Page 65 of Ravaged
“I killed a man to protect my neighbor,” he said, his voice growing louder. “And you know what she did? She forgave me but blamed herself. Then she killed herself.” His eyes widened, and he flicked my chin so that I was forced to look at him. “You can’t be with someone like me. I’ll destroy your entire soul.”
I was stunned. How was I supposed to take that? Ethan’s whole world was filled with loss, with hatred—all for himself. For letting someone down when he thought he was doing the right thing.
Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing now, by pushing me away.
“I don’t care,” I whispered, my voice meek. “I don’t care.”
“You think you don’t care, because you’re my prisoner.”
“But I know you want me too,” I said, louder now, daring him to tell me I was wrong.
“For once in your life, stop thinking about what everyone else wants and be selfish! Take what you want.”
“I am!” I yelled. “But you’re too stubborn to see it.”
He scowled and turned away. “Fuck this,” he said. He stomped through the woods, disappearing through the trees. The rain came down harder then, a thick sheet of water falling in heavy bursts. Pounding into the trees, then falling in large drops on my body. My shirt was see-through and my pants clung to my legs. A sudden gust of wind blew through the trees. A shiver spread over me.
He had left me here. Again. Like this was nothing to him. Like he didn’t need me.
“Fuck you,” I yelled, my voice muffled by the weather. “Fuck your excuses. Excuses you make up for yourself because you think you’re some fucked up soul.” I tossed my head around, looking for him, but couldn’t see him anywhere. Only trees. Only shadows spreading. Blankets of rain. “But you’re not, Ethan. You make sense. You do things to protect others. You’re only making up excuses because you’re afraid of what it means to care. To care about me.” I took a deep breath, trying to find him, but saw nothing. “You’re afraid of what it means for your loyalty to your family. You’re afraid of me.” I groaned loudly and angrily. “You’re afraid of loving me.”
A rustle of branches to the side. He emerged from the trees, meeting me. His eyes pierced mine.
“Love doesn’t make you weak,” I urged. “It makes you stronger. It shows you who you really are.”
“Love?” he asked.
“Yes, love,” I whispered. “Don’t be afraid of love.” He grabbed my shaking chin.
“Damn it, Tea.”
His lips brushed mine, then he leaned in, pressing our bodies closer, giving me some of his body heat. I moaned, and he bit my tongue, gently at first, then pressed down with intensity, grabbing my arms and holding me closer to the tree. A devastating kiss that made my knees weak, that reminded me that we might have been doomed, but we still had love, if only for this moment. He aggressively pulled off my pants, which refused to let go of my skin, but after fighting, he eventually got them off, then he unbuckled his own. His cock thrust easily inside of me, thick and hot. He held me, closer still, like he couldn’t get enough of me. He needed me now. All of me. My breathing quickened, and he moved his mouth down to my neck, biting me there. I moaned, and he pulled his head back, gazing at me with desire heavy in his eyes.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he said.
My eyes widened, and he pressed deeper, fucking me harder, needing it, maybe more than I did. The backs of my arms brushed against the tree bark, rubbed raw, but I grabbed onto him with my legs, not letting him go. Desire pulsed deep within me, scorching every vein, every molecule, knowing that this, this moment with Ethan, was what I had wanted all along. And when he came, throwing his head back, letting the rain pummel into his face, I came too, grabbing onto him with my legs, bringing him closer, not wanting to waste a single drop. I wanted all of him.
When we were done, he let my feet down onto the ground gently and kissed my forehead. I was speechless. He unlocked the cuffs from the tree, but he didn’t hook them back together. One of my wrists was still linked in the ring, but the other was free. With the new mobility, I put my arms around him, and he scooped me up, carrying me back through the woods until we found the house.
We had gone into the woods carrying someone together, but we had emerged holding onto each other.
