“Your heart?” I laid her gently on the bed, my voice snappish with worry. “What’s wrong with your heart?”
Please don’t be like the others.
Please!
Her ability at conversation broke. She writhed on the white sheets, her thighs parting wide, exposing every delectable inch of her.
My cock thickened, despite all the shit going on. She grabbed my hand, guiding it to her glistening pussy. I denied her, tugging back all while she dragged me forward.
I couldn’t touch her. Not while her life still hung in the balance.
Wait a little longer, Jinx.
A cough sounded behind me.
Yanking my touch from Eleanor’s greedy grasp, I spun around.
The two assholes hadn’t obeyed me. They’d followed and stood on the threshold of the bedroom, gawking at Eleanor, seeing every indecent part of her.
She didn’t care her most intimate places were on erotic display.
But I fucking did.
“Come another step closer...I dare you.” My fists clenched into stones, planting myself in front of her exposure.
They crossed their arms, slouching against opposite ends of the double door entrance. The short one licked his lips. “Looking is free, and fuck, she’s worth looking at.”
I bared my teeth, wishing all over again that I had elongated canines that could rip out his jugular. “Come another step, and it will cost you your life.”
The copper-haired one smirked. “The promise of over a million bucks will keep us right here. We won’t come in, but we’re not leaving either.” He waved his gun, my faulty stare making it flicker. “So...give her what she wants.” His head cocked, trying to see around my roadblock. “She’s gagging for it. Might as well fuck her.”
The short one shifted, his hand rearranging the front of his pants, clutching his disgusting hard-on.
It took every restraint not to murder them where they stood. I took a step toward them, my blood boiling, feeding yet more false power to my sadly depleted muscles.
But Eleanor cried out, a frustrated snarl tangled with a miserable whimper.
Her voice was a collar, yanking me back to her.
Dismissing the bastards without another thought, I turned to her, and my heart splattered cold and terrified on the floor.
She looked so, so white. Her usual island-glow horribly lost amongst the deathly pallor creeping over her. Even her lips were turning a nasty shade of purple, red gallantly clinging even as blue did its best to paint.
“Jinx.” I snatched the spare cream-coloured blanket from the bottom of the bed. Covering her, I rubbed her arms, encouraging blood flow to heat her up. “You’ll be okay—”
“I won’t fucking be okay!” She tried to kick it off. “I need, Sully. I need. God, I need.”
Fucking hell!
No more elixir.
No more fucking drugs.
I was burning every goddamn orchid and smashing every corrupting vial.
If she died because of this—if she took her last breath because of me...I’d never fucking forgive myself.
Violent guilt punched me as Eleanor shoved off the blanket and arched her spine. Her stretch accented every curve and shadow, intoxicating and inviting men to devour.
Her hand flopped to the side, imploring me to join her on the bed. “Sully. I need you inside me.”
The men chuckled. “Gonna fuck her, mate? She’s still begging. What sort of twat denies a woman when she begs?”
I swallowed dagger shards as I weighed up what the hell I could do.
Relieve her and run the risk of company? Don’t relieve her and run the risk of her dying?
Shit!
“If you don’t fuck her, I volunteer.” The short one increased his voice. “Need a cock, pretty girl? I have one for ya.” He grabbed his crotch with a sickening grin.
Eleanor’s grey eyes flashed to him.
I froze, hoping to hell I wouldn’t see an invitation there. That she wasn’t so far gone to offer herself to him right in front of my miserable face. That she’d screw a goddamn stranger because of her elevated lust.
If she did...that was a punishment I deserved.
If she welcomed him to take her...that was my penance.
I’d made her become this wild.
She was this creature because of me.
And the reality of the situation smashed through the rest of my fucked-up morals, forcing me to admit that I couldn’t do this anymore.
I couldn’t be this asshole who played with other’s lives.
All lives mattered.
Not just animals.
Human too.
And I’d been exploiting them.
I’d abused them for my own gains.
I’d killed without a second thought.
I’d farmed out their bodies because I didn’t give a shit.
But watching Eleanor slowly fade before my eyes—to witness her vitality snuffed out by a drug that I’d created...fuck, I can’t.
How could I ever feed a woman elixir again?
How could I accept money from men who were exactly like me with their empty hollow hearts?
Jinx had made me human.
Eleanor had made me care.
And just like that...my entire fucking empire was over.
If I managed to kill Drake tonight, I couldn’t continue preying on any soul—four-legged or two.
Eleanor groaned as a full-body clench made her stiffen on the bed. The short mercenary left the threshold, daring to step toward her, transfixed by her parted lips and sinuous, sensual thirst.
I prepared to kill again. To steal his life for daring to steal the only thing that made sense to me.
Eleanor locked eyes with him. Her need flared, her eyelashes fluttered, and her gorgeous face softened in hello.
No.
My knees buckled.
Bile washed up my gullet.
The man grinned, and took another fucking step.
I didn’t know if I wanted to goddamn cry or kill every last male on the planet.
But then...Eleanor mewled and tossed her head on the sheets, spreading knotted hair, her tongue licking her bottom lip, her gaze struggling to find mine. “Sully.” Tears glossed the grey, spilling quicksilver down her cheeks. “Please, Sully. It has to be you. No one else. You.”
Jesus Christ.
She’d just given me redemption I didn’t deserve. Her fidelity, even in the height of her heat, dismissed every other vow we’d uttered this far. She’d not only taught me how to trust, but in one sentence had evolved our connection from fledgling to forever.
Even out of her ever-loving mind, she refused another male.
She remained loyal and true to me.
Me.
My own greed spilled out of control. I was weak and sick, but seeing her so pure and potent undid me.
Snatching her wrist, I hauled her to the edge of the bed and kissed her.
I kissed her in thanks and worship, in punishment and promise.
She moaned so loudly, the men watching us groaned too. Sex exploded in the room, drowning us, making everyone fucking drunk. It would be so easy to pull her onto my lap and stick my cock inside her. So easy to take what she so desperately wanted me to have.
But our audience wouldn’t stay voyeurs. I either had to kill them or get rid of them.
Tearing my mouth from Eleanor’s, I bared my teeth at the men. “I suggest you chase your colleague. He’s taking his sweet time...almost long enough to claim the five million for himself—”
“I didn’t leave, you jackass.”
All of us looked into the lounge where the tall mercenary stood, holding a duffel. It ought to be too heavy to carry with that amount of transportable value, but I hadn’t just stuffed cash in there. There were envelopes of priceless diamonds, bought and stored from Jethro Hawk...waiting for a time when I needed to vanish. Fast.
There’d been a few instances when I’d reached for my emergency stash. A f
ew court cases when I honestly didn’t know if I’d get away with the convictions. But each time, I’d slipped conveniently through the criminal justice system thanks to philanthropy, hefty donations, and well-placed bribes on those I had dirt on.
Thanks to my Goddess Isles, I’d gathered more and more ammunition as I’d welcomed high-powered men to my shores.
Eleanor cried out with furious frustration, kicking off the rest of the blanket, leaving her ripe body on full display. Her eyes glazed with lunacy and her body swelled with a lust that’d transcended all control or care. She’d lost herself, not caring she was the only female in a villa of men.
My chest heaved as I growled at the three bastards, “I’ve kept my side of the bargain. Now, keep yours.” I pointed at the door. “Time to go.”
The tall one opened the duffel, letting his colleagues peer inside. Crisp bundles of hundred-dollar bills and velvet pouches of diamonds. A treasure trove of expensive loot.
They nodded and backed away, wincing from their engorged cocks.
I had no doubt they’d be masturbating on my beach before they left my island. But at least the sand would be smeared with their cum and not my goddamn woman.
I held my breath, waiting for them to leave.
Eleanor chose that unfortunate moment to lose herself further. To beg. Her hips soared into the sky, her fingers found her pussy, and her cry sent needles prickling all over my skin.
“Please.” Her hips worked, thrusting into her hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please!”
Shit.
The men froze.
All three switched from mercenary to monster. The duffel slapped against the floor as the taller one moved between his colleagues, gawking at Eleanor’s stunning svelte body as she writhed.
I groaned as two fingers sank inside her while her other hand strayed to her lips. She fingered herself and bit on her hand as if she needed both holes to be filled, immediately, now.
She flinched, a gasp tumbling from her mouth. Her breath caught as if she couldn’t suck in a proper breath. She choked.
Despite my desire to get rid of our audience, I rushed to her, catching her before she rolled to the side. Her body cooked in my arms, her pulse crazily out of control.
“Breathe, Jinx. Just...calm down.”
Don’t let it kill you.
I fucking forbid it!
Eleanor shuddered, her eyes fluttering and lips wide for breath. Before she’d even satisfied the urge for air, her hands once again crawled down her belly. “I need...I need...” Her beg had a different quality to it. Past desperate and into fearful. Her lust now blended with terror.
She’d been fed a liquid that dilated blood vessels and amplified adrenaline and dopamine.
She needed to come.
Yet I’d forbidden her from seeking relief, pushing her deeper into pain.
No more.
I couldn’t cause her another ounce of agony.
I would wring that damn elixir from her system before it killed her.
I would give her whatever she damn well craved.
Scooping her into my arms, I snarled at the men. “You’ve got your payment. Leave.”
Eleanor slinked in my embrace, twisting with inertia, tripping me until I sat heavily on the bed. The second I sat, she hooked her thigh over my lap and rubbed her drenched pussy against my boxer-clad cock. “Sully...”
Digging my fingers into her biceps, I held her hovering over me. My own heart turned sick with tremors. I caught the gaze of the tall mercenary, my possessiveness inching closer to wretched begging. “Take the cash and go!”
He shook his head. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“My gift is non-negotiable.”
He licked his lips. “We won’t touch or interfere. We won’t hurt you or her. But we aren’t leaving.” He looked at the two men on either side of him, his shoulders bracing with mutual conviction. “We’ve accepted your deal. She’s safe from us, and we will get off your island without further bloodshed. However, we’re not leaving until after the show.”
My pulse boiled. “There is no fucking show.”
“There’s about to be.” He crossed his arms, arching his chin at the velvet chairs by the small dining table. “We’ll sit down. We’ll stay out of your way and leave the moment you’re done. But we’re gonna stay and watch you fuck her as well as take your money.”
The copper-haired cunt marched to the chairs, dragging two across the floor. The shorter one followed suit, parking his seat over the threshold of the bedroom just as Eleanor slipped her hand into my boxers.
I grunted, my belly clenching.
It fucked me off that I was hard.
This island had turned into a torture chamber and a mortuary, so sex should be at the very bottom of my priorities.
But not for Eleanor.
And not for me because I loved her, craved her, owned her.
Owe her.
The men eyed up her beauty as they sat down. I clutched her harder, furious that they looked at what was mine. But...in some recess of my mind, some hidden feral part of me, the thought of fucking her in front of them turned me on.
To be the only one with permission.
To be the chosen one allowed to touch a queen.
Fuck yes, it turned me on, and it shouldn’t.
I was sick.
But I was hers, and this was what she needed.
My own injuries and illnesses didn’t fucking matter. Tritec-87 would have to deliver more strength, so I could save the only person who made sense to my murky, miserable world.
Whatever she asked of me, I would deliver.
I gritted my teeth as she fisted me, her breathing hitched and hurried, her heart pounding with irregular rhythm. I loathed the flutter and strange kick in her chest. I hated knowing I was the reason her system suffered.
I’d delayed for too long. I’d driven her closer and closer to an irreversible end.
Eleanor’s lips landed on my throat as I released my hold on her biceps. The second I let her go, her hands scratched at my boxers, shoving them down.
Pointing a finger at the mercenaries, I snarled, “You come anywhere near us, and you motherfucking die.”
“Deal.” The tall one grinned, keeping my stare as he unbuckled his trousers and unzipped. The other two men followed suit, reclining enough to dig into their pants and fist their disgusting hard-ons.
Eleanor rubbed her face against my neck, her ass in the air and her whimpers in my ear.
Three men pulled out their cocks.
She fisted my erection.
She positioned herself above me.
I groaned.
She cried.
Men masturbated in unison.
And Eleanor impaled herself upon me.
Chapter Thirty
HE STRETCHED ME IN all the right places.
His cock was made to fill me. His body tailored perfectly for mine.
The moment I claimed his every inch, he wrapped both hands around my nape, dove his fingers into my hair and slammed his mouth over mine.
He gave himself to me.
He shoved aside the worries, the weaknesses, the wrongness, and gave me everything I asked for.
Three pairs of eyes locked onto us.
Exposure and fear scratched my flesh.
Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I rocked in his lap. He flinched as I put too much weight on his sore leg but he didn’t push me away, didn’t stop me, didn’t deny me.
The orgasm that’d tormented me with canes and floggers, the release that’d become so tangled with my heartbeats that I honestly didn’t know if I’d die or come, no longer knew how to spindle.
I felt strange.
Sick.
Quivery and breathless and horribly aware that something had broken inside me. Elixir played havoc with the electrical pulses of my heart, revealing how fragile such a system was. It played piano with my veins and hammered drums on my muscles, making me weak and wobbly but also singu
larly obsessed with lust.
My denied orgasms mutated into something that transcended my out-of-control libido and systematically murdered the rest of my neurons.
My spine rolled as a full-body clench made me cry.
Sully kissed me harder, his tongue slashing into my mouth, his grip possessive and protective.
The rest of the world fell away.
There was just him.
Him and me.
And pain.
God, make it stop.
Please, please make it stop!
He thrust up, hitting the entry of my womb, bruising me in delicious, damning ways. My hips rocked, and we clung to each other. He permitted me to stay on his lap, taking from him all while an audience kept my shame levels astronomically high.
I burned with blushes.
I shivered with scandal.
I didn’t want others to witness my unravelling. I only wanted Sully and my freedom from this sucking, siphoning death.
I need relief.
Bone-aching, scream-inducing deliverance, but the more I rocked, and the deeper Sully penetrated, the more profound my pain.
A peculiar, piercing pain that whizzed in my arteries and played havoc with my ability to stay alive.
Stop.
Please, stop.
I let more tears rain...my only avenue for release seeing as my body no longer knew how to spill with desire. I cried harder, my hips seeking an explosion. My breasts stung for touch; my core clenched with a never-ending contortion to come.
I gasped, once again forgetting how to breathe.
I was falling...gagging...dying.
My heart flailed in desperation and dementia.
But then, arms lifted me.
We were no longer joined but separated.
A kiss kept me distracted.
The bed cushioned my back as the only male I wanted climbed on top of me. Lips covered mine, weight warmed mine, and the thick consummation of Sully’s affection for me slid hungrily between my legs.
He gave me every inch, driving into me, fierce and controlling all the while he kissed me, feeding the salt of my sadness back onto my tongue.
I gave in.
I stopped fighting to stay alive.
This man would help me.
He’d teach my body how to explode again.
He’d save me from the annihilation of my pulse and the ever-quickening blackness of nothing.
Fourth a Lie (Goddess Isles, #4) Page 24