Page 79 of Inflame

Ethan kneels his weight on the bed, taking his place between her thighs. I expect him to warm her up, get her ready. But the selfish bastard just rips the crotch of her lingerie apart so he has access to her pussy. I bet he thinks his power move is sexy to women, and it may be if he followed it up with something beneficial.

When I finally take her, she will know what it means to be devoured. I rub my cock through the fabric of my pants as I think about how good her pussy will taste on my tongue. Iwillhave her. This little intermission is all part of my greater plan.

When I first made the bet, I half expected Ethan to counter. However, without any hesitation, he agreed to the terms—not even asking Claire for her consent. This is the type of man he is.

Am I any better? I like to think so. I sure as hell would have given her pleasure first before stuffing my dick down her throat. Even if she can take it, why deliberately make her suffer just for the sake of building up your own ego? I wanted to rip her away from him when I saw the tears form in her eyes. She can do so much better. I can only hope that this whole bet will help her see that.

I’m still shocked she agreed to this. What hold does this man have on her that she is willing to go against that voice in her head that must be screaming at her to stop?

That’s the bigger problem. Claire has her mind so brainwashed that the only way to heal from the damage it has already endured is to put it through the detox cycle. Maybe this bet will help it along. Be the kill switch that will finally help Claire see the kind of man she is trying to attach herself to…

Ethan looks back at me and grins, completely ruining my fantasy of witnessing Claire. I let all emotion drain from my expression. I don’t expect this to last long with the stamina that Ethan seems to lack, so I fix my eyes on Claire—who refuses to keep her own open.

“Open your eyes,” Ethan demands. “I want to see you while I thrust inside you.”

I cringe as I listen to his words, knowing that my presence here is probably fueling the need to look macho—anything to build up his ego while pushing hers down.

Ethan pushes forward, ignoring Claire’s cringe as she struggles to accommodate him. I can’t tell if it is from his size or the fact that she is probably dry from not having any touch meant for her. What a lazy lover her asshole boyfriend is. He pulls out, spits all over his hand, and rubs himself with the lubrication.

What a prick.

“I can’t,” Claire says, pushing at his shoulders.

“I’ll be quick,” Ethan promises. “C’mon babe. You already agreed.”

“I just…” Her eyes are round and pleading. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Just try. Ignore him. It’s just us here.”

“Okay,” she answers hesitantly, and then bites the inside of her cheek, hollowing it out. She stares at Ethan with a dullness to her eyes as he gets back to business. It is almost like she is seeing him for the first time. Or seeing through him. I can’t tell which.

That’s the plan, right? To get her to remove the fog from her eyes and see that man for what he is?

But I should have done it another way. Because seeing her this uncomfortable is killing me. And the clawing feeling scraping against my throat is now making it clear that this is a horrible idea.

I did this.

He pumps a few times inside her, looks to be in pain, and then grinds out, “Cum with me, babe,” through his teeth. He doesn’t even wait for her to get close. Instead, he groans, earning a look of disgust from Claire, whose spine is poker straight as she stares blankly up at a spot on the ceiling from the mattress.

“It hurts, Ethan.”

“Get off her,” I say, standing up to physically remove his body from on top of her.

But Claire does it first. She shoves at him so hard, he slides out and rolls to his side. She pulls her knees up to her chest and lashes out.

“Claire, are you—”

“I’m done here. You both go to hell.” Her eyes are menacing and the tears pouring out will never cleanse her of the nastiness that is Ethan Maxwell.

“I love coming together,” Ethan says breathlessly. He is so clueless. I watch as he wipes his limp dick onto the sheets of the bed, cleaning himself on the fabric. A tinge of pink is present and my throat closes up thinking that he caused Claire physical pain.

I don’t wait to be physically kicked out. Instead, I place my empty glass on the table and walk out of their room, slamming the door. When I get to the hall, I run a hand down my face and lean my back against the hallway wall.

“Fuck,” I say under my breath. “What did I just do?”

I can’t go back to the suite without running into Graham or Angie and risking them knowing something is up with me. My brother has a way of reading me and right now, I know I cannot hide my expression until I decompress from what I just witnessed.

If I learned anything, it is that Claire one hundred percent doesn’t belong with Ethan Maxwell. Problem is, I don’t think she belongs with me either from what I just set into motion. Granted, I only want temporary—a way to fuck her out of my system—just to clear my brain of her.

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