Page 62 of Deadly Rival

That can’t be me yelling and moaning, can it? It can’t be me pushing back into him and spreading my legs to take him as deep as I can. I’m lost, riding a wave of pleasure that drowns everything else. When my climax hits, it’s an explosion on an oil rig. Every muscle in my body clenches at the searing wave of sensation, and I scream.

Too much. It’s too much.

Instead of fading like a normal orgasm, it goes on and on, small eruptions following the volcanic blast. I shake, my body spasming like a puppet, as Sebastian growls, “Yes. Fuck. Yes.”

He grips my collar and yanks my head up. In the mirror, I see a feral woman, lips parted, hair stuck to her sweaty face, eyes devoid of anything but lust.

“Look,” he commands. The man behind me is a wild creature. His lips split in a savage grin, then his eyes close, and he groans. His hips slam forward one last time, pinning me to the vanity with bruising force. My eyes close, too, and I feel it as he shoots inside me. There’s a finality to it, and I can’t fight the sense of being claimed.

I’m his now. I belong to him.

Stupid. Sexist. Laughable. But it doesn’t stop it from feeling true.

I don’t know how long we stay there, but awareness creeps back in short bursts. Wetness on my thighs. An ache in my back and feet. Sebastian slides out of me, and it stings. I’ll be sore tomorrow, but all I feel is a pleasant ache. A sense of relief.

There should be shame, and maybe there will be later, but right now, I really don’t give a shit if what I just did was wrong. I’m trapped in this horrible place, and Sebastian is determined to break me. So what if I did something that felt good? No one cares about proper behavior here. I could walk out into the restaurant naked, and no one would judge me.

It’s a tiny bit liberating.

Sebastian smiles, and the darkness is gone—for now. He helps me tidy myself up, kisses my cheek, and calls me his good little pet. It should be demeaning, but I lean toward it in the blissful aftermath of pleasure. I can still feel the hot salve, but its power is fading. Soon I’ll be my normal, boring self again.

When we exit the bathroom, our table is almost empty. Only Jacob and Quinn remain, surrounded by empty plates. Quinn gives me a knowing smile. “Better?”

“Much.”

Her smile widens as we sit. “Thank God you’re back. “This gorilla”—she jerks a thumb at Jacob—“just ate everyone’s fucking food. The full five courses.”

Jacob rolls his eyes. “Please. As if that counted as food. Those tiny little bites? Pile it all on a plate, it wouldn’t even be breakfast.”

Sebastian drains the remains of his wine. “Where did everyone go?”

Jacob snorts. “Gabriel lasted all of five minutes with Eve on her knees before he dragged her off. Then Candice flagged an issue with one of the other CIs, and she and Hadrian left to deal with it. We were just about to go.”

Sebastian lays his hand over mine on the table. “Are you still hungry, pet? Should I ask for a doggie bag?”

Quinn rolls her eyes at his choice of words, and I shake my head. “I’m good. Tired, actually.”

Quinn nods. “It’s the salve. You’ll sleep like a baby tonight.”

We get to our feet. My heel slips on the wooden floor, and it drags my mind back from the sleepy, comfortable place it’d gone. The shoes. Medical. My plan. I can’t let myself get lazy.

The staircase is my best chance. I clutch the railing as I take careful steps down. It really is a deathtrap in these shoes; no need to fake it. But if I want to end up in Medical and not propped on the sofa with an ice pack, this fall has to look convincing.

Five steps left. Four. It’s time…

I let my foot twist under me. Sebastian clutches my arm, but I drop my weight and slip from his grasp, crashing down the last few stairs.

Twenty-Six

Sebastian

Ophelia tumbles forward witha yell, smacking the ground. I jump the last stairs and drop to my knees beside her. “Shit. You okay?”

I help her to sit on the stairs. She looks at me wide-eyed, then studies her arms. Nasty scrapes cover her forearms and wrists.

She shifts her foot and winces. “My ankle. It’s sore. The shoes…”

The stupid fucking shoes. I made her wear the damn things. This is my fault. I’m an idiot. I should have taken better care of her.

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