Page 16 of Ever Dark

“No,” she cries.

I hoist her up and slam her down on the breakfast table. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to play with knives?”

Her cheeks are flushed. I can’t tell if it’s from anger, fear, or desire. “My parents died when I was a baby, asshole.”

I almost lose my edge at her words. The pain flashes through her eyes, and she goes limp. “You’re better off,” I grumble. Fuck. I forget she’s a Harker for a second. Forget she’s an orphan.

She stops struggling and gazes up at me. “Well, I know you’re not Aries. He’smuchtaller. So who the fuck are you?”

I can’t help but laugh. If she thinks calling me shorter than my blond Adonis friend is going to annoy me, she’s very wrong. “I’m bigger where it counts.”

Her cheeks flush bright red. “Whatever.”

I look down the length of her body to see that her oversize T-shirt is barely covering her ass now. It must’ve gotten hiked upin the tussle. Her panties are white cotton. I lick my lips, unable to control my cock from twitching. Most men salivate over black lace thongs or red G-strings, but I’m a sucker for the purity of white fucking cotton.

My breath hitches when I notice the wet spot in the middle of her slit. “You’re not a good girl, are you, little lamb?”

She tries to sit up, but I push her back down and pin her hands against the table. “Answer me,” I growl.

She wiggles her hips. “If you don’t get off me, I’m going to beyourworst fucking nightmare.”

I haven’t felt this fucking alive in a long time. There’s something about this girl. Something broken and feral and hungry. A streak of chaos that hides beneath her innocence and naivety.

I drag my fingertips down her arms, sending goose pebbles across her flesh. Her nipples poke through her shirt. I want to twirl my tongue around each one.

She stills, her pulse racing, as I make my way down to her bare legs. I stroke the insides of her thighs, inching closer to that sweet wet spot on her panties. I wait for her to kick or scream or make a run for it, but the only part of her that moves is her chest. It rises and falls erratically.

She’s so fucking hot.

I tease at the edge of her panties, tracing the outline of them with my finger. I can easily slip inside…

Fuck, I’m supposed to scare her, not turn her on. I pull back and wrap my hand around her throat again. Her eyes widen, and she gasps as I squeeze so hard that she starts to flail. I need to remind her that I’m a fucking monster. “Sign the papers, Mia. If I have to come back, you will regret it.”

I let go and make a run for it while she tries to catch her breath. I grab the bottle of bourbon on my way out and lock the cellar door behind me. I don’t want any other monsters getting in here tonight.She’s my little lamb.

The machine between my legs does nothing to soothe the ache tonight. When I pull into Aries’s driveway, I can’t remember how I got here. The entire drive was a blur. As I kill the engine, the house lights up.

I let myself in with my spare key and make a dash for the liquor cabinet. Aries’s house is spotless as usual, all modern with state-of-the-art appliances, abstract paintings, marble floors, and white furniture. I feel like a bull in a glass house every time I’m here.

“How did it go?” Aries steps into the living room, barefoot and shirtless, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants. His blond hair is wet and messy.

“Terrible. You downplayed how hot she is. I told you I’d find out.” I can’t keep the scowl off my face as I shoot a finger of whiskey down my throat.

He smiles and leans up against the wall, folding his arms over his chiseled chest. “I take it you didn’t get her to sign the papers either then?”

I roll my eyes and give him a look that says don’t fucking test me right now. “Draven has no idea what he’s up against. She is stubborn as fuck. We might have to kill her. But I want to fuck her first.”

“You’re sexy when you’re frustrated, you know that?” He tilts his head to the side, sending a quiver straight to my cock.

“I’ve been hard for the past three hours. All I can think about is bending that brat over her counter and fucking her pussy raw.” I take off my leather jacket and toss it onto the nearest chair.

His eyes darken. “You know I don’t like it when you get like this.”

I can feel the darkness clawing at me. It runs in the Crane blood like a disease. Well, at least in the male blood. My little sister, Lettie, is the only one who seems to have dodged it. She’s the sweetest, most goddamn cheerful person I know. I’m suddenly grateful thatshe’s not in Ever Graves right now. Mia Harker brought the fucking devil back to town, and it’s affecting us all.

I crack my neck. “I’m fine, Aries. It’s not like before. I’m not going to hurt myself again.”

He breaches the gap between us and cups my face in his hands. “I think you need a session in myoffice.”

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