Page 33 of Drenched

The pressure grew firmer, sliding against my folds, teasing, tormenting. My head fell back, hips lifting off the cold stone floor as my body sought more, a rhythm I couldn’t stop. The phantom touch pushed inside me, filling me with a heat so intense it made me shudder. My walls clenched around itinstinctively, pulling it deeper, my body betraying every ounce of resistance I had left.

It was too much. Every nerve in my body screamed for release, the tension coiling tighter and tighter until it was unbearable. My breaths came in shallow gasps, edged with soft, desperate sounds I couldn’t suppress. My thighs quivered, my toes curling as the pressure quickened, driving me higher, harder, closer to the edge.

“You’ll come for me,” Rynar growled and the timber of voice sent shivers racing down my spine. “Whether you admit it or not.”

“Fuck you,” I spat, the words weak and breathless, barely audible over the sharp cry that ripped from my throat as the climax crashed over me. Waves of ecstasy tore through me, leaving me trembling, broken, undone.

For a moment, there was nothing but the raw, overwhelming pleasure, my body writhing as the phantom touch milked every last shudder from me. And then it was gone, the heat, the pressure, the touch, all of it vanished, leaving me cold, shaking, and achingly empty.

I slumped against the wall, my chest heaving, my skin slick with sweat. My limbs felt heavy, my body weak, but my mind was alive with fury and humiliation.

Rynar crouched in front of me again. “You’ll beg for it next time,” his words curling through my thoughts like a promise.

“Never,” I spat, though the word was barely more than a whisper, my defiance fragile and hollow.

His lips curled into a slow, predatory smile. “Oh, Pearl,” he drawled, his tone rich with dark amusement. “We both know what’s real.”

Without another word, he stood and dived into the blue hole from where he had come from.

Chapter Thirteen

“You're going to die if you don’t figure this out,” I muttered, staring at the sunlight streaming in while I stayed in the shade.

But it wasn’t just dying that scared me. It was how it would happen. I already knew the sun would burn me alive if I stepped out there.

I started pacing the cave, frustration bubbling under my skin. It felt like I was stuck in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I kicked a rock, hard, and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through my foot.

“Shit.”

I sat down, cradling my toe as blood trickled out. Tears burned at the back of my eyes. It wasn’t just the stupid rock. It was everything. I’d felt helpless before, plenty of times, but this was different. This wasn’t just being stuck. This was staring doom in the face and knowing it was waiting to swallow me whole.

Then my stomach let out a growl so loud it echoed. It sounded like some dying animal, and I pressed my hands against it, like that’d shut it up. When was the last time I ate? I couldn’t even remember.

My eyes wandered to the basket I’d thrown earlier. Its contents were scattered, seagrass seeds, clusters of sea grapes, and someweird pods that glistened faintly in the algae’s glow. The smell hit me, all sharp and salty, and my stomach growled again, louder this time.

I tried to ignore it. Pride told me to look away. Hunger didn’t care.

My vision blurred at the edges, the hunger pushing everything else aside. I needed food.

Shame prickled under my skin as I crawled toward the scattered food. My fingers scraped against the stone, grabbing whatever they could find. The first handful went into my mouth before I even thought about it.

Sand crunched between my teeth, and salt stung my tongue. I gagged but forced it down. My throat didn’t want to cooperate, but I kept going. Sea grapes burst in my mouth, their juice sticky and tangy, dripping down my chin. The slimy pods had no taste at all, but I didn’t care. Bite after bite, I shoved it down, desperate to quiet the ache in my stomach.

Tears spilled over as I ate, mixing with the salt on my face. It wasn’t just the food. It was the humiliation of it all, crawling on the ground, shoving random scraps into my mouth like I was some kind of animal. I hated it. I hated him for putting me here.

But I didn’t stop. Each bite pushed the hunger further away.

When there was nothing left, I leaned back against the wall, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm. Now that the hunger wasn’t screaming at me, exhaustion hit. All I wanted to do was sleep. My eyes scanned the cave, and that’s when I saw it, a bed of seaweed tucked into the corner. Stones arranged like a little table nearby.

This wasn’t random.

My stomach knotted as the realization sank in. He’d prepared this place.

For me?

No. That couldn’t be right. This had to be his home. I told myself that over and over, but the thought wouldn’t leave me alone.

I stood up, pacing to shake off the unease. That’s when I noticed something. My foot didn’t hurt anymore. I looked down and froze. The cut from the rock was gone. Completely healed.

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