Page 53 of Madness & Mercy
His mouth curves into a slow, knowing arc. He tilts my chin up with two fingers. His touch is gentle, but it feels like a shackle.
“Is that all?” he murmurs.
I swallow. Hard. My heart pounds loud enough to echo in my ears.
“No,” I breathe.“I want you to break me.”
That gets his attention. His eyes darken, the air between us thick enough to choke on.
“Break you?”he repeats softly, almost amused. “Now, why would I do that?”
He lets his fingers trail down, grazing my throat.
“You’re much more useful to me like this.”
And bythis,he means tied down. Strung up. Weak and wanting.
“Because I deserve it,” I grit out, jaw clenched, eyes locked to his. “For everything.”
His head tilts.
“Are you asking me topunish you, piccolino?”
The word burns through me, soft and venomous all at once.
I nod.
And it’s not just an answer. It’s a surrender.
A plea.
A confession.
One I can’t take back.
Nico grips my hair, tight enough to sting, tilting my head back until I’m forced to meet his eyes.
“You should see yourself right now,” he murmurs.
A soft, humiliating sound escapes my throat. I try to swallow it, but his fist tightens in my hair and the sound turns into a moan.
“You’re barely holding it together,” he taunts. “Tell me,Cross.How should I punish you? Hm? What kind of filthy, fucked-up things do you want me to do to you?”
I bite my lip. The metal cuffs rattle against the headboard as I shift, my hips grinding against the air.
“Do whatever you want,” I whisper, my voice damn near unrecognizable, even to my own ears.
Nico tightens his grip in my hair, yanking my head back until I’m gasping, lips parted, completely at his mercy.
“You really don’t know what you’re asking for,” he murmurs, his voice thick with menace and promise. “But that’s fine.”
His free hand drags down my chest, tracing every twitch and tremble.
“I’ll teach you.”
A moan scrapes out of my throat. I don’t even try to hold it back this time. I’m past pretending. Past pride.
“And when it’s too much,” he says, leaning in until his breath brushes my ear, “you’ll tell me to stop.”
