Page 45 of Twisted Thorns

Of course he does. I should have known. I don’t have time to think through that before Kieran is moving the blankets and climbing into my bed. It’s then that I notice he isn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.

“Where are your clothes?”

“In your washing machine. They were dirty.”

Turning over to my side so I can get a better look at him, I realize that his hair is damp. “Did you take a shower?”

Kieran’s forearms come to rest over his eyes. “Yes.”

“Kieran. What did you do?” I sigh, then shove at him when he doesn’t answer. Sitting up, I curl my legs under me, my silk night dress pooling in my lap. I refuse to let Kieran ignore me.

Finally he relents. “Less than he deserved.” Kieran moves his arms and looks at me, and I can see the fury banked there from my encounter with the drunk in the club. The intensity there is almost enough to sweep me away, to lure me into my deepest desires that only the man in front of me seems to bring out. But the connection is severed when Kieran continues. “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Kieran!”

“What? I thought that’s what you wanted. For me to not kill him.”

“Well, yes, of course I didn’t want you to kill him.” I shove a hand through my hair, exasperated. It’s like talking to a child. “But you didn’t need to do anything. I had it handled. He was just a drunk stranger.”

“If you truly believe that, then I don’t think you know me that well.” Kieran sits up, muscles bunching with the movement. He rakes his heated gaze over my body. “Maybe you need a reminder.”

“No, I think you need a lesson in socially acceptable behaviors. You were raised by wolves.”

He smirks at the comparison. “A wolf that’s going to eat you.”

I scoff, frustrated by how differently he sees the situation. I try to come up with a retort, an explanation that will help him understand, but suddenly he’s there, grabbing my arms and yanking me towards him, a tether I can't outrun.

With a growl, he tosses me facedown onto the silky sheets, my mind scrambling with the sudden movement. Before I can process what's happened, he's behind me, pressing his hips against mine as he pins my arms above my head in an iron grip. Leaning down his stubbled jaw scraps my cheek. “You think I'm a monster because I’d kill for you?” he whispers.

“No,” I croak under his punishing hold, “Not a monster. Just misguided.” I attempt to lift my head, but it’s in vain as he shifts his grip on my wrists to release a hand that gathers my hair and shoves my face down as he snarls in my ear.

It’s then that I realize perhaps Kieran is right. He is a monster. One who’s frayed control has splintered under the weight of his code.

His hips snap against mine once again, demanding in their weight. Pleasure snakes along my spine, offering me a moment of clarity in the sea of my mind. We may not be looking at each other right now, but I know in the marrow of my bones that this is Kieran wanting me to see him.

I’m proven right when he rasps as his weight presses against me once more.

“I’ve been holding back on you, Lina. Not anymore. Do you remember your safe word?” He snarls as he lifts his hand on my head so I can answer.

“Yes.” I rasp, ecstasy sparking in my veins as I attempt to move against him and chase the building pleasure.

His free hand slides under my night dress, gripping my hips and lifting them as he shifts his legs to hold mine in place. I’m trapped, held by his hand bound around my wrists and his legs anchoring mine as he slips his hand under my underwear, immediately seeking my slicked core before tracing up to my hardened nub, circling it.

His hand moves away just as my eyes begin to close by the weight of my own desire. Turning my head, I see Kieran lifting his hand to his mouth, licking his fingers with a wolfish gleam in his eyes. The sight would bring me to my knees if I wasn’t already held immobile, caught in Kieran’s snare. Desire flares, hot and bright, and I do my best to bank it, deciding to wait and see what Kieran will do next.

My patience is rewarded as Kieran shoves his hand inside my underwear again, pressing his thumb against my clit as two of his fingers spear me. I can’t control my gasp at the sudden invasion, my walls clenching tight around the welcome intrusion. My body tries to buck and shift, to ride his fingers, but he is an immovable force. The only pleasure I find is what he gives me.

I try to be still, but soon I’m writhing and all at once Kieran’s hand pulls back. Moaning, I struggle in his grasp, seeking the heat of his hand once more. Above me, Kieran chuckles as he begins to trace the outline of my underwear, my breaths becoming pants as I mentally will him to put his hand back at my clenching core, desperate to wait out this game of cat and mouse.

“Kieran, please…” The plea breaks past my clenched teeth.

In response, Kieran just rocks his hips against mine, a clear reminder that he is in charge, no matter how much I beg.

“Please, what?”

“Fuck me,” I sob, “Make me come.”

“Are you sure you want to be fucked by a monster?”

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