He was going to take me.

The ache growing in intensity between my thighs began to overpower everything else I felt. When we came together like this, it blasted through the things unspoken and pulled us closer. I wanted our union, the chaos of it. I wanted to release everything, all over again.

I wanted to be helpless to the fire melding us together.

He leaned down, his body pressing against mine, his weight pinning me to the bed as his lips hovered inches from mine. I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin, and my body squirmed beneath his, an itch racing across my skin that demanded to be scratched.

His hand gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him, his fingers digging into my flesh with a pressure that sent a wave of surrender through me.

"You will scream my name today," he growled, his voice low and rough, the sound vibrating through me like a shockwave. "Do you understand that?"

I swallowed hard, my body trembling beneath him, but I couldn't speak. My mind was spinning, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I felt that familiar feeling creep over me—submission.

His hand tightened on my jaw, his fingers bruising as he forced my head back. Then his lips crashed against mine with bruising intensity.

The kiss was punishing. There was no softness, no tenderness. Only raw possession, his tongue invading my mouth, demanding everything from me. I whimpered, my body straining against the ropes, forcing the coarse restraints to bite me again.

Nikita's legs parted my thighs, forcing through my resistance, something I only put up because I knew how my body would react. And I didn't want him to know how badly I needed to feel him rubbing demandingly against my core.

I felt him inching closer, sinking between my legs, and I arched to meet him, trembling as I gave in, moaning into his mouth. With a grunt, he shoved a hand between us and hiked my skirt up, not breaking the kiss. I felt his urgent groping and wrenched my mouth away to suck in air. His teeth found my throat as he tore my panties off, and I hissed as I felt the sharp complaint of the fabric before it ripped apart.

I clung to the pain he gave me. The burn of the rope, his rough touch and bruising teeth, they all came together to ease the guilt—if only temporarily—and let me believe that I could make it all better.

If only for tonight.

And when he demanded entrance into my slick hole, taking me in one hard thrust, I arched off the bed, crying out as I clenched my fists. I completely lost control at the moment. His thrusts only increased in intensity, in urgent need, his breath hot in my ear as he continued to whisper between grunts and ragged breaths.

"Scream my fucking name."

I screamed, alright. My cries filled the room as he pounded me into the bed without restraint, not a thought in my head, my brain unable to form words. There was only Nikita, only us, and as each second passed, I was more and more a greedy little hole for him.

I fucked him back, spreading my legs wide, urging him deeper, harder, deeper!

I had tried to run away, but pinned beneath him and starving for his cock, it was like I was sprinting much faster back into his arms, feeling like I never wanted to part again.

Emotion welled in my chest like a flood. How I wanted to be deserving of this, how I wanted to offer him an untainted love. But all I could offer him was submission, greedily taking what he would give me until he left me meek and guilty again.

"Scream my fucking name!" he demanded, his fingers like a vice on my hip.

"Nikita!" I finally yelled. "Nikita, take me!"

The moment I said his name, his hand moved between my legs, his fingers finding the sensitive spot that made me cry out in the sweetest pleasure. My body bucked against him, my breath coming in shallow, desperate gasps as the orgasm ripped through me, powerful and all-consuming.

Nikita groaned, his grip on my hips tightening as he chased his own release, his body tense as he took everything he wanted from me. His thrusts became harder, more erratic, until finally, with a low, guttural sound, he found his release, his body collapsing against mine as he spilled into me.

We lay there for a moment, tangled together, both of us breathing heavily as the intensity of what had just happened settled over us. Nikita didn't move, his weight pressing down on me, his breath hot against my skin. The ropes still held my wrists to the bed, and the marks they left on my skin would be a reminder of the ruthless way he had claimed me.

And I knew, in that moment, that there was no escape, not from my lies, not from the guilt.

And not from him.

CHAPTER 11

Nikita

The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the bedroom, casting long shadows across the room. But the sunlight did nothing to pierce the darkness brewing inside me. I stood by the window, watching the trees sway in the wind outside the estate, but my mind was far from peaceful. Every passing minute fed the fire in my chest, the fury that had been building since last night.

I clenched my jaw, the memories of our night together playing over and over in my head. The way she had submitted, the way her body had reacted to me—it should have been enough to satisfy the storm inside me. But it wasn't. If anything, it had only made things worse. The need for answers burned even hotter now, a relentless ache that wouldn't go away.