Page 66 of Cherry Auction

“Even if I want—” My breath hitches, hating myself in a deep way I haven’t felt in a long time. I thought I’d cut off all feelings for good but now they’re bubblingback up. She’s resurrecting what I thought was dead in me. “I’m fucked up. I’m a sadist. I want to make you cry in pain.”

She just fucking smiles at me. “I know. I told you, we’re puzzle pieces. Hurting on my skin issomuch better than when the hurt is on the inside. It’s…” Her eyes look around like she’s searching for the right word before coming back to mine. “…freeing. You make it feel good. You make everything good, Donny.”

God fucking dammit, I die when she calls me that. And feeling rushes back in like water through dry rusted pipes. I do remember how. I’d just shut off the valve, but she’s wrenched it wide open again and now I feel— I feel?—

I kiss her again, needing her mouth more than I need my next breath.

Protecting her arms wound behind her back with my forearm, I press her into the counter and kiss her. She might kiss the same—innocent, receiving—but I’m not the boy I was. I devour. I intrude.

And then I pull back and lick teasingly inside the top of her upper lip in that place she was always so sensitive. I was too clumsy back then to understand how to handle that sensitivity.

But now, as I pin her to the counter, I gently lick at the fat little apex nubbin of her cupid’s bow upper lip.

And her body jerks against me, a surprised little high-pitched gasp coming from her throat.

That’s right.Yes.

Being able to control her body’s pleasure centers me.

And makes me ruthless. The tip of my tongue plays with the inside of her top lip, the exact same way I do when I’m teasing her clit.

The way she shudders against me tells me she can feel it. It’s so fascinating, all the sorts of different nerves that are connected in a human body.

And now, having Mads shuddering in my arms, little squeals getting higher and higher pitched from me merely kissing her—it’s getting me fucking high. And hard as fuck. But I’m in control, so I ride that edge as I continue to tease her with just the very tip of my tongue.

When she tries to kiss me more deeply—to take what only I can give, I withdraw. I’m wrapped around her body like a snake holding its snack in place. And I continue to feast, teasing out her pleasure and listening to her noises so I know exactly how hard to press with my tongue against the secret nubbin inside her top lip.

Until she’s finally so desperate and shuddering in my arms I suck her upper lip into my mouth with the pressure she deserves.

She begins screaming and shaking in my arms right as the smoke alarm starts to beep in ear-blasting chirps because the eggs I forgot about are burning on the stove.

TWENTY-FIVE

DOMHNALL

I keep sucklingher through her entire orgasm even though she struggles to pull away. “Donny— The alarm—Ohhhhh?—”

Only when she gives in and then finally goes limp in my arms do I set her against the counter and go see to the eggs. They’re on fire and the pan’s ruined.

It’s an easy issue of moving them to the marble counter and swatting out the fire with a kitchen towel. I throw open the double doors to the patio to help get the smoke out.

Then I return to where Brooke is limp against the counter, dressed only in my night shirt and boxers. Fuck. I never imagined anything so goddamnsexy.

The foul, wrong things I want to do to her…

My lip twitches.

I tried to do the right thing. I tried to get her to leave and get as far away from me and my monster as she could.

She said no. So that means…

She’s mine.

A good man might examine things more. A good man would definitelynotstorm back into the kitchen, snap, “Close your eyes,” to the woman of his dreams, grab a pool bag from the rack by the door and start to throw all sorts of kitchen implements into it. No, a good man would not do those things.

Mine.

I grin and heft the full bag over my shoulder, items gathered, and march Brooke outside to the shaded cabana chairs by the pool.

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