Page 69 of Moth to a Flame

There’s nothing soft about Landon’s teeth and how he sucks my neck. Marking me. Hurting me.

In a good way.

In a scary way.

We’re truly alone.

The curtains on the neighbors’ windows facing into Teresa’s backyard are drawn low. She explained it to me before, how none of them is a fan of her snakes.

My friends are in the other room, inside the house, discussing an obsessive necrophiliac who killed his woman.

And I’m out here.

About to be consensually raped by my boyfriend.

“We’re going to have a safe sign and a safeword, you and I,” he grits out, the words coming out at rapid speed so—I think—he won’t ruin the moment. “Pinch me twice, fast, and I’ll stop. Saysnakeand it’s over. Nod if you hear me.”

Having him say these things takes the edge off the fear. I’m not as choked as I was a second ago. Far less horrified by what’s about to happen here.

It doesn’t change the fact that he’s holding me too tight. That I can’t get away.

You trust him.

I do.

So while tears leak from the corners of my eyes, I nod. Landon’s soft hair tickles my soaked cheek. He’s so close.

“As I said.” We’re back to the scene. He slides a hand down my cleavage, squeezing my breast. Twisting it. Making me whimper. “A slut begging to get fucked. That’s what you are. You should be thanking me for giving it to you.”

He spins us and presses me to the wall, the wood panels hard against my cheek. I put my entire heart and soul into stepping on his boot, into biting his palm.

The violent way I thrash in his grip is everything the fifteen-year-old me wished she could’ve done and couldn’t. I wanted that monster off me. I was also focused on survival.

Through the pain and torture and humiliation. Through tears and the feel of something tearing inside me. With a knife pressed to my throat and a man twice my size raping me, I didn’t resist.

Tonight, I fight back. This unhinged man who grinds his cock to my ass and calls me a slut will not kill me.

Sometime in the future, yeah, he might.

Today isn’t it.

“Except you’re not thanking me, are you?” he growls when I twist my head and sink my teeth into his middle finger. He pulls me away from the wall. “No, you aren’t.”

Slamand the front of my body hits the wall a second time with so much force that I can’t help it. I scream, “Stop.”

It comes out as, “Mmm!”

“Whatever it is, I don’t give a fuck.” His tongue is hot on my cheek as he laps at my tears. “Why even bother resisting when you’re this desperate? When it’s this obvious”—he pinches my nipple and I cry harder—“that you’re dying for my fat cock to split you in half?”

I twist my arm somehow, reaching and grabbing his hard cock. Squeezing as though I’m going to break it. That only lands me another slam against the wall. Landon shoves my hand back to the side of my body.

“Ungrateful brat.” It’s insane, to hear love filtering through such demeaning words. Insane, not impossible. “You’re lucky I’m in a generous mood today.”

His fingers slide down my belly between me and the wall. They find the button of my jeans, slipping it out of the loop. Easily.

So much for making him work for it.

“You have one chance. One shot at making this less of a nightmare for you.” My zipper goes down. “Tell meI’ve been such a dirty slut, going to the kitchen by myself. Tempting you by simply fucking existing. I need to be punished.”

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