The longer I stare into Creightonâs eyes, the more my breathing shatters and splinters into pieces.
Harsh eyes.
Completely-devoid-of-emotions eyes.
Iâve always seen him as detached, with ice in his veins instead of blood, but this is the first time Iâve witnessed it firsthand.
And that iciness? Itâs currently seeping underneath my skin and hooking against my darkest part.
âAre we fucking clear, Annika?â The lethal sound of his voice hits my skin like a whip.
I canât help the slight jump in my shoulders or the dryness in my throat, despite my attempts to stand strong.
Swallowing, I nod slowly.
âYou have a voice. Use it.â
Come have a word with this guy because he has no business sounding so infuriatingly hot when heâs bossy and controlling.
âYeah,â I murmur and attempt to smile. âCan you let me go now?â
âQuit that fucking habit of smiling when youâre uncomfortable. Youâre not a bloody doll.â
Howâ¦
does he know that?
Iâve perfected my fake smile so well that no one can read through it, so why can he?
The act has become so subconscious that I donât pay it any attention anymore.
So why does he?
A cloud of disapproval cloaks around him like a second skin as he presses closer, the length of his body crushing against mine. âTell me, Annika. Why havenât you answered any of my calls or texts?â
My chest saturates with a carnal urge that even I canât put a name to, and I have to clear my throat to be able to speak. âYou know, it was crazy after the fire, and Jeremy kind of confiscated my freedom.â
âHe didnât confiscate your phone, which you used to talk to everyone else but me just fine.â
Considering his nature, I was so sure that he wouldnât focus on that detail, so I didnât pay attention to that angle.
Apparently, that was a mistake.
His fingers dig into the soft flesh of my wrists and the rich timbre of his voice lowers further. âAnswer me.â
âFeels bad to be left on Read, doesnât it?â I deflect, grabbing onto my composure with bloodied fingers.
âDonât fuck with me.â
âWhat? I didnât realize you were the only one with Read privileges. I thought Iâd try and see how it feels, and itâs safe to say, your reaction kind of sucks. Might keep it up if Iâm in the mood. Also, can you speak without touching me?â
He grips me tighter, not only disregarding my last request, but also doing the exact opposite. Iâm assaulted by his otherworldly presence, striking warmth, and addictive scent all while trying to remain unaffected.
Chances of actually succeeding? In the negative.
âWhat are you playing now, little purple?â
My heart and mind war for an appropriate reaction to his words. A part of me wants to pull out of this charade, save everyone the trouble and bury myself in my bubble.
But the other part, the part that falters at the little purple nickname, claws and bangs, demanding to be set free.
âCan you remove the little before purple?â
âYou little.â His fingers flex on my flesh and the air shimmers with his assertive intensity.
âIâm going to be eighteen soon, you know.â
âItâs not about your age.â
âThenâ¦what is it about?â
His eyes shift, growing hot as he rakes them over my face and heaving chest. âYouâre so small and breakable that Iâm always craving to bite, bruise, mark, and pound the fuck out of your tiny cunt while you cry because you canât take it anymore.â
I should be a lot of things right now, including horrified, petrified, creeped out, but standing here so shamelessly hot and embarrassingly wet is definitely not one of them.
Damn him and his surprisingly dirty mouth. Itâs like Iâm getting to know a completely different Creighton.
âIâm asking you for the final time. What are you playing at, Annika?â
âNo games,â I murmur. âIâve just been thinking about your warnings and decided to take them seriously. I wonât bother you anymore. I swear on Tchaikovskyâs grave, cross my heart and hope to die.â
His expression remains the same, short of a slight tic in his jaw. âToo late.â
âWhat?â
âIâm not letting you go.â
My heartbeat skyrockets and my whole body seems to mold into his hold. âButââ
âShut up.â
âShouldnât you want me gone? Thatâs what youâve been campaigning for since we met.â
âShut the fuck up, Annika.â
My lips purse and I tighten my thighs. This controlling side of him affects me in ways I refuse to admit and rushes to places I refuse to name.
He releases my hands and steps back. My stomach sinks as I consider that maybe he thought things through and decided itâs not worth it, after all.
But Creighton doesnât leave.
Instead, he shoves a hand in his pocket, and I realize he does that when it seems like heâs stopping himself from doing something.
Like a storm that comes to an abrupt ending.
âSit on the table.â
My gaze flicks to the only table in the spaceâmy small desk thatâs pushed against the wall with a stack of paperwork on top.
âW-why?â
âQuit asking questions. When I say sit on the table, you sit on the fucking table.â
I startle, hating and loving the tightening between my legs. Itâs impossible to be in control of my body when heâs around, not when he confiscates and incinerates that control as if itâs his birth right.
After a futile attempt at calming myself, I climb onto the table. Once Iâm sitting, he tuts.
âOpen your legs as wide as you can. Feet and palms on the table.â
My cheeks heat and I can feel the thudding pulse in my neck. A part of me wants to fight this, but Iâm unable to under his scrutinizing gaze, so I lift my legs and get into the position he asked.
My dress pushes back to my middle, revealing my bare thighs and the lace of my panties.
Panties that Creighton sees as soon as he walks in front of me. He remains there, as still as a statue, while I tremble and feel completely out of my element.
I start to close my legs, but a mere stern look from him is enough to make me abort the idea.
Damn it.
Why does he look like a completely different person right now and why am I reacting this strongly to it?
âThatâs one.â He pulls the chair from my desk and throws his weight on it, sitting at eye level with my pussy. âDisobey me again, and itâll be ten.â
This close, Iâm drowning in his intoxicating scent while his dark eyes devour whatâs between my legs.
âYou said you were taking my warnings seriously, no?â
I nod, trying and failing not to focus on the angle heâs seeing me from. This is so intimate, the type of intimacy that leaves my lungs heaving for air.
His hand shoots up between my legs and I gasp when he cups me through my panties, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh.
âSo how come youâre soaking wet, little purple?â
My palms turn sweaty as I purse my lips.
âWhereâs that smart mouth now?â He tugs on my panties so the seam rubs against my folds. âOr is that only saved for spouting lies?â
The friction from the taut fabric on my overstimulated folds is both pleasurable and painful. Iâm starting to think maybe those two sensations go hand in hand with Creighton.
âYouâre such a cocktease, walking around with your little skirts and lace panties, begging to be disciplined.â His hand comes down on my pussy.
âBut you canât pull out now. Thatâs not how this works. Do you know why?â
My whole body jerks from the power of his hit, tears spring into my eyes, and more arousal coats my panties and his hand.
His savage eyes meet mine, dripping with carnal, animalistic sadism. âBecause Iâve decided youâll be my toy.â
And then heâs on me.
His veiny hand wraps around my thigh, making it look so small as he dives between my legs. His stubbled jaw scratches my sensitive inner flesh when his teeth nibble on my pussy through my panties, then he all but tears them from my core.
My body trembles, but it goes into a full shock when he thrusts his sharp tongue inside my opening.
I arch off the table, jerking, but his hold brings me back down.
Holy. Hell.
It takes everything in me to not move too much. I try to clench my legs together for some friction. Something, anything, but his ruthless grip on my thigh forbids me to.
My head rolls back as sparks of pleasure spread from my core and across my whole body.
He expertly rolls my clit between his thumb and forefinger at the same insane pace that he tongue-fucks me.
My hips jerk forward and I only realize it once the frantic rhythm of his tongue nearly unravels me. I lift my hands to grab onto his hair and I basically ride his face as stars dance across my vision.
A powerful orgasm washes over me.
Itâs more desperate this time, so absolutely unhinged in its strength that Iâm surprised I donât pass out.
My lids lower, camouflaged by my lashes as I attempt to muffle my shameless moans.
Creightonâs head peeks from between my legs and he slaps my pussy so ruthlessly that I yelp.
Pleasure mixes with pain and I have no clue if the tears clinging to my eyes are due to the former or the latter.
âDid I say that you could remove your hand from the table?â
I shake my head and he glares.
âNo,â I murmur as my sweaty palm falls back on the table.
âAnd what did I say your punishment would be?â
âOh.â
âOh isnât an answer.â
âTen.â
Frightening excitement covers his features at the promise of punishing me. He gets off on the knowledge that heâll inflict pain, that my flesh will bear a map of his making.
âStart counting.â His hand comes down on my pussy again and I flinch, gasping.
The pain of his slaps mounts with each one, offering a minimal amount of pleasure, enough to make me want to come yet not enough to allow me to.
Heâs savage, absolutely merciless, in the delivery of his punishment. He doesnât stop when I yelp, scream, or sob.
Especially not when I sob.
My tears deepen that sadistic glint in his eyes, the need for more, more, and so muchâ¦
A beast.
Thatâs what he is right now with his sharp features, set jaw, and thinned lips.
And control.
He drips with it. Every time my legs falter or fall, he straightens them back up so that Iâm in the right position.
So Iâm at his disposal to do with as he wishes.
By the time heâs finished, Iâm crying my eyes out. My pussy feels like itâs on fire, even as arousal coats my inner thighs.
Creighton pushes off his chair and towers over me. My legs are still bent, my whole body shakes, and tears cover my cheeks. However, I donât dare to wipe them in case thatâll get me in more trouble.
Iâm still not sure how this works, but I know that despite the pain and the discomfort, Iâm drawn to it in inexplicable ways.
His hand reaches to my face, colder than my heated cheek, bigger andâ¦safe.
He strokes his thumb beneath my lids, gliding the tears over my skin as I sniffle silently.
Pure sadism shines in his ocean eyes, seeming to eradicate any noble feelings he could have. âI love the sight of your tears.â
My breath catches as a shudder rips through me. âThatâ¦sounds sick.â
âI sick. You shouldâve stayed away while you had the chance.â
He slides his thumb all over my face again, the darkness shifting, morphing, and simmering on the surface.
I watch it with keen interest.
Just like the other time, it seems that whenever he punishes me, something inside him claws to the surface.
Fighting.
Biting.
Itâs like heâsâ¦warring for control. But against whom? And for what?
As if validating my thoughts, he shoves his hand in his pocket and steps back.
Heâs leaving.
I canât help feeling the tinge of emptiness at the dysfunctionality of it all.
But I wonât have him throw me away like this. I wanted the way out he offered, but he didnât let me take it.
The least he can do is treat me like I matter.
I let my legs fall and swing from the table. âWill I find an ointment for a sore pussy in my mailbox this time?â
He stops a few steps away from the door and spins around, his eyes narrowed. âDonât be a brat.â
âDonât be a jerk. Iâm not a sex doll that you use and discard.â
âNo, youâre not. I havenât fucked you yet.â
My neck and cheeks heat, but I carry on, âEither give me the respect I deserve or let me go.â
âI told you itâs too late to let you go.â
âThe answer is simple then.â
He raises a brow.
âI mean it, Creighton. If you think Iâm bluffing, try me. Iâll go fake date Brandon. Just make sure you donât regret it afterward, because thereâs a trope in romance novels thatâs called fake dating and it always becomes the real thing.â
His brows dip and his eyes taper as his cold voice rings in the air. âThere will be no dating Brandon, fake or not.â
âThen give me what I want.â
âAnd what do you want, little purple?â
I hop from the table and, dammit, I totally overestimated my abilities, because my pussy throbs like crazy.
Creighton must see the change on my face, too, because his darkened gaze slides to my now covered pussy before his eyes finally meet mine.
Waiting.
Intimidating.
I step toward him. âTake me on a date and Iâll tell you what I want.â
âI donât do dates.â
My face must look monstrous with all the tears, but I still flip my hair. âIn that case, I guess youâll have to start.â
Then I brush past him with my head held high.