Page 86 of Dark Awakening

I desperately chug metallic tap water, then scavenge the fridge for anything edible. Leftover Chinese takeout survives the scrutiny. I toss it in the microwave as penance for my reckless overindulgence, tapping my foot impatiently while the leftovers rotate.

As sobriety slowly dawns like a hangover headache, howling doubts descend. Was braving the night solo truly wise in my vulnerable state? But I angrily shove them back down my throat. I won't question my hard-fought freedom or allow the specters of powerful men to dominate my destiny any longer!

A sudden chill crawls up my spine as I lean brooding against the counter. Before I can react, uneasy panic rising, I sense him there lurking in the shadows. My pulse stutters as I slowly turn.

A small gasp escapes at the sight. Rhyland before me in a flash, muscular arms wrapping fiercely around my waist with heated familiarity. Shock and outrage detonate through me instantly. I struggle to form words and move in his crushing embrace.

"What the fu—?"

His hand caresses my face with impossible gentleness while self-loathing twists his own. "I've missed you...I'm so sorry—"

Volcanic fury abruptly consumes me. My palm connects with his cheek in a resounding slap, the crack echoing loudly off indifferent walls. He growls low, but I strike again before he fully turns back. My flaming handprint brands his skin, pain irrelevant.

I step away, trembling with emotion, as I roar, "How dare you just show up here!"

Rhyland stays silent as I raise my hand to slap him a third time. But with unnatural speed, he grabs my wrist mid-air, clenching it in an unbreakable vise. He pulls me roughly against him again, my pounding heart the only barrier between us now.

A deep chuckle rumbles through his chest. "Feisty as ever I see..." His voice drops intimately as he implores, "Just listen for a moment—"

I cut him off sharply, outrage spilling forth unchecked. "Fuck listening, Rhyland! You vanish for weeks, then reappear expecting obedience?"

He forces my arms behind my back, shoving me to the counter with unnatural strength. I strain furiously against his immovable muscle but can't break his hold.

"I'm not going anywhere now, baby," he murmurs, desire crudely tenting the front of his trousers already. His large hand fists my hair roughly, wrenching back my head to meet his magnetic stare.

"You will submit, Angel...one way or another." His erection grinds against me, trapping me between unbreakable arousal and the slick marble surface. Defiance wars with involuntary need as he lowers those smirking lips to mine.

His agile tongue teases my clenched mouth relentlessly, reawakening muscle memory of more carnal joinings. My traitorous body ignites, desire coursing through me under his expert touch. How I've missed his taste, his possessive and worshipful claiming of my flesh...

Unable to resist his silent urging, I parted my lips with a ragged moan. His answering growl vibrates along my spine as his tongue plunges inside to dance sensually with mine. My mind whites out under the blistering onslaught...thought, anger, everything subsumed in our all-consuming union.

Rhyland

45

Her lips taste just as I remembered—sweet like the angel she is. Danica is a drug I can never get enough of. Knowing she would be furious, her anger only arouses me more.

My angelic beauty fears abandonment trauma that surfaces from her past. Vanishing without explanation reawakened those wounds. But her intensity confirms how deeply she feels for me.

Seeing her feisty fire, the way she rained slaps on me, ignited desire deep within. Scorching pleasure rushed through my veins. I want her badly.

When we arrived back in Seattle, I came straight here, panicked, until I caught her scent at the nearby bar. Like old times, I watched unseen as she and Emily eventually left. I kept my distance as Danica staggered home.

Now, I'm desperate to be joined with her once more. I'll let my passion overwhelm her until she's trembling for me. I'll leave no part of her untouched or unfulfilled.

I ravage her lips, feeling her heart pound against my chest. She reluctantly pulls back, skin flushed and damp.

Her smoldering eyes whisper, "I hate you..." But her body sings a different melody.

I know she doesn't truly hate me, only the pain I caused her. I chuckle and retake her mouth in a deep kiss. "Hate me then, baby," I purr, "while I worship your body."

She initially resists, but soon, her mouth moves hungrily with mine, pent-up longing spilling out.

I thrust my tongue onto hers, and the sensation of her moan slides down my throat. I run my hands over her smooth skin, grabbing hold of her voluptuous ass and kneading it gently to elicit more aroused noises from her lips. She clings to me as if she needs me to survive. I relish the sounds she makes as I awaken more of her needs. Her body comes alive around me, begging for my touch.

I spot the blue, purplish wound on her neck, and my heart clenches. A deep gouge as if something had savaged her throat and dared to claim her. I take a deep breath, anger coursing at the thought of someone else touching what is mine.

I try to keep my voice level as I ask her, “What happened?”

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