Page 70 of Demons

“You were fucking another woman.”

He shoved back his chair and stood up. I watched as he stalked around the table, then towered over me before leaning down and grabbing my chin.

“You shouldn’t have pushed me. You ran. I chased. I won’t let you get far. Ever. You let me between your legs. Gave me a taste of that sweet pussy. Now, I need it. I need it like I need the ease you give me. I crave the way you taste. It’s mine. It will always be mine. I’ll kill anyone else who thinks they can touch you.” He released my face and pointed to my plate. “Eat!”

I jumped, startled by his sharp command. My heart was beating against my chest so hard that I was sure he could hear it. I stared at the food on my plate. Panic and desire whirled inside me. Reaching for my burger, I saw the mac and cheese oozing from underneath the bun. I picked up the top, and there it was. My favorite burger toppings. Mac and cheese and mustard with a pickle. No one I knew liked their burgers this way. I had been made fun of it for years. Esther refused to watch me eat burgers, claiming I was gross.

How had he known?

Because he’d been stalking me.

I put the bun back and lifted my eyes to look at him. He was seated across from me again, and his dark eyes were watching me.

“Did I do it correctly?” he asked.

I nodded.

He smirked and picked up his burger to take a bite. He didn’t take his eyes off me, and I knew he wasn’t going to until I ate something. I knew he didn’t intend to kill me. That was a good thing. But he also had decided no other man could touch me but him.

I took a bite and chewed my food. His shoulders seemed to relax as he watched me. Was my eating really that important to him?

“I fuck hard,” he said. “And I can’t hurt you. So, I fucked someone who I didn’t care about hurting. She didn’t mean anything. They never do.”

That might be so, but it was still not enough. I couldn’t accept it. I’d already let him in enough that I cared. I felt things. I didn’t want him to be in any trouble. He wanted to protect me, and I realized I wanted to do the same for him. This path he was forcing me down would end up shattering me. What if I fell in love with him? What then? I’d know he had sex with other women? He’d keep me as some fragile virgin for the rest of my life. I wanted kids one day. I wanted a family. Yes, there was a very messed-up part of me that wanted Thatcher Shephard, but he couldn’t give me the other things.

“I can’t,” I said, trying to think of the right way to say this. “If you aren’t going to fuck me but you want to keep me all to yourself, then that means I’ll die a virgin. I don’t want that. I want to get to live a real life. A full one. Where I have sex, even kids one day. I want a husband. A family. You care about me. So, why don’t you see that I would need those things?”

He said nothing as he stared at me. No emotion flickered in his eyes. I knew he was thinking this through, but he didn’t let on how he felt about it. I wanted to save him from whatever darkness haunted him. But I couldn’t do that at the expense of my heart.

• Thirty-Two •

Yeah, little doll, it’s big and real damn hard.

Thatcher

Forcing the food down my throat was difficult, but I did it as I watched her eat. Her words constantly replaying in my head like a fucking drum beating my skull. I’d given her pleasure. The way her tight cunt had squirted all in my mouth and on my face was proof that I could take care of her. Why did she need to be fucked? And kids? They would need her. Take her away from me. Sharing her was off-limits.

What was so wrong with being a virgin if you had mind-blowing orgasms? She’d gone this long without a cock in her pussy. Not that many hadn’t tried. I’d just made sure they never succeeded. If I couldn’t fuck her, then no one would.

But she wanted it.

I didn’t like her wanting something and not getting it.

The restless tension inside was getting worked up. The more I thought about her wanting to be fucked and the idea of some other man doing it made it worse. Could I fuck her and not snap? Was it possible for me to make it good for her and not get so lost in the fact that I was inside her cunt that I wouldn’t pounded the hell out of it? I could end up pinning her to the fucking bed with my hand around her throat while I sank into her like a man possessed.

My cock jerked, pressing harder against the zipper in my jeans. He wanted inside her. He’d been wanting inside her for years. I adjusted my throbbing erection and watched her drink the rest of her water. She hadn’t eaten all of her food, but she’d had enough. A body her size didn’t require as much.

I stood up with my empty plate and glass, then headed to the sink. I’d deal with these later. Capri needed a shower. She’d been sweating when I took her, and I knew she rested better when she was clean.

“I’ve eaten all I can. But thank you. That was good.” Her soft voice sounded so unsure.

She was scared, and I guessed it was a normal reaction to the events from today. I should have kept the truth about her house to myself. She hadn’t been ready for that. It had spooked her more than anything, it seemed.

I turned and took the plate from her, then placed it on the counter.

“Time for your shower,” I told her, then took her arm and began making my way to the master bath connected to my bedroom she’d been sleeping in.

She remained silent until I opened the door and took her inside.

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