by Nicola Rose
He took hold of my hand and turned it over, his fingers tracing the vein along my wrist. I tried to wrench myself away, but my body didn’t move a single muscle. I could barely even breathe as he pulled my wrist up and kissed it tenderly. The idea of his teeth sinking in like a hot knife on butter made me shiver. What would it be like? Would it hurt? It didn’t look like it hurt…
Unfortunately his lips continued slowly up my arm, leaving tingling patches where the kisses fell. Across my collarbone, finding my throat. He sucked at the skin below my ear. Fuck, would he drink from my neck? He still had hold of my wrist in one hand and I was aware of a dull pain as the grip tightened.
“I know what you want, Jess. You want me to fuck you so rough that you’re begging me to stop, knowing full well it will make me go at it harder. You need an animal to plunder you,” he whispered the words straight in my ear.
Pulling back a fraction, he stared at me, and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. His eyes narrowed as his tongue moved to probe something else – two sharp, white teeth. This time I did find the power to move and launched myself away from him. I did it with such force that I began toppling backwards off the bed, but he still had hold of my wrist and yanked me back.
Deep amusement spread over his face as he raised his eyebrows at me. “Zachariah never showed you his fangs before?”
I’d caught sight of them on occasion when he’d nearly lost it, but not up close like that. Not bearing down on me with primal intention.
“You know, my brother might think I can’t control myself, but he’s wrong. I just choose not to most of the time. There’s a difference. But look, see,” he bared his normal teeth at me. “Just in the nick of time, too.”
Leaping to his feet, he leaned into a feral, crouching position facing the door.
It flew open in an explosion of shattering wood. A large splintered piece flew past me and caught my cheek with a sting. Warm blood trickled down.
I couldn’t see what happened next, it was too fast. Zac tore into the room like a tornado, with a flurry of motion and growling. Then he was standing helplessly before me in a headlock, Alex snarling at his throat.
“So rude to storm into someone’s private room like that, Zachariah,” Alex hissed.
A bunch of his men stood just inside the room, Parker at the front, all hissing and snarling at Zac’s back. Too many fangs in one place. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. I forced myself to look at Zac’s face. There was only pain and rage, directed right at me.
“I’m so sorry.” I swear my lungs collapsed as the words left me. Another panic attack threatened to rip through me, great spasming sobs causing me to choke as the reality of the situation hit me.
Alex’s teeth were at Zac’s throat, threatening to close in.
“Don’t hurt him,” I wailed, punching Alex’s back. He shoved me away and I hit the floor hard, cracking my temple on the edge of the bed frame. More blood rushed down my face.
Zac let out a thunderous snarl and lurched forward, flinging Alex over his back and onto the floor. He hoisted me to my feet and held me behind him, adopting a defensive stance. Alex was back on his feet, but all the aggression had left his body.
He stood relaxed, hands in his pockets, eyeballing us, taunting us with his nonchalance. “You think having murderers holed-up in your basement makes you stronger, Zachariah? Somehow more worthy of her attention?” Alex asked. “Newsflash, brother, there’s nothing special about you. It just makes you a psycho—”
Zac cut him off with a snarl.
And what? What basement?!
I gaped at Zac, who glared pure venom at Alex.
“They’re hungering for this fight,” Alex shrugged, nodding to the pack of animals in the doorway. Obedient creatures, waiting for their orders. “Leave.”
“This isn’t over,” Zac growled.
“I’m counting on that,” he replied.
Zac marched me over to the window, smashed it with the back of his hand and leapt out with me pressed to his back. It happened so quickly that I could hardly register it. One second I was standing there, then I was on his back and landing gracefully onto the driveway three storeys down.
He dropped me to my feet a lot less gently than he could have, and pushed me towards my bike.
“Ride. Straight to mine. I’ll be right behind you,” he ordered.
I gunned it down the crunching, gravel driveway, wheels spinning out and sliding. The redness of the water in the pool seemed to have intensified as I passed.
Darker, thicker. A naked man submerged himself into the depths and shot from one end to the other in a heartbeat. He emerged from the water, red clinging to every curve, glossy and slick, sliding down his body.
It wasn’t lights making that pool red.
40
Jess
Eva mopped delicately at my bloody face with a wet cloth. I’m sure the blood was making her uncomfortable. That, or it was the overall mood in the room. Both, I supposed. She hurriedly applied some gauze and taped me up, declaring I was almost good as new, then retreated upstairs. Before she left she placed a hand on Zac’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. His face remained impassive to whatever she’d said.
His furious eyes burned through me. What had I been thinking? Why on earth had I gone over there and on top of that, why had I been so attracted to Alex whilst there? My conscience swam with guilt, excitement and fear.
Zac had followed me closely on the ride back, his front wheel practically touching my rear. Even just looking at him from my mirror had terrified me. I’d contemplated just riding, getting on the highway and out of town, keep going until he got the picture and left me. Once he’d had time to cool down, I could go back and explain.
But the voice inside assured me he would never back off and when I eventually stopped he’d be even angrier. So I’d followed my orders and now here we sat in edged silence. At least all the gang were there. Surely he wouldn’t rip me apart too much with other people around?
My heart sank when he flicked his head and they all disappeared in the blink of an eye.
He stared at me. His jaw clamped so tightly shut it looked like it could implode any moment under the pressure. I turned my back and dithered with some books on a shelf, but I could feel his rage boring through me. I couldn’t will my mouth to open. I think I was even more scared than I’d been on my way to Alex’s.
“I can’t believe you just let that thought go through your mind,” he said, suddenly right behind me. “You’re more afraid of me than you are of him?”
“Afraid of losing you,” I cried. “I don’t know what I was thinking, I was so terrified that he was going to hurt Anna. He said if I didn’t go, he was going to hurt her. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You should have come to me. I would have dealt with it. What were you hoping to achieve? What exactly did you think he wanted to see you for?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t risk Anna getting caught up in this.”
“I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her. I told you I’d keep her safe. I can’t believe you actually just went along and handed yourself over to the butcher.”
I scrunched up my face and shook my head. It didn’t seem right.
“He didn’t want to kill me.” As I said it, I remembered the fangs, so close to me, but he had stopped himself. “He’s more controlled than you give him credit for.”
That did it. He slammed his fist into the wall near my head and a cloud of plaster dust flew into my face. “This isn’t the time to be defending him, Jess!”
“I’m just saying, I don’t think that’s what he wanted.” I sidestepped away, aware of him following me, fists clenched ready for another blow.
“So what did he want?” he barked.
“To stroke his ego. To cause trouble between us.” I stopped backing up. Did weakness fuel his darkness? It certainly seemed to. I stuck a hand out to his chest.
“Causing me trouble is his favourite pastime,” he said, fr
owning, an edge of rage dissipating. “You see this ink?” He turned his arm over and showed me some Latin words amidst the sprawl of colourful tattoos covering his entire arm. “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.”
The words rolled from his lips with ease. “It means ‘I will either find a way or make one.’ One of several reminders I have on my body. Reminders to keep me on this path. Alexander immediately had a tattoo of his own done in the same place. ‘Esto quod es – be what you are.’ Gives him his own reminder to never give me peace. You’re the perfect game piece to him.”
“What did he mean about murderers in the basement?”
Zac took hold of my hands, twining his fingers into mine. I met his eyes and something flushed through my core. I knew I wanted to demand something… what was it?
“Did he kiss you?” he asked.
“No! Well, not exactly.”
Stupid girl. A simple ‘No’ would have sufficed.
He licked his lips, eyes darkening. Too late for me to backtrack now.
“It was nothing,” I added hastily. “He kissed my wrist a bit. I tried to push him away, but… I couldn’t.”
Had I tried to push him away? I couldn’t remember that either.
“Please don’t let him have this satisfaction,” I said, cautiously moving my lips towards his. “I should have told you. I’m sorry. I know you can protect me and anyone else I ask you to. I just panicked.”
He exhaled and wrapped his arms around me, though not as lovingly as usual.
“You’re hard work, Jessica Layton,” he said, kissing my forehead.
I knew. I knew that he was back on with the victim blaming. I knew that raging at me for having gone to Alex was totally unfair. This was their game and I was caught in the middle with little choices. I shouldn’t have been so apologetic. I’d only done what I needed to do.
And yet, I had said sorry. I’d done anything I could to placate him, thanks to that lead in my gut that threatened to break me every time he got mad. The thought of losing him wiped out any logical thinking on my part.
And even with those pathetic apologies, Zac hadn’t been able to keep the rage in check. We’d bickered over stupid stuff, irritation grating on both of us.
In the end I’d left him to it and come back to my apartment, despite his insistence that Port Isabel wasn’t safe. There was no doubt that he had someone outside watching over me. Maybe even himself.
I slept damn hard for twelve hours straight. My body yearned for more, to escape everything in slumber. I was suddenly full of aches and pains, in body and mind. It had crept up on me. Exhaustion.
Inching slowly into a steaming bath, my skin pinked up on contact. Pins and needles burrowed into my hands and feet.
My phone sat beside me and a message pinged up from Zac.
Hot Stalker: This isn’t me. I don’t know where the anger is coming from. You fill me with so much raw emotion. I’m struggling to hold on to myself. Forgive me?
Jess: You already know I’m going to forgive you, what’s the point in asking?
Hot Stalker: To be polite. A gentleman. Because I’m a grumpy prick.
Jess: Gentlemen are overrated. A badass son of a bitch who’s going to show me how sorry he is – that’s more my type.
Thoughts of him earning my forgiveness made me immediately horny. Taking a shampoo bottle, I rubbed it over my nipple, peaking under the coldness.
I took a photo of my rosy body amidst the bubbles, one hand between my legs, and hit Send.
Jess: I’m in the bath remembering your tongue on me. I’m hot, wet, steamy. I need more. I want your hands tracing every line of my body. I want your lips on my nipples, sucking firmly. I want your tongue… everywhere. But most of all I want your throbbing cock inside me, driving in and out until I’m screaming. I need you. Hard and fast. My tight pussy clenched around you… If you’re such a bad boy, you should come fuck me. NOW.
I sank deeper into the water. Of course, he’d never do it, but it sure was fun to imagine how hot and wound up that would have got him. I let my fingers roam my body and not two minutes had passed when he arrived, looking like he was about to explode.
He plucked me from the bath and dropped me onto the bed, discarding his shirt and doing everything I’d asked with careful slowness. Licking, sucking, kissing. I squirmed and whimpered, clutching at him in a feeble attempt to make him stay this time.
The aching between my legs was unbearable, so wet and ready for him. I’d been ready from the moment I saw him, months ago. Now I felt like I would crumple into nothingness if I couldn’t get more. Desire shot through every single nerve, teasing and taunting.
“Fuck me,” I panted against his bare chest, biting his nipple. “Please.”
He finished undressing, never breaking eye contact. His boxers fell to the floor and boy, he was hard. And big. I tried my best not to ogle, but I’d had that thing in my mouth and I wanted it there again. But first, I needed it somewhere else.
He knelt over me and searched into my eyes, hard and fierce. One second he looked like he didn’t want to be there, then like he was pleading with me and then, well, like he wanted me for dinner.
Pressing the head of his erection to my opening, he rubbed it up and down. “You’re so wet for me, Jess, I want you so fucking much.”
“Take me,” I begged, digging my nails into his hips and urging him forward. The tip pressed inside and I cried out with a mixture of relief and frustration, needing more. He eased in further with unbelievable gentleness and caution, like he was afraid I might break if he went deeper.
Or maybe he was more afraid that he would break.
The slowness made it even more thrilling, feeling each millimetre, escalating pleasure rising like a wave ready to wash over me. It was almost too intense, I couldn’t handle the patience of it. I felt like I was going to burst into a thousand pieces.
His whole body trembled with restraint. I knew he wanted it harder and faster, too. I also knew that he wanted my neck – his eyes were fixated on it.
I took hold of his face and pulled his mouth to mine. He kissed me tenderly, lovingly. His hard chest heaving against my soft breasts, so cold against my hot skin. I was still wet from the bath, making us slide and stick. He inched further and then it happened – he was completely inside me, all the way.
He groaned and immediately pulled out, coming back slow and controlled. All the way in and right back out. The urge to wriggle and increase his pace was torturous.
“Wait!” I tore myself from the moment and reached to the nightstand to take a condom from the drawer.
“You can’t get pregnant by me,” he said, his eyes hardening as if that was a bad thing. “And I don’t have any diseases. None that a condom can protect you from, anyway.”
I dropped my hand away from the drawer and grasped the back of his head, moaning deeply into his hot, eager mouth until he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine.
He dared to push back into me harder. My lips instinctively sought to kiss the soft skin below his ear, nibbling and sucking. I brought my hips upwards to meet him, circling and pressing, quickening the pace. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. He followed suit and pumped into me with more force, thrusting hard and deep.
“Fuck!” I cried out as he flipped us round and had me straddling him.
I couldn’t help noticing his eyes burn as he turned me and caught sight of the scar down my back. Was this the first time I’d let him see, in all its glory? Maybe he’d been too blinded by sun to see it when we were at the pool. Or maybe I’d been too distracted by his cock, and his smoking skin, to notice his reaction to it. Either way, I immediately wanted to cover up. My hands instinctively went up to wrap around my own shoulders, but he took them and brought them down to his chest.
“You’re everything, Jess. So beautiful,” he panted. “You can’t see it, but you’re glowing. Like the sunset over the ocean… sparkling and clear.”
I rode him slow and sensual, despite my body cr
ying out for more. Grinding my slickness against him, leaning back to hit the deepest spot. He palmed my breasts, squeezing them, pinching my nipples.
I came forward and leant over him, taking hold of the headboard, and dipped lower so that my nipple brushed over his mouth, letting him suck on it.
When I returned to an upright position I gazed into those eyes and felt my mind swim away. His face was unrivalled; no other man could stir the same desire in me.
Finally… finally I had him inside me and I would never let go. There was nothing in the world that could compare. No one that could make me feel so alive, so elated and terrified at the same time. My heart was heavy, with need, with the fear that this would end, that at some point his body would move away from mine, and I would be empty once more.
I dropped my hands either side of his head and slowed my pace, lifting clear away from his cock and gently sliding back down. Bringing one hand back up, I started rubbing my clit and he growled in appreciation, revealing his fangs – which turned me on even more. I rubbed at myself furiously, throwing my head back and moaning his name.
Then, he lost it.
He sprung up and pinned me back beneath him, ramming into me with force. Drawing one of my legs up over his shoulder, he stretched me out and drove in deeper. His grip tightened on my arms, and with the pain came the knowledge that the bruises would be severe.
He pounded into me with such power that I couldn’t catch my breath through the groans. His rhythm never faltered. Each time his cock filled me it was heaven.
Over and over and over for an eternity.
Hard enough that the bed creaked and shifted beneath us. I screamed out in ecstasy, wanting more, wanting it to never end, whilst at the same time feeling like I couldn’t take it. The climax built inside me, spiralling and sprinting towards its desire.
“Fuck! Zac!” I wailed.
The pain had started out small, barely more than a niggle, but it grew, and it grew fast. Ultimately blasting through me like molten lead under my skin. It hurt, everywhere. Such a sweet, exquisite pain.