Page 5 of Claiming Pretty

AVA

The vial felt heavy in my hand, far heavier than it should have, the liquid inside catching the faint light of the laboratory sconces.

I hesitated as I stared at Ty.

His eyes, sharp and unreadable, locked on mine, and I felt the weight of the moment pressing down on me like a suffocating shroud.

“No sex,” I said, my voice wavering despite my attempt to sound firm.

He tilted his head, his expression unreadable, but I could see the way my words settled on him, like he was turning them over, weighing them. His silence stretched, thick and heavy.

I shifted under his gaze, feeling exposed.

“You didn’t protest last time,” he said finally, a smirk tugging at his lips. “In fact, youlikedit. More than liked it. Youbeggedfor it.”

Shame slammed into me, hot and suffocating, a flush rising to my cheeks. The memory clawed its way to thesurface, my desperate plea barely out of my lips before his cock thrust into me, the way I had let him consume me, the way I pulled him in closer despite everything. Despite the guilt.

Despite Ciaran.

“No sex,” I repeated, forcing the words past the constriction in my throat, refusing to meet his eyes. My voice cracked, betraying the storm churning inside me.

Ty’s gaze didn’t waver, piercing and unrelenting, as if he could see every thought, every conflicted emotion that I was desperately trying to bury.

After what felt like an eternity, he nodded slowly. “As you wish.”

Relief barely had a chance to settle in before he stepped closer, so close I could feel the warmth radiating from him, his lips hovering just inches from mine. My breath hitched, my chest tightening as my heart thundered in betrayal of my resolve.

“But mark my words, hummingbird,” he murmured, his voice low, a dark promise that sent a shiver racing down my spine, “before this is over, you’ll be begging me to fuck you again.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my gaze helplessly drawn to his mouth. The pull was magnetic, instinctive, and my traitorous body leaned forward before I could stop myself, desire twisting inside me, sharp and unforgiving.

I tore my gaze away, stumbling back like his presence had burned me.

“I-I won’t,” I stammered, though the words felt weak, hollow, even to me.

He didn’t answer, but his smirk said everything he didn’t need to, cutting through me like a blade.

My hands trembled as I brought the vial to my mouth, the glass pressing against my lips like ice.

I tipped it back, the liquid sliding down my throat with a strange mix of sweetness and sharp medicinal bitterness, like strawberries tinged with steel.

My last session.

I would uncover the truth, even though every nerve in my body screamed that I didn’t want to know. Not really.

But there was no turning back now.

My stomach twisted, nerves and dread tangling into a knot that wouldn’t loosen.

I’m going to remember what I did.The thought echoed, sharp and relentless.

But it wasn’t just the threat of buried memories that had me on edge.

Ty stood nearby, orbiting me, his presence electric, magnetic. Every step closer, every lean in, every casual touch sent shivers down my spine, the kind that weren’t entirely from fear. His nearness was edged in guilt now, a guilt I felt every time our eyes met.

I don’t want him.

I repeated this to myself like a mantra, over and over, trying to smother the ache in my chest, the warmth that crept through me every time he was near.

---