Page 179 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

Deliciously wonderful.

His touch is deliberate as he lifts my chin, his fingers pressing lightly into my jaw, holding me still. His lips curve slowly, but there’s nothing soft about the expression.

Nothingmerciful.

The room narrows.

There’s only him.

Only his breath mingling with mine.

Only his voice, rough with devotion and need.

“For every ounce of pain I give you, I will give you apoundof pleasure.”

His thumb sweeps my lower lip, dragging over it, pressing just enough to make me part my mouth.

“You have my promise.”

My stomach tightens.

My pulse stutters.

But then—his grip tightens.

Just enough to make me feel it. To warn me.

“But first—” his voice drops lower, rougher, “you suffer. You take the pain.”

My breath catches, my body already bracing for what’s coming.

Gabe doesn’t move yet. He stays right there, his fingers firm at my jaw, his breath ghosting over my lips, his control absolute.

“Tell me you remember your safeword.”

A test. A demand. A moment of clarity before the plunge.

I swallow, steadying myself, my voice firm. “Marshymellow.”

His smirk is slow, knowing. “Good girl.” Then, softer— “You won’t need it.”

My breath shudders, but not from fear.

His thumb drags down my throat, tracing my pulse, feeling the wild beat beneath his touch.

“I’m going to spend the rest of the day testing your limits,” he murmurs. “Finding them. Devouring your pain. Watching it bloom across your skin—” his fingers tighten briefly, possessively “—a canvas of my art. Of my ownership.”

Heat coils low, twisting, tightening.

His voice dips, slow and deliberate.

“Do you want that?” His other hand trails down, barely ghosting over my ribs, my waist, teasing—but not touching. “Do you crave the marks of my ownership?”

Something inside me snaps.

Not in fear. Not in hesitation.

But in need.

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