Page 96 of Jagged Line Paradise

The beast snarls and I scramble to settle him in his cage.

“You’re hurting me.”

I feel lost, a little far away from the moment, though I know I need to get my shit under control.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Andrés!” She raises her voice.

I drop my hand, letting her lean away from me, though she doesn’t let go. She doesn’t let go and she keeps rocking her hips.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “Just let me do this, please. I don’t want rough right now.”

She’s apologizing?

I hurt her, and she’s apologizing tome?

Still trying to fuck me?

I grab her and quickly throw her down on her back. She reaches her hands out for me, as if she still wants me, but I can’t. Not after that, I can’t.

This is so fucked-up.

I scramble to get to my feet, shoving my painfully hard dick inside my pants, and buckling up quickly as I spin away from her.

“What are you doing?” Her voice is pleading, cracking, hurt.

I turn and look down at her to see her still laying there, knees bent and spread for me, the hemline of her skirt fallen back across her belly. Her ginger red hair fans out in a perfect mess around her gorgeous face and she pants, one hand gripping the fabric of her dress in a tight fist at the center of her chest, the other gripping the top of her thigh.

“I hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“No. No,” she pants. “I’msorry. I’m fine. It’s fine. You were just holding me too tight.”

“And you had to push me away.”

“And I’m sorry. I promise, it’s fine. I’m okay. I just,” she drops her elbows to the floor and presses up onto them, “I want you. I want you so much that it makes me crazy.”

“Stop it, Avalon. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying.”

“You think it’s crazy to make me stop doing something that hurts you?” My eyes narrow and I tilt my head.

“I told you it was okay.”

“Yeah, after you swatted my hand away.”

“I...overreacted a little.”

A tight, humorless smile ticks across my cheeks as I turn away, running a hand through my hair. “That’s not an overreaction.”

“You just, you like it a little rough. It’s fine. It’s okay. I just need something different right now. I need some time to adjust to it.”

Anger bubbles in my chest. “You need toadjustto it? You don’t have to give me what I want just because I want it. Do you hear how insane that sounds?”

Her eyes flash with anger and she sits up. “I’m not insane. I’m not crazy. Don’t say that!” She gets up from the floor and marches toward me. “You’re not even listening to me! I still want it, still want you. I’m just trying to adjust. Iwantto adjust.”

I tilt my head with a disbelieving look. “Youwantto adjust to me being rough? Why? Why the fuck would you want to do that? How does it benefit you?”

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