Page 93 of Ink Deep Devotion

“Did I tell you to do that?”

“Come stop me.” I add another finger and try to take control.“Touch yourself, Dash. I can’t last long.” I start to ride my hand.

“Stop!”

“How hard are you? Does it match my pain? Oh god, yes!” I gasp when I start to pump myself deeper.“You want to control me? Then love me openly, and I’ll bow down to you. I’ll do whatever you want, Dash. Anything.”

My breathing becomes frantic, and I purr in satisfaction when his breath races faster than mine. I visualize it: his back pressed against a wall, his throbbing hardness in his palm as he chases his climax with this image of me on his bed.

“Anything! Yes, yes! Dash harder, oh…” I scream as I turn to silence my shout in his sheets. I scream louder and louder as I beg the fabric to harbor my pleasure and deny him from fully hearing it.

That was…I just did that!

I took control.

Sure, it was through a phone, which was easier than seizing it face-to-face, but one day, I’ll be strong enough to look him in the eye as I break him just like he held my gaze as he broke me down.

He roars as he comes, and then only our rapid breaths fill the air.“Okay,” I murmur,“Now I can sleep… after I wash the sheets.”

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

I hang up with a lazy grin on my face.

I think I’m learning the rules of combat rather well.

???

“Do you ever feel like you made a mistake?” I ask Nova as I sit on her bed and watch her color code her lip glosses into the new acrylic stand she got for them.

“All the time.” She giggles a soft tune. She has a pretty voice, and the more I try to understand her, the more complex she becomes. She only has a sports bra on, so I get a full view of her back; it’s marked with scars and a sword tattoo that runs down her spine. It makes her seem like a warrior born in the wrong era; I think she picked a sword to warn others to stay away, a warning that she is strong and will kill them, but in my eyes, the sword is tragic, a reminder that Nova's trapped in a life she didn't choose.

“I can practically feel your thoughts clawing at my back, so just ask me what you want to ask. Rip off the bandaid and let me bleed, Mila.” Nova counters. She is guttural like that. She’s always gun at the hip, ready to shoot you head-on.

“I’m trying to seduce Dash.” I blurt out as I cross my hands too tightly.

She snorts and looks over her shoulder at me.“And?”

“And,” I bite my inner cheek.How would you seduce a man? I need tips. I need a whole playbook!“I don’t know what I’m doing?” I need a girl to reference with.

“Did he come?”

“What?” I flush red.

“Oh god, Mila,” Nova rolls her eyes,“Did his little pee pee get hard and then come? Did he see stars, and more importantly, did you? Did your seduction work, or did he run for the hills?” She mocks.

I bite my lip and snort a giggle as I nod. Nova clearly doesn’t like Dash, and vice versa.

“So, what are you trying to ask me?” Nova huffs.“If Dash came, then it obviously worked. By the way, where are the King men? The Heirs, as the University refers to them. I need to meet Damian and Titan so I can put faces to the ridiculous rumors.”

“They’re away. Sometimes I wish they would stay away,” I mutter and then regret it. It’s a constant push and pull, having them come into my life only to vanish for a month at a time.

“Do they do that often?”

“Yeah,”

“So how did you seduce Dash if he’s MIA?”

I glance down.“Over the phone.”

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