about shit like that, whereas I need time to think.
I watch the call flashing, but I don’t make a move to pick it up. Once it goes to the messaging service, I sigh, breathing deeply, as I think about my future.
I can’t say that Damien will be a part of it; I don’t even know what all this means. Everything he’s done for me can’t continue when our folks get back. Our folks. We’re meant to be a family, and all I can think about is his kiss, his touch, and seeing him in those tight black boxer briefs again.
I should stop it before I find myself falling, but if I’m honest, he’s the first boy, man, who’s ever shown me who I really am. He understands what bothers me inside, and he’s given me an out. He’s shown me there’s more to life than the blades that I found solace in for seven long years.
But the moment he’s gone, because he will leave, I don’t know if I’m going to be strong enough to survive without him. The thought scares me, and I push off the bed and head into the bathroom.
Once I’m freshened up, I grab my phone and make my way down to the kitchen, where I find Joy making pancakes. She glances up, her smile brightening when she sees me.
“Good morning, Darling,” she greets, before handing me an empty mug, which I gratefully accept.
“How are you?” I ask her while I pour some java. I feel tired, exhausted, actually.
“I’m doing really well,” Joy says. She turns, holding a plate with a stack of fluffy goodness, which makes my stomach growl. “I think someone needs her breakfast,” she muses, with a grin.
I follow her out to the dining room to find Finn already seated at the table. It’s strange how they are always here for meals. Back home, I would eat alone, while my mother would be out with friends. We never had family time, even when Dad was around.
“Hey, little sis,” Finn says, with a wave. “I didn’t think you’d be up early today,” he observes, his gaze taking in every inch of me. His dark hair is pointing in all directions, as those eyes lock on mine.
“I didn’t think I would either, but I’m starving,” I respond, settling in beside him at the large table. It makes no sense for them to have a table, which seats sixteen when there are only four of them in the house on a normal day.
“My kinda girl.” Finn winks. We load our plates, but before I can tuck into my food, I feel his stare on me. When I look up, I find cocoa eyes on me. “You have your eye on my bro. Don’t you?” Finn asks suddenly, sending heat to my cheeks.
My mouth falls open when I gasp. “What?”
“You have a crush on Damien,” Finn tells me. It’s definitely not posed as a question, so I don’t respond. “You’re both so easy to read.”
“I’m not easy to read at all,” I tell him, feeling the tension in my muscles tighten. If my feelings for Damien are so easy to see… can they all see it?
“Oh?” Finn pushes to his feet, his hands sliding into the front pockets of his jeans. The dark strands of his hair hang into those gentle, playful eyes, and he grins at me. His smile hasn’t got the same effect on me that Damien’s does, but it’s just as intriguing.
“Yeah.”
“I call liar, liar,” Finn taunts, circling me before he stops right behind me, and I’m frozen to the spot.
“You can believe what you’d like to, but I know what I feel and what I think,” I tell Finn, but the way he’s looking at me, he knows I’m bullshitting him.
“Hey, I don’t give a shit if you want to bounce on my brother’s dick,” he says, with a shrug. “Just don’t let Dad find out, he’ll lose his shit. Perhaps, you can even make Damien feel something other than that stick that’s been shoved up his ass all these years.”
I can’t help but laugh at Finn. “He’s just not a party animal.”
“Oh, Darling. Damien is so much more than that. I’m guessing if you two are getting freaky, he’s told you about The Black Knights?”
“We are not getting freaky.” The words fall from my lips in a gasp at his words. “And he’s mentioned a little about Creed and The Black Knights.”
Finn shakes his head, as he reaches for the juice, which he could’ve asked me to hand him, but I have a feeling he wanted to get under my skin by standing behind me. Once he’s seated, he fills a glass, before looking at me. “Like I said, don’t care.”
“What about The Black Knights?” I have a feeling Damien may not want to give me the whole story, so if Finn is willing to talk about it, I’m not going to stop him. The more I can find out about the brothers I’m living with, the better.
“They’re bad news, and even though my brothers have both been part of their group, I haven’t gotten myself involved. They do stupid shit to keep themselves entertained.”
Now I’m intrigued, and I can’t focus on the food on my plate; instead, I’m staring at Finn. “Like?”
“Oh no, little sis, I ain’t getting involved in this. If you want to know, ask D, he’ll tell you. But just listen when he tells you to do something when we’re around Creed and the rest of the guys.”
“What about those girls?” I ask, still wondering about Mali and Holly. I remember the night of the party, Finn and Cassian were hanging around with them.
“Those are the Haven bunnies, they’re like groupies. If they can get dicked down by one of The Black Knights, they’ll do anything they’re told.” With a cocky wink, he pops a bite of pancake into his mouth.
“You mean any of the Havens or Thornes,” I say, realizing my voice is tinged with jealousy when I voice my response.
Finn watches me for a moment, leaning back in his chair as he sips the juice with a grin on his face. He’s noticed the inflection in my voice. The corner of his mouth curls slowly, just like his brother’s.
“I think—”
The footsteps that sound behind us interrupt Finn’s appraisal of me, and I’m thankful for that. When Cassian saunters in, I offer him a smile to which he tips his head in greeting.
“Family,” he says, with a swagger that belies the almost innocent expression
on his face. He doesn’t strike me as a playboy type, not like Finn or Damien, but I have a feeling Cassian hides a lot of emotions under his pretty boy exterior.
Finn is outspoken, voicing whatever is on his mind.
Damien does hide certain things, but it doesn’t stop him from making his feelings known. But Cassian, he’s the silent brother, stoic and poised, but there’s also a darkness to him that lingers under the pristine surface.
“What are we talking about?” he asks, while plating pancakes.
“Nesrin bouncing on Damien’s dick,” Finn says, nonchalantly, causing me to choke on my orange juice.
A chuckle rumbles from Cassian, as he shakes his head. I’m sure he’s heard a lot from his youngest brother’s mouth before, but the fact that Finn came right out and said that has my mind spinning.
“I think Damien may lose his temper with you saying something like that about our little sister,” Cassian tells Finn, but the grin on his face belies the chastising of the youngest Thorne.
“If he can’t deal with the truth, that ain’t my problem,” Finn shrugs, pushing his chair away from the table. I watch him pull a joint from his pocket and place it between his full lips. “I’m going for a smoke,” he tells us. “Don’t talk about anything important, I don’t like missing the news.”
He leaves us alone, and I turn to Cassian who’s eating his breakfast in silence. I don’t know what to say after Finn’s blurting out about me and Damien having sex, so I fill my glass and drink down a mouthful of the cool, refreshing juice.
“You know,” Cass speaks, “my brother doesn’t really come with a filter, but if you’re going to spend time around us, you’ll get used to it.”
“I just didn’t think he’d talk about…” I wave my hand in the air, unsure of what to say, but Cass shakes his head.
“Don’t worry about that, I know Damien has a thing for you,” he says, shocking me speechless. “He’s away for a couple of days, so you’re going to spend time with me. I’m supposed to teach you the welcome dance that takes place at the ball.”