Page 31 of No Mercy In Red

She pointed toward her closet, and I padded over, grabbing a small black leather one. Perfect. I positioned myself behind her, not giving her chance to prepare before striking her ass with it hard. Her whimper sent a ripple of excitement through me, instantly making my cock hard again. I whipped her two more times.

“That’s three, for the days you fucking left.” I growled.

I knelt down behind her, kissing over the marks the belt had left, hearing her hiss as my stubble grazed the reddened marks that were definitely going to turn into bruises. I rose to my feet slowly, tickling the inside of her thighs with the belt, making her squirm beneath the sensation.

“Hold still Maxine, and spread your legs a little wider. Show me your dripping cunt.”

She spread her legs for me, her perfect slicked pussy on show. I slightly slapped the belt against her clit, making her squeal and jolt. I smirked, watching her writhe beneath me was the perfect remedy to the torment she had put me through. I lined myself up behind her, pulling her head back by her hair so I could wrap the belt around her throat.

“Since you probably won’t be able to talk little fox, three taps on the mattress for me and I’ll stop okay?”

“Mhmmm” was all the managed to say before I tightened the belt, thrusting my cock relentlessly inside of her.

I thrust, hard and fast whilst using one hand to grip the belt, the other to grip her hip. I pounded into her, watching as her ass rippled with the contact. Her constricted moans fuelled me, the blinding rage inside my body dissipating with each punishing thrust. I felt her tighten around me, sending me over the edge alongside her, filling her up with a savage roar.

We collapsed into the bed together, but as sanity slowly returned, reality crashed down around me. I’d gone too far – given away too much. Max was watching me now, wary yet sated, eyes filled with a thousand unspoken questions.

“How did you get in here?” She whispered, voice hoarse.

I paused, mind racing to cover my slip-up. “You left it unlocked.” I lied effortlessly, brushing damp hair away from her face.

She didn’t respond, but her eyes narrowed slightly, doubt clouding their depths. Yeah, I’d fucked up. I let my control slip too far, exposed the dangerous side of my obsession that drove me to madness. But I didn’t have it in me to care. She was mine, completely, irrevocably, devastatingly mine. Nothing – not even Max’s suspicion, or Joe’s constant questions about my investigations, or the threat of being exposed – would keep me from her. I’d destroy the world before I let anything or anyone, including Max herself, ever keep me away from her again. She belonged to me. And I’d prove it, no matter how dark, fucked-up, or dangerous that path became.

We had moved back into the living room to watch a movie whilst she sat on a frozen bag of peas. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw her pull them out, although she tried to hide it, I saw her own smirk too. I pulled her into me, laying her on her side to take pressure off her ass. We laid in silence for a while, our breathing calming. I trembled with exhaustion, both psychical and emotional. The anger from the days before now just a small fizzle compared to the raging fire it had been just hours before. When I glanced back over to Max, she had fallen asleep, completely vulnerable, trusting, and entirely mine. I sat up slightly, staring downat her for a long moment, my heart starting to race with panic. I’d well and truly slipped, that small crack I’d exposed could ruin everything if I wasn’t careful. I couldn’t risk it, I couldn’t lose her, not now. Carefully, I lifted her into my arms, her naked body warm and pliant against my chest, and carried her to her bedroom. The way she instinctively curled into me, her soft breaths tickling my skin, sent something unfamiliar twisting through my chest. Tenderness. The need to keep her safe, and protected, even though I knew my little fox didn’t need any of that. I laid her gently onto the bed, pulling the covers up to cover her. As I stepped back, ready to leave, her fingers softly caught mine, halting me.

“Stay,” she murmured sleepily, eyes barely opening. “Please.”

My heart stalled, panic briefly flaring in my chest. Staying meant crossing a line that terrified me more than admitting how dark my obsession had become. It meant vulnerability. It meant more than just fucking – more than the games we had been playing, more than her just being my prey to stalk. It meant that I cared, truly, deeply, fucking cared. I couldn’t remember the last time I stayed with a woman all night. Obsessions or not, it wasn’t something I did. Not since my ex. And that terrified me more than anything I’d ever faced before. But when her eyes fluttered closed once more, her breathing evening out, peaceful in a way I’d never seen her before, I knew my decision was already made. Gently, I slid into the bed beside her, pulling her body tightly against my chest, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her shampoo. My fingers gently stroked through her silky hair, tracing softly over her shoulder. I was completely and utterly fucked, but I wasn’t even sure I cared at this point. I watched her sleep, marvelling at how serene she looked. Gone was the fierce woman I’d come to crave; now she seemed fragile, almost delicate, trusting me to keep her safe. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I pressed a soft kiss to her temple, pulling her closer. I felt that brick wall beginning to crumble.

Eventually, exhaustion pulled me under, and for the first time in years, I drifted into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Chapter 25

Connor

Iwoke just before dawn, the room still cloaked in darkness. Max was still sleeping soundly beside me, her face relaxed and beautiful.

Carefully, I slipped out of bed, pulling on my joggers, and headed into her kitchen to make coffee. I needed something familiar, something normal, something to steady my shaking hands. By the time the coffee had brewed, Max wandered into the kitchen, wrapping in only a thin silk robe, hair messy, eyes sleepy yet cautious.

She took the cup from me hesitantly, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied me. “Last night…” she started softly, pausing to sip her coffee, her eyes avoiding me. “You scared me, Connor.”

My chest tightened painfully. “I'm sorry,” I whispered, sincerity filling my voice, surprising even myself. “I just – I lost control. You disappeared, and I didn’t know where you went. I – I didn’t handle it well.”

Her eyes drifted to my lip, then my knuckles, concern flickering across her expression. “What happened to you? Were you in a fight?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Yeah, actually. Got too drunk Saturday night. Some asshole bumped into me, and I was already on edge. I… I took it too far.”

She stepped closer, setting her coffee aside as she gently took my hand in hers, examining the wounds. “You didn’t need to do this,” shemurmured softly. Her eyes were warm, compassionate, concerned. I’d scared her, yet she still cared.

“I didn’t know how else to deal with you leaving,” I confessed quietly, my thumb tracing gentle circles on her palm. “I… haven’t felt this way before. Not about anyone, it scared the shit out of me.”

She looked up at me, something unreadable crossing her face. “You scared me too,” she whispered softly. “But not in the way you probably think.”

“What way, then?” My voice was barely audible, my throat suddenly dry.

“In the way that makes me question everything I thought I knew about myself. I let you in, Connor – knowing what you’d done, knowing you stalked me. That should terrify me, right? But it doesn’t – not enough to push you away. It scares me more that I want you here.”

Her admission cracked something inside me, but before I could speak, she turned away, grabbing her bag from the counter.

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