Page 25 of Marked

“I just wanted the pain to match.” I cover his hand with mine, but he shakes it off.

“I’m not done looking.” He shifts me so that he can see the other leg better, the outside of my thigh.

“It’s ugly. I know.”

His gaze snaps up to me.

“Nothing about you is ugly, Harley. And don’t say it again.” There’s a warning there, and I’m not going to tempt it.

When he’s finished his inspection, he moves me from his lap so I’m sitting next to him on the bed again.

He pushes my legs apart to kneel between them.

Capturing my face between his hands, he leans down, bringing his mouth just a breath from mine.

“From now on, you don’t do this.” He pushes my head back, lining up our gazes.

His stare is too intense; I have to look away. A bubble forms in my chest, and it’s painful, it’s pleasureful, I can’t tellthe difference. And the longer I stare into his beautiful eyes, the bigger the bubble gets.

“Harley,” he snaps my name until I meet his eyes again. “You don’t ever do this again, understood? If you need this, you tell me.”

I blink.

“Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” I say, because I do.

His mouth crashes down over mine. It’s a deep kiss, hard and unyielding and I melt right into it.

I mewl when he bites down on my lip. He releases me a breath later, bringing his gaze to line with mine again.

“I’m the only one who gets to hurt you, Harley. Do you understand?”

I press my hands against his chest. “I understand, Zack.”

“When it’s too much, you tell me.” He runs the back of his hand across my cheek. “I’ll make it better. I’ll make it the same for you.”

“Yes, Zack.” I nod and lean into him, pressing my lips against his. At first, I’m sure he’s going to push me away. But he doesn’t.

He wraps his hand around the back of my neck, and he pushes his body into me until my back is pressed against the mattress. His hand sinks into my hair, tugging it at its roots.

My body hums with the pain, and I wrap my arms around him, holding him to me, afraid he’ll float away if I don’t.

His free hand slides down my body until he gets to the hem of my nightshirt. Bunching it up in his hand, he pushes it up over my hips.

“These panties need to go,” he mutters against my lips. “I want to feel you, Harley. All of you.” He leans up on his forearm. A tingle is left on my scalp where he held my hair.

“Yes,” I agree. I want that too. No. I need it.

“If you take them off, I’m going to fuck you.” He says this so softly, I almost miss how threatening it sounds.

“Yes.”

“You can say no.” He palms my cheek. “You should probably say no, because once I have you. I’m never going to let you go.”

“You say that like it should be bad, but it doesn’t feel bad.” I nibble on my lip.

“I don’t ever want to make you feel bad.”

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