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And then I kissed her.

Hard. Brutal. No finesse. A claim, a warning, a promise—all in one devastating crash of lips and tongue and teeth.

She gasped against my mouth, but she didn’t pull away. She never did.

Her fingers clawed at my back, dragging me closer, like she needed this as badly as I did—like she knew we were careening toward something neither of us could stop.

I tore my mouth away just enough to look at her—those fucking eyes, burning with fire and fear and something deeper I wasn’t ready to name.

“I don’t want you to regret this,” I murmured, my voice rough against her skin.

But even as I said it, I knew the truth.

It was too late for regret.

Too late for either of us to walk away from this wreckage we’d built.

And still—I kissed her again, harder this time. Because if we were going to burn, we were going to burn together.

I could feel it in the way her body trembled against mine, the way her nails dug into my shoulders as I pulled her closer. She felt it too—the desperation, the need that clawed at us like a living thing.

This wasn't about control or power. This was about survival.

I tore her pants down, her underwear following suit, and lifted her up again, pressing her back against the cold, hard wall of the locker room. She gasped as I slid inside of her, her body arching to meet mine like it was the only thing that could keep her from breaking apart.

And maybe it was.

Maybe this was all that was keeping either of us from shattering into a million pieces.

My fingers dug into her hips, holding her in place as I moved inside of her, each thrust a prayer, a plea for something I couldn't even name. Her name fell from my lips like a curse, like a benediction, like the only thing that mattered in this world.

I could feel the tension building inside of me, the pressure that threatened to tear me apart. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything except the way she felt in my arms, the way she moaned my name like it was the only thing that could save her.

But as I felt her body tighten around mine, as I heard her cry out in pleasure, I knew that wasn't true. She was the one saving me. She was the one keeping me from drowning in the darkness that threatened to consume me.

Being inside of her was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was like coming home, like finding a piece of myself that I didn't even know was missing. She was so tight, so warm, so wet, and I couldn't get enough of her.

I was rough with her, taking out all of my anger and frustration on her young, pliant body. I thrust into her hard, slamming her against the wall with each movement. She took it all, meeting my thrusts with her own roll of her hips. She was strong, so much stronger than I ever gave her credit for.

"You like that, don't you?" I growled in her ear. "You like it when I fuck you like this."

She moaned in response, her nails digging into my back as she pulled me closer. "Yes," she breathed. "I love it."

I couldn't believe how much she turned me on, how much I wanted her. I wanted to claim her, to make her mine in every possible way. "You're mine," I told her roughly. "Say it. Say you're mine."

She looked up at me, her eyes blazing with desire. "I'm yours," she whispered. "I'm yours, Knox."

I groaned at the sound of my name on her lips, thrusting into her harder and faster. I could feel myself getting closer, could feel the pressure building inside of me. But I didn't want it to end. I never wanted it to end.

I leaned down and bit her neck, marking her as mine again. She gasped in surprise, but didn't pull away. Instead, she pressed herself even closer to me, her body trembling with pleasure.

I knew I was being rough with her, knew I was taking out all of my anger and frustration on her. But she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to like it. She met my every thrust with her own, her body moving in perfect sync with mine.

I couldn't believe how good it felt, how right it felt. I never wanted to let her go. I never wanted to stop.

But eventually, I felt myself reaching the edge. I couldn't hold back any longer. With one final thrust, I came inside of her, my body shaking with the force of my release.

She moaned my name, her own orgasm following shortly after. We stood there for a moment, panting and sweating, our bodies still connected.