Page 98 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

Don’t be a complete asshole,I thought.If you’re too mean, she’ll never want it again.

I kissed her forehead. “Pretty girl.” She smiled, her eyes fluttering shut.

Eventually, I climbed off her, grabbed a washcloth, and wiped up her face, then I checked between her legs. There was a little bit of blood, but not much. I was gentle as I dabbed it up.

I laid down on my back beside her, staring up at the ceiling with my hands folded behind my head, and she rolled onto her side and rested her head on my shoulder. Her hair smelled like mint, thyme, and rosemary.

“Tell me how much it hurt,” I whispered quietly.

She snuggled up closer against my side. “It hurt so bad, Ben. I thought... I thought you were going to tear me open.”

“I did.”

“Is there a lot of blood?”

“So much. You’ll probably bleed out on your way home.”

She snickered. We didn’t mean to fall asleep, but she was so soft and naked, and I was so tired.

I woke up a few hours later and checked my phone, shaking her awake.

“Savannah, wake up. It’s three in the morning. Your folks will be up soon.”

“Five more minutes.”

“No, get up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She got up and dressed, refusing to look at me while she did so. I opened the window for her and helped her out. I was about to pull it shut when she turned around and put her head back through.

“Ben... will you kiss me?”

“Why?”

“Please? You never kiss me anymore.”

“I’ll kiss your pretty cunt tomorrow after you clean it up for me.”

“Please, Ben.”

She was cute when she begged. The familiar tingle of power trickled through my body. I leaned forward but stopped short of her mouth. “Beg me.”

“Ben please, I love it when you kiss me,” she said again. “I love it when you’re mean to me... I want your mouth. I want you to bite me, and taste me...”

I took her face in my hands and kissed her with everything I had. Furiously, angrily. Angry that she’d won this round of our game, that she’d gotten everything she’d asked for. I’d fucked her, I’d kissed her, I’d used her, just like she wanted.

But I had wanted it too.

And I was mad that she kept digging her way deeper into my heart, making me want her more and more. I was mad that I had so many things I wanted to do to her that I couldn’t.

I finally released her, and she panted to catch her breath. Her face was wet with my spit and her lips were swollen and pink.

“I love you, Ben Weston.” She smiled and turned into the darkness, slowly walking back through the woods.

The next day when I woke up, the sound of a loud engine drew me to my window. I watched in horror as a huge moving truck pulled away from their house. By the time I threw on a pair of shoes and a coat, the truck had started rolling down the mountain. Their family car was gone.

I banged on the front door but nobody answered. On the small wooden table on the porch was an envelope. Inside was a letter to the new residents that had just bought the house and were to move in later that day, with explanations on how to care for the vegetables and the chickens. It was signed Thornburg Homes.

They were house flippers. I’d never known. She’d never told me... and I’d never fucking asked.

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