I glared at her, so angry that I could barely see straight.

“What the fuck did you say to me?” I asked.

My voice was rough, a low growl.

Hope didn’t flinch.

“You heard me,” she said.

I blinked, and was on her in an instant.

Hope

I realized,far too late, that perhaps that wasn’t what I should have said.

Had confirmation of that when Nico scooped me up like I was nothing.

I already knew he was strong, but his rage only made him seem that much stronger.

Weeks ago, I would have cowered in the face of that strength.

Not now.

I let him carry me.

Didn’t flinch when he literally ripped the clothes from my body.

Didn’t cower when he pushed me down on the bed, then stripped himself. Or when he kneeled in front of me and pushed my thighs apart, splaying my legs so wide that my hips protested at the angle.

Didn’t even blink when he entered me with one hard thrust, his thickness stretching me, his length burrowing inside me.

His forearms were hooked under my knees, and his cock was buried inside me, his thrusts so hard that his balls smacked my ass and his muscles bulged with the effort.

There was no hint of tenderness, none of the softness, sweetness, that I had come to expect, even when Nico was at his roughest.

No, this was meant to be punishment. This was Nico pushing me away.

I refused to let him.

I pushed up on my elbows as best I could against the soft mattress, and lifted my hips to meet his thrusts.

His eyes, which he had closed, popped open with surprise.

I kept my gaze locked on his, refusing to look away. He stilled, but I didn’t. I just kept fucking myself on his cock, thrusting as hard as he had.

Harder, even.

I kept my gaze lasered on his as I moved, trying to bury as much of him as I could inside of me, despite the awkward angle, that telltale quiver in my stomach, my undeniable desire for him more important than anything.

I didn’t even blink as I came, just kept my eyes on his as my pussy spasmed around his cock. When I clamped down hard, he finally lost it, seeming caught off guard as he spurted his cum inside of me.

I kept still as his body spasmed, and he throbbed inside of me.

Didn’t move until he softened and slipped out of me, a trail of our combined fluids following him.

Eyes still locked on his, I pushed myself up and kneeled in front of him.

He was stiff when I wrapped my arms around him, but I still held him tight.