Page 27 of Poisonous Savage

"Starvedyou?" she murmured, horror lighting her dark eyes, but she didn't pull away.Sunshinegirl, finding warmth in the ice of my soul.

"Gotthe message whenIfound him with a kid.Bruisedand bloody."Myfist clenched, sand crushing beneath the force. "Putone between his eyes before he could even beg.Onething to fuck with your own kid, but an innocent?Noton my fucking watch.CinderCrew'smine now.Thedemon in the dark.That'sme."Thedeclaration was a growl, ownership of a kingdom built on blood and fear.

"Monster..."Shebreathed the word, not in disgust, but like it was laced with fucking reverence.

"Yourmonster."Iechoed, a savage pride swelling in my chest.

Silencewrapped us, the sound of waves crashing a distant thunder.Irisked a glance at her, the set of her jaw telling me she wasn't done digging for skeletons.

"Fuckit, there's more."Myadmission hung heavy between us. "Sofia, the cook?That'smy ma."Thesecret tasted like bile. "Protectedher by hiding her in plain sight.Theyall think she died with him."

"Yourmother..."Rosalindwhispered, the puzzle pieces clicking together in her gaze.

"Swearit stays between us.She'ssurvived because the only ones that know are me andMarco."Thecommand left no room for argument, a threat woven into my voice.Butshe nodded, sealing the pact with a look that said she understood the weight of it all.

"Sworn."Herpromise was a lifeline thrown into the abyss that was my life.Andfor the first time,Igrasped it, holding on to the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, this little angel saw me as worth something.Hereyes, dark mirrors reflecting my fucked-up soul, held mine.Shit, she took it all—the poison, the pain, the past—and didn't flinch.

"Youknow… my father abused me too.He’dlock me in the basement untilIwas willing to comply with whatever it was he wanted me to do.Mostly, it was running coke or some other stupidly small task, butIdidn’t want to do it.Iknow how you feel…I’vewanted to kill mine for as long asIcan remember.Thankyou,Hunter," she murmured, voice soft as her hand ran through my hair before cupping my face, her thumb stroking my cheek.Sheleaned in and gently kissed my cheek. "Fortrusting me.

IknewIwanted to killVittofor blowing up my warehouse, but nowIwanted to make it painful.Thankfuck he didn’t hit the shipmentMarcois dealing with.It’sgot my specialty in it.Whilemy anger ebbed, the gratitude inher words hit hard.Iwasn't used to thanks; fear was my currency.Butfrom her, it was like a damn lifeline.Shemade me wanna be a better man, andIdidn't know how to feel about that.Goodmen died.

"Didn'tdo it for thanks,"Igrunted, feeling the pull deep in my gut, a craving that demanded more than words.Myhands itched, body tensed.Wantedher—needed her.

Stoodup, muscles coiling with purpose.Thesky was black, but the lone streetlight spilled onto the grass a bit away.Imoved toward her, the predator in me rising to the surface.Shewatched, still but with no fear in her gaze.Fuck, that made me want her even more.

Reachedher and wrapped an arm around her waist.Liftedher, her body light as a fucking feather.Legswrapped around me instinctively, her arms slung over my shoulders.Carriedher away from the waves, away from the world, to a grassy spot hidden by shadows.Ispanked her ass, three quick taps, just to warn her of what was coming.

"Putme down," she whispered against my neck, but there was no real protest, just a spark of excitement lighting her words.

"Shutup,"Igrowled back, not rough, not kind.Justtruth.

Laidher down on the soft earth and just looked at her.Thebeauty of the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes fromlaughing, her pert, pink lips, the way her neck curved to meet her collarbone.Breastsbig enough to cup.

"Alwaysso fucking beautiful,"Imuttered, more to myself than her.Itwas raw, this thing between us, dangerous as the poisonI'dbeen raised on.

Shelay beneath me, chest heaving, lips parted.Nowords needed; our bodies called to each other.AndIwas fluent in every fucking syllable.

Itore at the fabric of her bathing suit, my fingers hungry for the feel of her skin.Thematerial gave way like paper against my strength, baring her to the cool beach air and to my ravenous gaze.Shegasped, a sound that fueled my desire, raw and primal.

Fleshagainst flesh, we collided with the force of pent-up hunger and need.Ipushed into her pussy hard, loving how she stretched around me.Thegroan on her lips.Theway her head fell to the side, and her eyes rolled back.Yeah, my wife wanted to be dominated, but this entire fucking timeIdid it wrong.Shewanted to feel safe, caged between my arms.I'ddo it right this time.Myhand branded her neck, leaving marks that would remind her she belonged to me, belonged with me.Anddamn it, she arched into every bruising touch, her body singing with the same wild craving that possessed mine.

"Fuck,"Igrunted, taking her with no gentleness because this—us—wasn't about softness.Itwas about needing, claiming, and owning.Everythrust was a declaration, etching my name inside her, binding her soul to the darkness in mine.Shemoaned and writhed beneath me asInipped her ear, replacing my hand around her neck with my lips, sucking and biting.

Hernails dug into my back, sharp and sweet, scoring trails of delicious pain.Irelished it, the sting that kept me grounded to the moment, to her.Rosalind, my fucking sunshine in the midst of my endless night.

"More," she panted, her voice broken by the waves of pleasure crashing over her.AndIgave it, gave everything, my body driving into hers with relentless power.

"Mine,"Ihissed, the word a vow, a promise of forever etched in the language of our bodies.Herlegs tightened around me, pulling me deeper, andIlost it, surrendering to the storm of sensation, to the heat and the rightness of being buried inside her.Icame with a grunt just as she pushed over the edge, her pussy clenching around me, milking me dry.

Icollapsed next to her, our breaths coming hard and fast.Myheart thundered like it was trying to escape the cage of my ribs, andIfelt her own heart racing beneath my hand, pressed against the soft warmth of her breast.

"Loveyou," she murmured into the sex-laden air, her words wrapping around the raw edges of my soul. "Loveall of you,Hunter, even the parts you think are too fucked up to be loved."

Iheld her tight, my chest a hollow shell cracked open by her confession.Lovewasn't a usual word in my vocabulary, yet there it was, spilling from her lips, branding itself into my very marrow.I'dconfessed it to her once before, but hearing it would never get old.

"Shit,Rosie.Ilove you, goddamnit, woman.Ilove you."Ibreathed out, the closestI'dcome to laying bare the chaos inside me.Shewas light in my shadow, hope in my despair.AndI'dbe damned beforeIlet anything snuff that out.Fuck, love didn't fit in the worldIruled with bloodied fists and iron will.Butthere it was, bleeding into me from the lips of a woman who’d seen the darkest parts of me.Iwanted more.

Myarms were a vise around her, every muscle corded tight, a silent war raging inside.Bebetter for her?Thefuck did that even mean when allIknew was death and violence?Marco, that smooth-talking son of a bitch, he treated her like she was made of goddamn diamonds.Couldshare her with him if it kept that light in her eyes, butJesusChrist, the thought of being replaced...

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