Page 113 of Moth to a Flame

His cock is hard against my stomach. His gaze is harder. “Are you afraid?”

“No.” Very much fucking yes.

“Such a pretty liar.” He lets go of me. Before I stumble back, Landon rakes his hand in my hair and shoves me to the ground. To my knees, facing him.

I gasp as the icy water envelops me up to my lower back.

“How about now?” He’s a dark shadow towering over me. His face betrays nothing.

“I’m cold.” I am. I also want to keep playing. I’ll go wherever Landon takes me. Anywhere at all.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for, brat.” His lips quirk to the side, his smirk is devious. “You should be afraid. You should be crying in terror. In fact…”

The words hang in the air around us as Landon’s expression changes. I can’t place it. I can’t describe it. He’s just…different.

The man I love isn’t there.

“You should’ve never come here.”

At that, I try to escape for the first time tonight. I claw at his thighs. I try to shake my head. I fail.

“Landon. Stop. I mean it. Let me go.”

“Snake. Repeat that for me.”

Another silence, this one is louder than thunder. It also gives me a minute to think.

Snake. The safeword he’s offered me.

It’s another rape scene that he’s orchestrating. Only before, he held back. We couldn’t be too loud. Had to stay quiet.

This time, he looks serious. Like he’s not going to hold back.

Like he’s going to bring the old memories to the surface and vanquish them.

I should be excited.

But the way he’s staring at me. He’s the coldest night of the year. He’s a snowstorm and hailstone. Unrecognizable.

He’s the man who’ll hurt me.

He’s the man who’ll fix me.

And I trust him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Regan

A tear rolls downmy cheek. Then I tell him my safeword, showing him I know what to say if things get too much. “Snake.”

“Little girls shouldn’t be running around naked in the middle of the night,” Landon deadpans, back in character.

He pushes his pants down his muscular thighs, shoving the head of his cock to my lips.

I press them shut, screamingnothrough them.

“You fucked up.” He’s wet at the tip, smearing it on my lips. When I don’t open up, he pulls on my hair harder, pressing me to his length. Groaning. “Walking out here with your sweet body. Those hips. Those tits. Fucking naked. I bet you thought it’d be late. That no one would be out here to see you like this.”

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