She rubs her eyes, blinking away sleep. “Yes, I mean… no.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Don’t play games with me, little girl.”

She nibbles her lip as she looks at me. Christ. Maybe sheissome kind of fucking temptress after all. “I mean, I don’t know what you’re asking.”

It’s not rocket science. I’ll chalk it up to being a little slow after all the orgasms and cherry popping pain. “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

I can tell she’s not used to being asked whatshewants. But she better get used to it quick. “I mean, I think I’m bad somehow, rotten in my core. I’m here to…be humbled. Or, reborn maybe into something less…wrong.” She presses her sweet, perfectly manicured hand with its short red nails to her chest, helping me see the curve of her tits through my sweatshirt. Her nipples are tight. Of course they fucking are. “It seems better if I’m away from everybody. Doesn’t it?”

She’s preaching to the fucking choir now. That’smyMO, protecting the world fromme.And that means protecting her, too.

But fuck. The way I want her, it makes me feel completely out of control. Totally off the goddamned rails.

The last time I felt this way, it wasn’t with lust. It was with anger. It’s a long fucking story that can be boiled down into just a few simple elements. My abusive dad. Self-defense. And my brother getting hurt for life in the process.

I thought I’d put that monster away until six weeks ago. If she knew that, she’d run for sure.

“You’re not dangerous, little girl. You’re just fucking gorgeous is all.”

She doesn’t get shy, doesn’t blush or look away. “But isn’t that the same thing?” The way she says it, it’s a genuine question. No games now.

Yeah, she’s got a lot to learn. “You can’t stay up here, baby. You can’t hide from the world just because of what someone else has told you about yourself.”

She twirls a lock of her hair thoughtfully around one finger and then sinks down across from me against the rough wall, tucking her knees into the baggy sweatshirt, folding herself into a little ball. “All my life I’ve been told I’m impure. Filthy. A sin. The Devil has me, blah blah blah. But last night,” her breath catches. “Last night, you took all that from me. And now, that’s all gone. The worst thing happened.”

Great. “Notexactly how I would have described last night. But thanks.”

Her eyes widen and she reaches out for me, placing her fingers on my forearm. A gentle touch, a loving one. It’s been so fucking long since anybody has touched me that way. If anybody ever has.

“I don’t meanwewere the worst thing. I mean, I’ve been told and told and told that what happened last night, with us, that… that was the thing I was supposed to fear. But it wasn’t anything to be afraid of. It was actually,” she looks up at the ceiling and smiles a little, sighing, “It was so amazing.”

The way she says it, it’s like her head is full of romance. Softness and warmth. But as far as I’m concerned, I primal-fucked her virginity out of her. And she deserves way better than that. But there’s something nice about her not knowing that. There’s something so sweetabout her gratitude for me pumping a load inside her to claim her.

Makes me wonder how her gratitude would look on her if I really fucked her like she deserves.

She scoots closer to me now, and thatthingis happening again. The closer she gets, the more I lose my resolve. “Baby girl. Watch yourself.”

She stops immediately. But her pupils are dilated, her cheeks flushed. “I like that. Baby girl. I like that a lot.”

Goddamn it, I want her. It’s a primal urge. A base need. Her. Me. My cock deep inside her. The simplest thing of all.

And yet. And fucking yet.

She doesn’t know me. Not really. And when she finds out the things I’ve done she’ll probably run a mile. And I’ll chase her down because I can’t live without her, and she can cry and plead to be let go but it won’t fucking happen. I truly am a monster. I should be feeling guilty right now about being away from home, away from my brother for so long, but I’m not. He’s safe, someone is with him.

All I can think about is her.

There’s so much I want to teach her. So much I need to show her. There’s not a chance I’m going to be able to resist her. I’ve been inside her. She belongs to me. The walls of her virgin pussy imprinted on my cock. It’s simple now.

The only thing to do now is make sure she never forgets who owns her sexy little self. “You think I absolved you of your sin last night, Little Red. But just you wait. Now get up on your knees and come right here.”

She does as she’s told, no lip or sass. Too innocent to be a brat. Her bare knees peek out from the hem of my hoodie. She’s close, but not close enough, so I curve my finger to tell her closer, closer.

When she’s close enough that I can feel her sweet breath on my skin, I come up on one knee, crouching in front of her. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I hook the Y of my hand right at the edge of her jaw, drawing her neck up, keeping her spine straight and restricted.

Then with my other hand, I slip my fingers into the dark space between her legs. She’s already gushing wet, and my rough fingers part her soft moist folds. She shudders out a breath, and I draw her chin up a little further to keep her in traction. To keep her from squirming away.

I roll her swollen little nub between my fingers and she lets out a whimper. Her eyes flutter shut but I tighten my grip on her throat to keep her attention. “Eyes open, baby girl. If you break eye contact, I stop. You get that.”