Page 30 of Carnival Shadows

My eyes, blurred by tears, flicker open. His intense gaze captures mine, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. Arousal, anger, and something I might interpret as regret darken his features. The look in his eyes makes my heart pound in my chest, and the tears spill over, trickling down my cheeks, mingling with his cum.

He swipes his thumb gently over my cheek, gathering his cum. “Such a waste.” He brings his thumb to my lips, and I open my mouth, tasting him. “I wanted to watch you swallow every drop, but you do look so fucking pretty with my cum all over your face.”

His jaw clenches, and he yanks his thumb from my mouth. He swipes the rest of his cum from my face, smearing it over my lips. “Lick them clean,” he orders gruffly. “Taste me.”

My lips part, and he smiles, using his thumb to push my mouth wider. I comply, my tongue darting out to lick my lips, tasting the salty cocktail of tears and cum.

He steps back, his eyes scanning my face, taking in my flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and tear soaked eyes. God knows what I look like to him, and for some fucked up reason, I don’t care. All I want is to please him.

16

REMY

Ipace the carnival grounds, my boots kicking up dust with each agitated step. The evening air does nothing to cool my racing thoughts. Two days. Two days of knowing she’s there, waiting in my space, driving me to distraction.

A group of workers call out greetings, but I barely acknowledge them with a nod. My mind keeps drifting back to my trailer, to Eden on that thin mattress I put on the floor. The distance I’m keeping is calculated torture for both of us.

I turn toward my trailer again and then force my feet in the opposite direction. The need to return, to watch her squirm with anticipation, pulls at me, but I can’t give in to my urges, not yet. Her desperation needs to build until she breaks.

Through my surveillance cameras, I’ve watched her exploring the confined space, testing boundaries. She traces her fingers over my belongings when she thinks I’m not watching. Her frustrated sighs when hours pass without my return.

I smirk, remembering how she jumped when I entered unexpectedly last night, hope and fear warring in her eyes. I’d dropped off food and left again, savoring her disappointed exhale.

The metal steps of the Ferris wheel provide a perfect vantage point to watch the sunset and get my head straight. Being in my own space has become impossible. The knowledge that she’s there, so close, just a few feet from my bed...

But she’s not ready. She’s not broken enough. Not desperate enough to truly submit. When I finally give her what she wants, it will be on my terms after I’ve stripped away every last shred of control she thinks she has.

I pull out my phone, checking the feed again. She’s curled up on the mattress, staring at my bed longingly. Good. Let her want. Let her need. Let her madness build until she can’t take it anymore.

I’m halfway to my trailer again when Lars’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Hey, Remy! I need your help with these stalls.”

Thank fuck. Something to do with my hands. I change direction, heading toward where Lars is struggling with some warped boards on one of the game booths.

“These fucking things won’t stay straight,” Lars grunts, throwing me a hammer. “Hold this end while I nail it down.”

We work in companionable silence for a few minutes before Lars’s mouth twitches into a knowing smirk. “So, the podcaster keeping you busy?”

“Shut up,” I mutter, adjusting my grip on the board.

“Just saying, man. You’ve been pacing around here like a caged animal. Never seen you this worked up over a piece of ass before.”

I shoot him a dark look. “Rich coming from you. How’s that whole puppy dog routine working out with Alice? Still following her around with your tongue hanging out?”

Lars’s hammer misses the nail, nearly catching his thumb. “Fuck you.”

“Keep your thoughts to yourself then,” I say, but there’s no real heat. We’ve known each other too long for genuine offense.

“At least I’m not keeping Alice locked up in a trailer,” Lars counters with a laugh.

I can’t argue with Lars’s point, so I just grunt and focus on holding the board steady. Eden’s different because she was already mine before I kidnapped her. Her obsession with me proves it. Those photos she took, the journal entries describing her warped fantasies about me, the way she broke into my trailer...

“At least I didn’t have to chase mine down,” I say finally, unable to resist jabbing back. “Eden came to me. Practically gift-wrapped herself.”

Lars snorts but doesn’t respond, probably remembering how hard he had to pursue Alice. The guy fucking chased her on his motorcycle across town and followed her into a goddamn library, for fuck’s sake.

The board finally cooperates, and Lars steps back, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Still. Keeping her locked up? That’s some next-level shit, even for you.”

I shrug, running my fingers over the fresh nails to ensure they’re flush. “She’s exactly where she wants to be. You should see how she looks at me when I come in like I’m everything she’s ever wanted.” I clear my throat. “Plus, until we know why she’s snooping around, having her off a leash is unsafe.”

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