Page 99 of Major Penalty

“You don’t get to run from this.” He pumps his fingers in and out while his thumb rubs quick circles around my clit.

I cry out, my head falling back, the pleasure crashing into me like a wave against stone.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out, legs shaking, heat pooling.

He studies me like he’s trying to decide what kind of punishment fits this betrayal. He leans down, his mouth brushing my ear. “What should I do to you for keeping this from me, Irene?”

He starts to move his fingers in a deep, steady in-and-out rhythm, pulling me closer with his other hand. My skirt rides higher, and my legs part automatically to adjust around him.

“Should I be gentle with liars?” he murmurs.

I whimper, feeling every second of it, the press of his massive body over mine and the relentless torment between my legs.

“I was going to tell you,” I whisper again, the words tumbling past my lips like a prayer. “I swear…”

His fingers rub slow circles around my clit again, and I writhe, desperate for more, for him, for a second to explain, but he doesn’t stop.

“Is that all I am to you?” His tone is razor-sharp. “Just a secret? A thrill you’ll get tired of?”

I gasp, shaking my head. “No-No, Ares, that’s not—”

“Are you ashamed of me?” His fingers curl inside me, hitting that spot that makes my eyes roll.

“No!” I cry out, choking on the word.

Is this what he thinks? That I’m embarrassed to be with him?

I was scared you would shut me out.I want to say it, but the second I open my mouth again, he moves faster.

“Should I fuck the truth out of you?” he whispers harshly.

I gasp, my hips twitching toward his hand, but he doesn’t let me have it.

He pulls back just enough to look down at me, his lips brushing mine.

My body is shaking, my hands clutching his shoulders, my back arching off the couch.

His lips are at my neck now, biting and sucking like it’s the last time he gets to taste me. Because in his head, I think he believes it is.

“You let me give you all of me,” he breathes, his voice wrecked, furious, and low, “and you couldn’t even give me your last fucking name.”

“Please,” I choke on a moan, but he kisses it out of me.

I don’t even know what I’m begging for anymore. Forgiveness, redemption, ruin? All of them?

“No more secrets, Irene. No more hiding,” he growls, his fingers pumping in deep, merciless strokes. “I want the truth between us. Always.”

God help me, I want that, too. I don’t want to hide from him. I don’t want to hide us.

I arch into his touch, my head falling back—until his hand grips my jaw, dragging my gaze back to his.

“But you don’t get to lie and come easy,” he murmurs, his voice like dark silk. “You need to learn what honesty costs. And do you know what liars don’t get?” he rasps, dragging my skirt up and baring me completely.

I whimper as he pulls his fingers out of me and grabs my waist, flipping me onto my stomach, pressing me into the cushions. His body hovers over mine, solid and overwhelming.

“Mercy.”

His hand lands on my butt, hard enough to sting. But then he soothes the sting with a palm drag so slow it makes me tremble.

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