Page 80

“You said my name earlier,” he murmured, his mouth pressed against my ear.

My eyes widened.

“You were having a nightmare, but I was able to calm you down and then you said my name,” he explained. “I pulled you into my arms and having my cock rubbing up against you, settled you down.”

My body heated, not realizing the physical touch could calm me down like he said.

“Say it again, Ainsley. Say my name.”

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I knew for sure that he wasn’t going to break me. But he hadn’t given me any reason to think he would. Maybe I needed to talk to someone. Maybe I needed to find out when it was okay to open myself up completely to him. To anyone for that matter.

“Say it,” he growled, nipping my jaw.

I went to pull away from him when his hold on me tightened.

“No, you’re not getting away from me. Not this time.”

Pushing against him, I could feel myself closing in. I needed away. Out of his touch. Off of this bed. I needed a damn moment.

“Ainsley.” Cyrus shoved me onto my back. “Stop fighting me.”

I suddenly felt backed into a corner. My heart pounded in my ears, my stomach clenching to the point of painful. Bile rose to my throat as memories came rushing back.

So much agony. So many tears.

“Look at me.” Cyrus’s voice sounded so far away.

I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the demons of my past.

Suddenly, a firm mouth captured mine in a deep, bruising kiss.

I gasped at the contact.

Cyrus slipped his tongue between my lips, the kiss becoming deeper. He grabbed my hands that were still pressed against his chest and shoved my arms above my head.

A part of me wanted to fight him, while the other wanted him to fuck me. Lifting my hips, I shivered as my body slid along his cock.

He growled, nipping my bottom lip. “Stop. I’m not fucking you like this.”

I whimpered, lifting my hips once again.

“Ainsley.” He pinned me down with his body, stopping me from teasing us both. “What did I just say?”

Pleasewas on the tip of my tongue but I couldn’t say it. I knew that if I would just say his name, this could end and I could get what I wanted, but I feared that in that moment, he would laugh and leave.

“Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” he demanded, his dark eyes staring down into my soul.

Shaking my head, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I will get your voice, pet,” he murmured in my ear. “If it’s the last thing I fucking do, I will make it so you trust me enough to speak to me.”

Cyrus lifted off of me and left the bed.

I sat up, swung my legs over the side, and waited for him to look at me. When he only pulled on his clothes and never met my gaze, I huffed. His eyes finally met mine.

“What?”

I do trust you,I told him.