Page 18 of A King So Savage

Kingston’s lips curved. “Beg me. Maybe I’ll listen.”

The cruel taunt galvanized Ava. She almost succeeded in jerking free of his grasp, but Kingston’s arm tightened around her waist. When he slowly released her hands, she immediately gripped his arm.

“Go to hell,” she raged, digging her nails into his muscled forearm as it pressed harder against her stomach.

The sting of it made him laugh.

But most of all, it made him hard.

“Not without experiencing a slice of Heaven first.” He spun her around and saw the startled confusion in her eyes. “There are so many ways I can take from you, Ava. And none of them diminish your value as a virgin.” He brushed his knuckles over the soft curve of her cheek.

Her teeth sank into his index finger.

Kingston did not even flinch. Instead of shaking her off, he bent his head to the spot where her neck met the slope of her shoulder. The need to tame her was a roaring fire in his blood. The desire to dominate surged into an overpowering lust.

He bit her there, his teeth finding the softest part of her. Although there was sure to be a mark left behind, he carefully avoided breaking the skin. He only wanted to bruise her, not maim her.

Ava screamed.

The moment her teeth released him, Kingston raised that same hand and wrapped it around her throat.

Squeezing until she hovered on the edge of choking, he leaned away and stared into her eyes. Eyes now dark green and hazy with pain.

“Wicked little lamb,” he drawled, smearing the blood from his finger onto the skin of her throat. “Do that again. I dare you. Because I have a particular contraption that will solve this problem. Once I strap it on you, it will keep that mouth of yours completely open and make biting impossible. Then I’ll use that sweet hole for my pleasure until I come down your throat. Do you understand me?”

Kingston waited until her head bobbed in an almost imperceptible acknowledgment. For good measure, he flexed his fingers in case she doubted he meant every word before slowly letting her go.

Ava stumbled backward, catching herself against the edge of the vanity counter. Coughing, she rubbed her neck and watched him as warily as one might a lion on the prowl.

Bloodied, disheveled, injured, and terrified, she looked like she’d been in a battle. In some respect, she had. But there was no winning the war in this case. Kingston would emerge victorious every time.

“Now, back to the business at hand,” he stated calmly, turning on the tub’s faucets. “Remove your clothing, Ava. Don’t make me strip you. Knowing how Carson has treated you over the years, I can’t imagine you would enjoy that sort of thing. I’m happy to oblige if you want it handled that way, but you should know something. I don’t do gentle. I will hurt you and enjoy every minute of it.”

The reminder of her brother’s cruelty had her eyes widening with remembered fear. And Kingston knew a sudden urge to find that man. To break him in two. To make him suffer. To make him pay for the things he’d done to Ava in their years of growing up. He only knew half of Carson’s mistreatment of his little sister, but it was enough to exact revenge on Ava’s behalf.

Why he cared was disturbing on its own.

She likely considered resistance but, instead, Ava briefly closed her eyes. A shudder of defeat racked her body with the realization of her helplessness. She would be compliant—at least momentarily.

“I won’t give you the pleasure of ripping my clothes off.” With a shaky hand, Ava undid the button to her shorts, then shimmied out of them. Next, she pulled the black tank top over her head, tossing it aside. Now clad only in a pretty pair of silky black underwear and matching bra, she straightened to her full height and glared at him.

Kingston tested the water’s temperature, his eyes roaming her delightful body. The fullness of her breasts encased in lacy material made his mouth water. “All of it.” He motioned with an impatient hand, fingers twitching with the urge to stroke her skin.

“Creep,” Ava muttered beneath her breath as she undid the front clasp of the bra. She hesitated for a second, then let it drop. The underwear was next, and when she was completely nude before him, Kingston approached her once more.

She trembled but did not move as he ran a hand across her collarbone and down to the peak of one breast. Her nipples were tight buds of pale pink, contracting both from his perusal and the coolness of the bathroom.

“Your punishment and my taste of paradise,” he murmured while tweaking her flesh between bloodied fingers. Her moan of despair filled the room as he pinched the peaks harder. When he cupped her other breast within his palm, smoothing it with a soft caress, she swayed unsteadily against him. Fear and hunger were taking a toll on her body, leaving her pliable and accepting in the numbness.

Before he changed his mind, Kingston bent over her, sucking one nipple into his mouth. Laving the tip with his tongue, he savored the sweet taste of her flesh.

Ava cried out in alarm, arching her back.

It was like waving a red flag at a bull.

Confirmation that she wasn’t completely immune to whatever had sparked between them.

She’s fucking exquisite.

---