Page 32 of The Freedom in Captivity

Ruined mine in the process.

Two days later, Mom passed.

And everything changed after that.

Me included.

Flynn

Wherever Rozelyn is, she’s no longer with me. She’s lost, staring over my shoulder. Emotions pass through her eyes, making them first tighten, then mist. The skin of her forehead ripples and smooths twice. Whatever’s in her head, it’s taking her away from the present.

Speaking might bring her back, so I say, “You wondered why I can’t sleep. That’s fuckin’ why.”

I’m holding her. My hand around her neck, my other by my side, having just been stroking against the scar on her palm. I hate that I’m touching her. I hate that she’s naked—thatI’vemade her naked.

I hate that she’s in my head. I need her out of there, whether through death or fucking her out of it. Clearly, my mind and heart lost the battle to my dick, so I came down here with the intention of sating that part of me. Fucking her out of my system so then I could move past the cloud of despair she’s constructed in my head.

She’s always relieved the noises. For once, she’s making them louder. Not only louder, but she’scausingthem. Period. She’s the root of many of them.

Fucking her won’t only help me. It’ll help prove to both her and the Corsettis that the past truly holds no meaning. That Icanandwillhurt her. That I hate her, and everything Nico and Enzo and Caterina are concerned about is useless. That my brain will realize she’s unable to fuck with me.

That’s why I’m down here anyway. With her naked body pressed against me, with her bare pussy right up against my jeans. One snap and I can have mine undone, my cock hard, and fucking her from my system.

Yet, I don’t move.

Ican’tmove.

You can’t hurt her this way.

I can and I will though. Once upon a time, her pussy controlled me. Owned me. With her return, clearly my cock thinks it’s still this way, but it’s not. I’ll prove that to myself.

The noise in my head is cluttered, staticky, but I push past all that and stroke the side of her thigh, feeling pure silk beneath my calloused fingertips. She’s always been soft, and I used to love that about her. Must be all that expensive body cream she has—or had—access to.

When I saw her in class on her first day of school, nose lifted in the air like she was better than everyone else, and that long fucking hair of hers, it all reminded me of some movie princess. An elitist amongst the poor. But it was her eyes that really captured me. Opposite from her attitude, which I later found to be her means of self-defence, soft and welcoming. Scared. When I was finally able to touch her, I knew she wasn’t like the other girls in school. Rozelyn paraded around with a richness, even when she tried to hide it, and I loved it about her. Going home to my own shithole didn’t matter because I was already captivated by the girl beneath the mask. When I was allowed to touch her, I couldn’t stop. Her skin was like a cloud. One that hid the sun behind the girl.

“Flynn,” she whispers. Her teeth scrape her bottom lip as she watches me. Judging and waiting for what I’ll do next—where my hand will go.

I wish even I knew.

Why am I hesitating?

Fucking Christ, what is happening to me?

When have I ever hesitated? Never. So I won’t start now.

My fingers trail around her thigh, coming between us, stroking her mound. I tighten my hold around her neck, searching for fear in her eyes, but come up with nothing. That only annoys me further. She should absolutely fear me. The fact she isn’t says she believes our past will save her. It won’t—Ihaveto prove this to her.

I lower my head into the curve of her neck, scraping my teeth over her pulse. Her steady beating pulse. If she was at all nervous, her heartbeat would reveal it, but she’s not. I need to speed this pulse up.

“Is this a lie too, I wonder?” My teeth graze her skin again, indicating what I’m referring to. “Faking not being scared of me?”

“No.” She tries to lift her head, pulling on my hold, but gets nowhere. “I don’t fear you, Flynn. Not sure I’d ever be able to.”

“Liar.”

I bring two fingers down to her core, stroking over her heat, and my fucking cock jumps to life. This is good though. This is needed. I’ll get hard, I’ll fuck her, and this will be over. She’ll be out of my head, my body sated and able to focus again.

“See,” she challenges. “Would I be wet if I was lying?”

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