Page 111 of Sick Bargain

Yes, I did. I made a bargain without boundaries before, but I won’t make that mistake again. This time, when I give up my rights and my life, I’m going to do it willingly and with a clear head.

“Own me,” I say, setting the first term. “But love me, too.”

He snarls behind me, but I can’t see his face to know what his monsters are doing.

“Fuck me and force me and abuse me,” I set the second term. “But make love to me, too. Learn how.”

His fingers slip free, and the head of his cock presses against me. “You’re the one who needs to learn how.” His hands shove my legs together and his cock fucks through the space between my thighs. “You’re all dire and harsh.”

“I am?!” I scoff, the water getting too hot now. “You don’t do gentle, remember?”

Gently, just to defy me, his hands massage my hips, his cock ruts through my thighs, and his tongue slowly licks the side of my neck. “I do,” he whispers. “You’re the one who turns everything so harsh.”

Liar. Partially. We both do.

Krypt pulls my wet shirt over my head, and I spin in his hold, letting my soggy pants slap to the tile floor. Looking him straight in his eyes, I pull his shirt off and push his pants down, reaching around to caress his taut ass. In the mirror behind him, I see our names tattooed onto his back, and everything inside me settles into a calm so comfortable I feel my muscles relax.

“Show me how,” Krypt says.

How to do gentle. Make love. Be soft. Intimacy without the depravity.

“We can learn together.” I lift my leg and drape it over his hip, pulling him against me.

He grabs my leg and holds it in place, bending slightly to line himself up. When he pushes inside me, it’s slow and filling, drawing a hitched breath from both of us. Holding the sides of his neck, I force his face right in front of mine.

“Look at me.”

He does, and he doesn’t look away. The eye contact that used to scare me with its intensity doesn’t do anything but ground me anymore. I’ve never looked into another person’s eyes and seen everything I love before. All of him. His monsters, his sexual vulnerability and the way he gets angry about being embarrassed by it, and the way he looks back at me, like he’s never met someone who wants to see these parts of him.

When he’s all the way inside me, I let out a breath, parting my lips. I might not be able to wash my own body or use my own soap, but with the level of comfort and safety I feel, it doesn’t matter. Krypt will wash me of my sins and decorate me with new ones just to cleanse me forever.

“I love you,” I whisper.

Then the softness turns to obsession, and I know he loves me back.

THE END.

Rank next.

37

+++ RANK+++

DIRECTOR

Take over Vile House,they said.

It’ll be fun,they said.

Yeah, because leading a group of ten psychotic, impulsive assholes is exactly my definition of fun.

Nothing but fucking trouble and fires I have to put out. Sometimes literal ones.

Goddammit, I love them all.

“Line up!” I shout as soon as I storm into the con room. Spent the morning being briefed by Media, the one in charge of making sure our crimes, identities, and jobs don’t get leaked. Was not expecting such a shit show, but here we are. Shouldn’t even be surprised at this point.

The ten of them get into rank, half of them snickering, the other half bored. All of them cocky and pissing me off. Kyd giggles because that idiot finds everything funny, and I hate that I love him for it. But Krypt and Ghost? They glare at each other, and I make a mental note to keep an eye on it. They fight, but not deeply, and it upsets everything when they’re off balance. Riot hides a devious grin behind their backs, but I don’t have the time to dissect it right now.

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