Page 145 of The Pact

“That wasn’t a fail. I was doing good. I’ve got most of the moves down,” I croak out, my voice hoarse from his grip.

He narrows his eyes at me. “It’s a fail when you’re not hitting me with all of your strength. It’s a fail when you forget a move. It’s a fail if you can’t escape me.”

I huff at his rigid rules. It earns me a glare as he stalks over to me. I can’t help admiring his powerful body as he comes closer. He’s wearing a long sleeve black compression top that clings to every crevice of his muscled body. And the gray sweatpants he’s chosen leave little to the imagination. I force those lustful thoughts away.

Wes doesn’t stop until we’re chest to chest.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I justify.

He doesn’t care about my excuses. “You could never hurt me, not really. I want you to give me your all. Pretend I’m an attacker. Pretend I’m going to kill you.” The words make me recoil. “Maybe I’ve been too lenient with you.” He runs a hand through his messy hair.

“That’s too lenient? I was seeing spots!” Now I’m getting pissed. Wesley’s been nothing but brutal during our mandatory self-defense lessons the last few days. “Maybe your expectations are too high,” I throw back at him. “Or maybe you’re a bad teacher.”

I hate the words as soon as they leave my mouth. However, he’s hurting my feelings with no remorse and I need to bite back. I miss the sweet, doting Wes who took care of me after the attack.

This Wesley is too rough. And not in the way I like.

He bends down, swallowing my chin and jaw in his grip. “My expectations are high. My expectation is for you to fight like you want to live and right now, I’m not buying it.” He lets go with a push and I stumble back. Wes turns and starts walking towards the door. “You know, you were right that night.”

“Yeah, what about?” I ask spitefully, daggering my gaze into his back.

“It was your fault. You put us in danger.” His words don’t even come out harshly, just matter-of-factly.

That’s what does me in. At least if he was bitter or angry, I could understand where he’s coming from.

My feet are moving before I can think. I’m charging towards him, a scream ripping from my already aching lungs and throat. I throw my entire side, shoulder first, into his back. He’s so fucking massive I don’t expect him to do anything more than stumble and swat me away like an annoying pest.

Instead, we’re both flying forward as he hits the ground. Satisfaction swells in my chest as I’m sprawled out over his back. I guess I’m stronger than I thought.

I’ve caught him off guard and I need to capitalize on it.

I let my legs fall on either side of him and grip him tightly with my thighs. One of my hands slides through his hair and I grab a fistful, pulling up to expose his neck. I hook my other arm around it, resting his throat in the crook of my elbow. Then, I squeeze like my life depends on it.

Wesley bucks against me, so I press my knees into his ribs as hard as I can. A gurgle comes from his throat, but I don’t let up—that’s what he wants. He wants me to feel bad and go easy on him so that I prove him right.

I crush his neck harder in response.

Leaning down, I get close to his ear and angle his head so that he can’t throw it back into my face. “Am I hurting you enough now?” I don’t wait for an answer. Something takes over me and I’m biting down on his shoulder.

The first time I bit him, I’d been worried about leaving a mark or making him bleed, but right now, that’s all I want. I’m an animal needing to tear him apart. I half expect him to throw me off or to flip his body so that he’s on top of me, but he doesn’t.

He groans instead. Jesus.

I can’t deny that my body is responding to this as well, although I don’t want to give in that easily. “Am I giving it my all? Does this look like I want to live?” I lift my mouth momentarily to speak the words before burying my teeth in him again. Wesley doesn’t answer—his stubbornness infuriates me. “Answer me,” I growl against his neck.

His neck bobs against the inside of my elbow and he finally pushes out a raspy, “Yes.”

I’m only partially satisfied. He’s awakened something inside of me that needs to be explored. Wes claimed me in the woods, rough and primal. Now it’s my turn.

“Turn the fuck over. Don’t try anything stupid,” I command him.

Pushing up slightly, I test him. He doesn’t try to overpower me, so I loosen my thighs and the grip on his hair, then unhook my arm from around his neck.

I stand and pull down my workout shorts, unashamed and needy.

Wes finishes turning over. He’s propped up on his elbows and sees me naked from the waist down. His eyes widen and his teeth rake over his bottom lip. His cock is already tenting his sweats. That’s enough to bring me to my knees.

I crawl between his legs, my fingers curl into his waistband, pulling off his pants and boxers—freeing him. My tongue darts out, wetting my lips. I slide him into my mouth until he hits the back of my throat. But I’m not here for his pleasure. I’m here for mine—this is my reward for besting him.

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