Page 74 of Pretty Lies & Ugly Truths

He grabs me, lifting me with him as he stands. My legs wrap around his waist as I kiss him, loving the taste of me on his tongue. He carries me over to the bed, laying me out over the silk sheets before he steps back to remove his pants and briefs.

He opens the nightstand to pull out a condom, and I sit up stopping him before he opens it. “Can we not…use a condom?” His eyes widen briefly. “I mean, if you don’t want to, it’s fine, but I’m on the shot, and I haven’t been with anyone since my last check. I just—I want to feel you with nothing between us,” I tell him and watch as his eyes darken, before taking on a predatory gleam.

“I would love nothing more than to feel you without a barrier between us, to fill you up with my cum as your greedy cunt milks my cock,” he says as he pushes me back down on the bed, prowling over me.

“You’re sure?” he asks, as he lines himself up with my entrance.

“Yes, positive,” I say with a nod.

He pushes in, entering me in one long stroke, gliding in and out with a slow, steady rhythm, supporting himself on his forearms, careful not to put any of his body weight on me.

Sweat beads on his forehead as he continues to make love to me, and even though it feels amazing, it’s just not enough. I can tell that he’s still holding back. I love how tender he can be, how much he cares for me, but rightnow, he is treating me like I’m some delicate flower, and that is not what I want or need.

I need him to let go. I don’t want him to see me as weak or fragile. I need him to lose some of that strict control and show me how much he truly wants me.

“I’m not made of glass, Archer. I won’t break,” I tell him teasingly.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I trust you.” Cupping his face in my hands, I press a kiss to his lips before whispering in his ear. “Now, stop holding back and fuck me like you mean it.”

His eyes take on a feral expression, mouth curving into a sinister smile.

“Careful what you wish for, Little Rose,” he says before pulling out of me abruptly.

He flips me onto my belly, lifting my hips, before slamming back into me from behind. He continues at a brutal pace, thrusting in and out all while stimulating a spot deep inside me that has my eyes rolling back in my head.

It’s not long before I feel that pressure starting to build again. He reaches around and takes my clit between his fingers, and I come on a scream. A few more pumps, and he follows me over the edge, holding himself deep as he spills inside me.

I must blackout for a moment, because the next thing I feel is a warm, wet washcloth between my legs. I look over my shoulder to see Archer kneeling behind me on the bed as he cleans me up.

Once done, he comes to lay beside me. I turn myhead to face him, expecting to see the same look of bliss on his face that I know is on mine. Instead, he wears a frown, his brows bunched together as he looks down at my body.

My heart sinks for a moment, trying to figure out what’s wrong, but then he speaks. “Did I hurt you?” he asks, running his hands across my hip.

Having no idea what he’s talking about, I follow his gaze to where he’s touching me and see the beginnings of bruises blossoming on my hips from where his fingers gripped me. I hadn’t even noticed he was holding me that tight. I stare at them in fascination, some dark and twisted part of me loving that I wear his marks on my body.

I turn over to hide them from him and bring my hand to his stubbled jaw. “You didn’t hurt me, Archer. I loved everything we did. I promise to tell you if you’re too rough or if you do something I don’t like. Okay?”

He nods, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. We lay like that in each other's arms, spent and exhausted, and in that moment, I feel such utter contentment. I don’t know what the future may hold for us or what happens next, but I’m glad to know that I will have him by side as we figure it out together.

Epilogue

3 MONTHS LATER…

Archer

I open the top drawer of the nightstand, reaching in to pull out a black mask, before slipping it over my face. The soft knit fabric as familiar to me as greeting an old friend.

It seemed fitting that I wear it tonight, closing out this chapter of our lives back how it all began. If all goes according to my plan, then after tonight, Maggie will no longer be my girlfriend, but maybe something…more. Something, I thought I would never have, never thought I deserved.

These past few months have been some of the happiest in my entire life. I have loved every minute Maggie and I have been able to spend together—which is not nearly enough in my opinion. If I had my way, she would never leave the house, but you know, free will and all that shit.

Our opposing scheduleshave been less than ideal. Sometimes, making it feel like we are two ships passing in the night. I have tried to convince her she doesn’t need to work, that she could just quit and stay home all day with me, but she loves her job, and I love her so…

She wakes up every morning with the sun, before going to the bookstore, where she works all day. By the time she’s getting home I’m leaving for the bar. I work late into the evening, only to sneak into her apartment in the dead of night to wake her with my cock buried deep inside her cunt or with my tongue between her legs.

I have enjoyed watching my little rose blossom under my touch. With each day, she becomes more comfortable with her sexuality, more confident. I’ve been careful not to push her too hard too fast, making sure she is not only healed physically from her bullet wound but also mentally from her previous traumas. If the last few months have shown me anything, it’s that Maggie is one hell of a woman.

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