Page 43 of Masked Darling

Breathe.

The breeze is cool. There are seagulls. The seagulls are loud in the sky.

The bed dipped by her hip and a cry tore through her throat as she panicked. Her reaction was instantaneous and she started flailing. Instantly, two strong hands clasped her wrists and held them above her head on the bed.

Gasp. Gasp. Gasp.

I can’t breathe.

Breathe.

NO.

STOP!

“Open your eyes, Mads,” a voice whispered in her ear as she was straddled by the stranger.

Madison’s eyes slitted open, tears running across her cheeks and lips under the mask. She blinked a few times to take in the masked man’s figure on top of her.

He had a muscular build with tattoos—there was barbed wire over his heart.

There was barbed wire—

Kade.

Instead of calming down, she fought harder. Why would he do this to her? She couldn’t control the sobs as the men around them laughed.

No.I trusted you! How could you be with these men? Why? Why—

The body on top of her slammed her down into the bed roughly, knocking the breath out of her for a moment before his voice was back in her ear. “I am going to get you out of this but you have to trust me.”

“Why? Who are you?” She sobbed quietly.

“I’m so sorry, Mads. I tried to get to you sooner,” he whispered as his hips rolled against hers, earning a cheer from their onlookers. “Help is coming but you need to hang on. You willnotbreak for them.”

His one hand gripped her neck but there was no pressure to it.

“Choke, baby. I need you to sell this.”

It was like being dunked in ice water.

He wasn’t here to hurt her.

He washelpingher.

Madison’s green eyes flooded with tears as she nodded, the salty wetness leaking down her cheeks under the mask.

Kade sat back on his haunches, placing both hands around her throat. He gently lifted her by the neck and slammed her down into the bed with a controlled motion so as not to hurt her. She started making strangled noises and kicked her feet under him, putting on a show of desperation. But it wasn’t enough, the crowd wanted more.

“As much as I love the way she struggles,” Mont’s voice called from the front of the stage. “You’re not proving to me that you can handle her.”

Madison’s head turned to look at Mont and Kade grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto her stomach, turning her face to the back of the stage away from everyone. He gripped her hips and hauled her ass up so she was on her knees, face down on the bed.

There was no way to describe how her nipples burned as they pressed into the inflatable mattress below her and he gripped her hair as he leaned over her. He gave her a harsh slap to her ass and she cried out, earning some cheers from the men.

Kade brought his masked face down near hers again.

“You’re gonna behave, you hear me?” He shouted for the room to hear.

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