Page 89

I close the door behind me and move to the side of her bed, setting down the tattoo gun. I pull the small vial from my pocket. One pill. A sedative. Not enough to knock her out completely, just enough to keep hercalm.

She stirs when I brush hair from her face.

Her body shivers, and I smile.

She’s already mine.

Now, she’s going to wear my name. Forever.

I press my lips to her forehead, then lower, dragging my mouth along her temple, her cheek. She smells like vanilla and sleep, her pulse fluttering under my lips.

Her lashes flicker. A soft inhale, groggy and confused. “Eli?”

“I’m here, baby.” I stroke my fingers through her hair, down the curve of her throat. “I couldn’t stay away.”

She starts to sit up, but I’m already there, pushing her back, keeping her exactly where I want her.

“Eli, what—”

“Shh.” I brush my lips over hers, gentle at first, then firmer when she gasps. As I kiss her, I slip the pill between her lips, pressing it lightly against hers as my tongue sweeps inside, deepening the kiss. Her body shudders beneath me, and I feel her hesitate, the unfamiliar taste hitting her tongue.

I want her pliant. Weak. Willing.

“What are you doing? What did you give me?” Her hands come up, but I capture them, pinning them above her head. My fingers tighten around her wrists. She’s so small beneath me, so easy to control.

“Stop fighting me,” I whisper against her lips. “You can’t fight this.”

She shakes her head, but it’s not a real no. It’s the kind of hesitation that drives me insane. She’s already mine.

I kiss her throat, nipping at the skin, leaving tiny marks in my wake. She squirms, a little breathless now, her body betraying her.

I slide lower. Over her collarbone. Down to the delicate dip between her ribs.

“Eli please…” Her voice is barely a whisper. “What are you doing?” I feel the tension in her, but I see it, too.

My hands are already at the waistband of her shorts, tugging them down. She resists for a second, but I just murmur to her, soothing, coaxing. “Shh, princess. I’ll take care of you.”

She’s starting to soften. Her breath slows, becoming heavy, almost languid. I never knew the sedative would be so handy or effective. I usually keep the pills for when I can’t sleep. They are melatonin and I have not had need for them in months.

She is naked underneath her shorts. Pink. Pretty. Perfect.

I work her top off her and then kneel down to admire her cunt. My cunt.

I lift one of her legs over my shoulder, spreading her open for me. My hands grip her thighs, holding her in place as my mouth finds her clit.

She barely stirs, her body warm and heavy, sinking into the mattress beneath her. Her breaths are slow, deep, like she’s still floating between dreams and reality.

I love her like this—soft, pliant, utterly mine.

“Eli…” Her voice is a breathy whisper, unfocused.

I drag my tongue over her slit, savoring the taste of her. She shivers, but it’s slow, sluggish, like her body is only just beginning to register sensation. Her fingers twitch where they rest against my shoulders, but there’s no real resistance—just a hazy sort of confusion, as if she can’t quite tell if this is real or just a dream.

“Feels… so good…” she murmurs, her words slurring slightly.

I smile against her, pressing my nose to her, inhaling the familiar, intoxicating scent of her skin. “You are so fucking beautiful, baby,” I murmur, my voice low, soothing. “Come for me.”

Her thighs tense, but I don’t let her move. I hold her still, my grip firm, keeping her exactly where I want her as I lick her.