Page 45 of Dare To Live

My grip on her hair tightens. “Stand up.” I don’t wait, rising to my feet and pulling her up with me.

“You’re hurting me.”

“Anything I want,” I remind her, my voice grim.

“So that’s what the plan is? To hurt me?”

“It should be.” I loosen my fingers and drop my hand. “You hurt me. It’s only fair that I return the favor, but no.” I pull up my underwear and sweats, then step past her. “Come with me.”

I walk along the hallway until I reach the guestroom she’s been staying in and throw open the door.

“Inside.”

“Are you going to walk away from me?” She slips past me and enters the bedroom.

I shake my head. “No. But I’m not giving you a closure fuck in my bed.”

Closure fuck. There will never be closure between us. She’s too deep under my skin for that.

Are you really going to go through with this? You know the minute you get a taste of her, you’re not going to want to let her go again.

I ignore the voice in my head and follow Arabella into the room, kicking the door shut behind me. I prop my back against the door, and fold my arms, watching as she moves deeper into the room. She makes no attempt to conceal her body. Her hands are loose at her sides, her hips swaying as she walks toward the bed. When she reaches it, she turns to face me.

I can’t help but compare the woman in front of me with the girl I’d gone out of my way to ruin, and then fallen in love with ten years ago. There’s barely any trace of the shy virgin any longer. She’s confident, at ease with her body, unconcerned by the fact I’m looking at her.

“Enjoying the view?”

My eyes shift from her breasts to her face. “You’re more toned than you used to be.”

“I work out a lot.”

“Self-defense classes.” I think back to her grabbing my wrist.

She nods. “And kickboxing.”

“So, you’re a badass these days?” I’m not even being sarcastic. I like that she’s taken steps to make sure she’s protected.

A sad smile pulls her lips up briefly. “Let’s just say I won’t be as easily overpowered now as I was back then.” She sits on the edge of the mattress. “You don’t have to make conversation, you know. I’m a sure thing.”

My gaze dips back to her breasts, her nipples hard and pointed, then down over her stomach, and settles between her legs. She shifts position, giving me a brief glimpse of her pussy before crossing one leg over the other.

“You seem very eager to get my dick inside you.” I push away from the wall and cross the room to stand in front of her.

“And for all your talk of doing whatever you want to me, you don’t seem very interested in touching me at all.” She leans back, propping herself up on her elbows. “What’s wrong, Eli? Been hiding in the woods for so long that you’ve forgotten what to do with your cock?”

“My dick works just fine, thank you.”

She tips up her chin and smirks. “Prove it, then.”

I take another step forward, and nudge her legs apart with my knee so I can stand between them. Her tongue licks across her lips, and she tilts her head back to look up at me. The pose triggers the artist in me. I want to capture her just like this—blue eyes dark, lips full and pouting, nipples hard and begging to be sucked— and I know that once she’s gone and I’m alone again, this moment will inspire a hundred images.

I trace over her lips with one finger, along her jaw and then slide my hand into her hair and pull her head back further.

“Last chance to back out.”

Her hand lifts to squeeze my dick through my sweats. “Fuck me like you hate me, Eli.”

Bending, I press my lips to her ear. “I’m going to fuck you because I hate you, Arabella.”

---