Page 60 of Savage Lover

I let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess I’ll survive.”

Ben manages to whip up some not terrible looking salads with grilled chicken and arugula. He even found a sweet potato to roast for the side, so I’m happy.

We settle on the couch with our bowls.

“As for storm horror, I think we’re deciding between a truly gruesome and violent movie about some bad dudes who do really bad shit to two girls and then have revenge taken on them by the girl’s parents and a loosely based Agatha Christie-like movie about a bunch of rich kids who hole up in a mansion to ride out a hurricane and die one by one.”

“Did you just give away the ending?”

I laugh. “It’s the plot of most horror movies. Everyone dies except for one. Sometimes two or three.”

“Which movie’s better?”

I crinkle my nose and shrug. “No movie is really better than any other. It’s just a matter of taste. The first one, the violent one, has higher ratings, but the kind of people who would choose that movie are going to rate it high. The second one seems to have a broader appeal based on the premise, so a wider variety of people will try watching it. And some of them will hate it. So, lower overall rating.”

“When you say bad dudes doing really bad shit to a couple of girls, you mean…”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe not that one.”

I nod, happy with his choice. Bodies will make for a more fun evening, I’m sure. “The hurricane film will be perfect for tonight.” I freeze, remote in hand, and turn to him, my mouth wide in horror. “Wait, you don’t think there will be a hurricane here tonight, do you?”

Ben smiles kindly and shakes his head. “It’s not hurricane season. We’re going to get high winds and some rain, but the house is built to withstand it. We have a generator as well for when we lose power.”

“When?”

Another smile, this one slightly more evil. “Scared?”

“No. Of course not.”

“We’re safe out here. Faraday tends to fare a bit worse in storms like this because the storm drain systems clog easily, and the sewer system is pretty shallow due to the underground coral and rock.”

“But we’re okay out here.”

He pulls me to his side and kisses the top of my head in a move so sweet that I nearly panic. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I order the television to turn on so I don’t have to respond.

We finish our dinner in the first twenty minutes of the movie, which is lucky considering the high gore level that hits about forty minutes in. It's deliciously bloody and violent, each spoiled rich kid meeting their death in a different, highly creative way.

The hurricane rages outside the house they’re holed up in, preventing anyone from leaving. Our own storm is raging as well, lashing against the windows and making me jump just as often as the scares on screen.

Ben has pulled me closer and closer throughout the movie, so by the time the credits roll, and the power finally flashes out, I’m pretty much in his lap.

I let out a little scream as the room goes dark. Then I giggle.

This is so much fun.

“Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”

His lips land on mine, and I really do feel safe here in his arms. I open and let him enter me, his tongue smoothing over my teeth and the inside of my mouth. He’s taller than me, pressing down while holding tightly to my waist as I sit on his lap. He’s so naturally powerful, so effortlessly in control, it’s an instant turn-on.

I want his power overtaking me.

I try to pull away, but he only relinquishes my mouth, keeping the rest of my body close. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I want to go look at the storm.”

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