Page 65 of Scarred Souls

Hope was far more innocent than I’d imagined. And I’d almost put her on her hands and knees, fisted her hair, and shoved my cock deep inside her. Her lack of experience made what had happened in the casita even worse.

Had that been her first sexual experience with a man? Me forcing her against a wall while I jerked off, fantasizing about ruining her pussy, and coming all over her back? The devil would have to invent a special place in hell for a depraved beast like me.

“Why not?” she asked, wearing a confused frown.

“Why not?” I almost yelled but managed to keep my voice down so we didn’t wake Daphne. “Because I’m a fucking animal, Hope, and you’re a virgin. I can’t be what you need.”

She laughed bitterly. “And you would know what I need.”

“I damn sure know what you don’t.”

“Don’t treat me like a kid. If I can take Purple BOB, I can take you.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident about that.”

Hope rolled her eyes as though I were exaggerating about my size. I wasn’t. And that toy wasn’t two hundred thirty pounds of man thrusting into her with days of built-up sexual tension.

“So that’s it.” She folded her arms and shrugged. “You’re going to sleep on the floor of my room every night, and nothing will happen between us, because you think I couldn’t possibly handle a man like you?”

“Now you’re catching on.”

“Wow.” Derision filled her laugh. “Rejected by a jackass. I’ve reached a new low.” Hope climbed back under the sheets and pulled them up to her ribs. “You know what? That’s fine, because I just remembered something. I don’t need you.” She pitched a spare pillow at my head, and I caught it.

Didn’t need me? What the hell did that mean?

She switched the lamp off. “Sleep well, Grim.”

22

HOPE

Iwas sick of the way everyone treated me.

The people of Playa de la Palmera, although friendly, still considered me an outsider.

Jorge had thought of me as nothing more than breeding stock and his guarantee of succeeding to the cartel throne.

My father wanted to use me as a pawn in his revolting game of corruption and power.

And now, Vaughn tried to handle me as if I were an immature, naive girl and he knew better than me.

I might be inexperienced, but I was ready to change that. And the sad truth? Vaughn might be the only man I could sleep with and not worry about his safety where my father and Jorge were concerned. Not that Vaughn wasn’t in danger—he was up to his eyeballs in it—but having sex with me wouldn’t make him more of a target than he already was.

That wasn’t why I wanted him. Vaughn’s presence, strength, and darkness all called to me in an unsettling way. I shouldn’t want a man so possessive, dominant, and capable of committing violence, but if I was honest with myself, that side of him turned me on. I’d have to overanalyze that disturbing realization later.

I knew Vaughn didn’t like to be touched. I never imagined he’d be a gentle lover, yet I still craved him. But he’d turned me down, and his rejection stung.

Time to teach him a lesson and show him just how lacking in innocence I was.

During our scuffle, Purple BOB had landed somewhere on the floor, and I wasn’t about to go searching for it now, so I reached into the nightstand drawer and snatched up whichever toy met my fingers first.

When I slammed the drawer shut, Vaughn asked, “What are you doing?”

“Finishing what you started.”

Even though only a small shimmer of moonlight passed through the curtains in the dark room, I knew exactly what I held in my hand. My small bullet vibrator. It wasn’t Purple BOB, but it’d get the job done.

I held down the button until the toy buzzed.

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