Page 37 of Bleeding Outside the Lines

“Up,” he orders. “Get on the bed. Now.”

When I stand, my legs feel wobbly, weak with desire. I sit on the edge of the bed waiting to be told what to do and I would do almost anything for him to touch me right now. But he doesn’t say anything. He twirls a finger in the air, his face stone. I flip over onto my knees with my back to him. In one swift movement, he’s pulled two pillows beneath my hips and pushed my face to the mattress. He holds my wrists at the base of my back, his grip tight.

He slides a finger through my folds, and I bite the inside of my cheek trying to hold back a moan but fail. Cassius touches me again. This time, when he gets to my clit, he teases it. Small, light flicks. My body squirms beneath him. I need more. Faster. Harder.

Give me more, Cassius.

“Looks like my queen likes being told what to do.” his finger rubs quickly but gently, and my knees try to close of their own accord. “You’re so wet for me, baby.” His voice is low, seducing me with every word. My back arches, lifting my ass closer to him, inviting him to push me harder, give me more. The bed envelopes my face and my shoulders, and I have to adjust myself to breathe.

Cassius removes his hand from my clit and replaces it with his cock, gliding along my folds, but never giving me the release I need. He pushes his fingers between my lips, forcing me to taste myself, while at the same time shifting the blankets away from my nose and mouth.

Moans fill the air and for a second, I wonder where they’re coming from. But it’s me. I’m moaning around his fingers while his hard cock slides between my ass cheeks.

“If you don’t stop with the noises, I’m going to come a lot faster than I planned,” he says quietly and pulls his fingers from my mouth.

“We can’t have that,” I tell him, a smile on my face.

“No. We can’t,” he replies. “One day soon I’m gonna take this ass, baby, but today is not that day.” His voice has dropped again, the gravelly tone even more commanding. “I’m going to release your hands. You will not move them. Understand?”

My shoulders ache but as much as I want to move them, and I do, because I want to know what would come after, I give in to him. “Yes.”

He releases my wrists and true to my word I don’t move, but when he pulls away from me, the emptiness creeps in. It threatens me, wrapping itself around my heart. It’s barbed wire and it hurts, digging into a heart whose beat was starting to mean something. It’s not clean, it’s messy, and I can’t move. I can’t pull away with the jagged barbs holding me prisoner.

There’s rustling behind me, and then fingers caress my spine, dragging down my body and wrapping around my wrists.

“Cassius.” His name is a whimper. A plea. To hold me or to let me go?

Please don’t let me go.

He drives his cock into me without warning. My heart swells, and even though the barbs dig deeper, the wire snaps, leaving me with scars. But scars fade, and hearts beat. And mine beats for him. For me. For this.

He pounds into me hard, my shoulders still aching from their position, but I don’t care. His available hand snakes under my stomach, brushing against my clit. I moan in appreciation, and his fingers rub gently, skillfully.

When he finds the spot, I cry out, “Yes! Yes, Cassius!” He circles it quicker, flicks it harder, the river swells, the dam breaks and we’re both swimming in my pleasure.

Cassius releases my wrists and grabs my hips, pulling me up slightly. He pushes and pulls me, chasing his own release. I shift my arms underneath me and push myself up. Cassius wraps what’s left of my braid around his hand and pulls my head back, forcing my hips down.

His speed increases, and he fucks me, losing all control. My pussy clenches around his cock, desperate to give him what he needs.

When he finally comes, it’s with a primal yell.

And at this moment, I know I’ll never be the same.

twenty-seven

“What?” Ruby asks, whenshe catches me staring. She’s sitting on the island counter with one of my T-shirts hanging off one shoulder. Struck by the normalcy, I step between her legs and press my lips to the bare skin.

“Isabella Diaz is alive and well and living in a suburb in Florida. She just got her GED and is going to the community college part-time while she works at Publix as a cashier.”

Ruby’s eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something, but must change her mind because nothing comes out. Turning from her, I open the fridge, retrieving sandwich makings. Placing them next to her on the cutting board, I continue, “So, I knew shit was going down. The underworld always knows, right? The sex traders started acting shady, well, shadier than usual. I had Garrett look into it.”

I offer her a shrug and then hold up a tomato in question. She nods.

“Anyway, we found out that they’ve been trafficking, but until Isabella, it had been all out of town dealings. Nothing local. So,Cranston’s son? Obsessed with Isabella—a local girl from a poor family. Her dad got wind of it and used it to his advantage. He sold her to Cranston, using the guys in the trade as the dealer. Smart if you think about it, but also stupid. So very stupid.”

I hold up the lettuce, and again she nods. “I’m really not picky. I like pretty much everything.”

“Well, that makes it easy.” I tear off layers of lettuce and spread mayo on four slices of bread. “G sees this, it’s an anomaly, a chink in their armor. I’ve done and still do things in my life I’m not proud of. But there are also things I can’t sit back and let happen.”

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