Page 34 of Basilisk

Until now.

With his hand wrapped around my neck, my eyes were wide with shock. I reached up to try to pry his hand from my throat, but it was no use. “Saxton-”

“If I were you, I’d work really hard on never mentioning Scott North to me ever fucking again, Hastings,” he snarled. “I don’t give a fuck what you had with him. That was over as of Saturday night.”

“Saxton-”

He tightened his grip. “I’ve spent the past three days doing my best to calm the fuck down before talking to you, but of course, leave it up to you to undo all that patience.” He used his thumb to push my chin up, so I had no choice but to look into his eyes. “If you ever, and I do mean ever, leave my fucking bed like that again, there will be hell to pay, Hastings. Am I clear?”

God, I really was stupid.

In this day and age, I should be offended that he was talking to me this way. In this day and age, his hand around my neck should be assault. In this day and age, I should be appalled that he’d make demands of me.

Instead, my body was clenching with every curse word he uttered. Instead, I was flushed with the threat of punishing me if I ever left his bed again. Instead, I was leaking down my thighs with the grip he had around my throat.

I was a disgrace to women everywhere.

Saxton jerked my head up further. “Am I fucking clear?”

“Yes,” I whispered because I didn’t know what else to say.

However, instead of letting me go, he said, “And stay the fuck away from August Remington. I don’t care if you’ve never hung out with him or if he knows you or not. Stay the fuck away from him, and Laney, too.”

“What’s going on, Saxton?” I had no problem staying away from August or Laney, but I deserved an explanation.

His eyes dropped to my lips, and I almost moaned. When those grey orbs met my hazel ones, he asked, “You want to know what’s going on?” I nodded. “I’ve gone three days without being inside your pussy, and it’s got me a little on edge, Hastings.” I could feel my eyes widen. “That’s what’s going on.”

I was so turned on that my chest was heaving, and I had to squeeze my thighs tight. “I meant with August and-”

“I don’t want to talk about August and Laney anymore,” he growled. “I want to know why the fuck you snuck out of my bed.”

“I panicked,” I confessed. “I…I panicked.”

His hand slid from the front of my neck around and upward until he had a fistful of hair. Yanking my head back, he peered down at me. “Well, since you failed to hear a fucking word that I said on Saturday, let me clear this shit up for you.” My chest was heaving worse, and it was hard to breathe. “I meant every fucking word I said to you Saturday night. You are mine, Hastings. No other guy touches you, no other girl touches me, and you sure as fuck don’t sneak out of my goddamn bed in the morning like you’re riddled with guilt.”

“Saxton, I’m sorry-”

“Oh, you’re going to be, baby,” he said darkly. “You’re going to be really fucking sorry.”

“Saxton-”

“This time, I’m going to fuck you so hard that your body won’t be capable of escaping me again.”

Holy. Shit.

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