Page 25

Twenty-four

HOPE

I can still feel their touch on me and it’s erasing all the boundaries, all the bad.

I should be freaked out by what Jared did, and I am. But not mostly at what he tried, more from the cameras in my place.

When did he do all that? And why?

He watched me do… ev erything.

How could he watch me at night and then come into work the next day smiling at me like everything was fine? Like he wasn’t stalking me! He lied to my face so much, but even when I think back to all of our old conversations, I can’t spot any red flags that could’ve warned me of his true intentions.

He tricked me that well. He tricked everyone.

A chill races up my spine and I shake my head. The disgust lingers in the back of my throat. Should I search for more or trust the guys that they’ve got everything?

My breath catches as I realize the meaning of that. Trust.

Shit, since when did we get there?

Was it when they stood between me and my dad, when Knox pulled Jared off me, or when they protected me further?

Perhaps they changed on some level, matured. They will always remain the asses I know, but it has been all talk.

A touch here, a touch there, but nothing that comes close to that night.

Are they waiting? Waiting for me to say… yes?

I wait for the same disgust I felt earlier, but it stays hidden. I barely know how I feel because everything is so confusing. So unexpected. I thought they would take what they wanted by now like the others, but all they have done is get close to me.

So close.

All that replays in my head is the way I fit between them, their tall, broad bodies glued to my side and somehow, their touch was soft but also demanding. Or a warning of what’s to come.

Regardless, it excited me, and that scared me enough to push away from them and demand that they leave. I thought they would resist, but they filed out one after the other, leaving me alone in an apartment that doesn’t even feel like home anymore.

Do I even belong anywhere? Or truly with anyone?

I never got close to anyone after I left my dad, not even having a single friend. Nothing other than my work, because I wanted safety above everything else.

And maybe… just maybe… they have become the thing that completes it all.

The nightmares, the ones that have haunt me for so long can be… my dark, twisted protectors.

I scoff. From what, exactly?

My dad’s in jail. Jared is still in the hospital. From what do I need protection?

With that thought, I still hang a big towel over the glass door of my shower before I step in.

The water starts cold, cascading down my body. As if the chill can wash away all the bad thoughts, bad memories and traumas.

My dark, raven hair clings to my shoulders before I lather it in shampoo. The scent of fresh flowers wraps around me as a safety blanket and my fingers linger on my scalp.

I never changed my shampoo or lotions, always keeping the same scent on my skin.

“ Always smelling so sweet .” Knox’s voice echoes in my head.

Shit.

I always kept him close, never changed. If I truly wanted them away from me, I would’ve changed everything. I would’ve disappeared and separated myself from everything that reminded me of them .

They still probably would’ve found me, but it would’ve been a harder challenge at least.

I rinse my body and hair and turn off the shower before I grab the towel over the glass and bind it around me.

With a shake of my hand through my hair, I start to blow dry it. Just a little bit before I go to bed. I will fix it tomorrow morning.

When it’s no more than damp, I stare at my lotion and decide to leave it for once, as a silent stand against Knox. Even if he probably doesn’t even remember it anymore.

The sun has already been replaced by the moon once I get into bed. And I hope my dreams will give me much-needed clarity as the fear is still there but faded, the fog of it is lifted.

It’s no longer there to keep me from saying something I shouldn’t.

Saying yes.

KNOX

The blood on my hands is gone, but the marks still try to stare back at me in the dark. Hands that fought their way through life, but never could I stand up to my granddad. Not until Coach.

Am I strong? Or am I weak, just pretending to be tough ?

A soft whimper draws my attention, and I stare through the darkness to the covered body squirming under the covers.

Hope.

Sweet, soft Hope. Broken by the cards she got in life and ruined by me.

By Dimitri.

By Jaxon.

But what she did was worse.

Even if she didn’t mean to. She got us trapped in her little web, and we can’t seem to break free.

Perhaps we shouldn’t have come here. Maybe we should’ve stayed away.

But the thought of another touching what bears my mark makes something unspeakable rise inside me. A rawness, an anger that even scares me.

The only thing that puts me at ease is having her close to me. That way, I can watch her. Keep her safe. Be there when she needs me.

And she will need me. She’ll need all of us because this world is fucked up and people will want to hurt her or take advantage of her. She may paint us as villains in her mind, but there are people out there who will do far worse to her than we did.

And they’ll do it without an ounce of love in their hearts.

It’s a stark contrast on what I thought this was between us. Can I even call it love? Or is it more a twisted claim that I, we, believe is the same ?

She might have hated us for so long, and I can’t blame her. Her dad made her life a living hell and we only added wood to the fire.

But everything has changed now.

Hope moves around again, and it almost sounds like a soft moan that leaves her.

I lean forward in the chair, my elbows resting on my thighs as I watch her.

The moonlight filters through the drapes and casts a light hue over her face. Just enough to see how her plump lips part, how her chest rises, how her blanket crawls lower as she kicks.

Her restlessness peaks and she jumps up, clutching her chest, right where the marks on her skin are.

It takes her a beat before she catches me.

“For fuck’s sake, Knox!” She tosses her pillow my way. “Get out!”

The corner of my lip tilts up and I hold onto her pillow. Inhaling the fresh sent of flowers.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I say and lean back.

She shifts, sitting up on her knees, and tosses her arms in the air. “What do you want from me? Go away and leave me alone!”

Her voice is harsh and sharp, but it misses a certain bite.

I fling the pillow back, but she’s too late to catch it and falls back. She mumbles, curses as she scampers up again.

I push off the chair and stand by the side of her bed just before she finds her bearings again.

Her breath catches and my eyes linger on her breasts .

She huffs and crosses her arms, trying to shield her bare body from me.

“Are you naked?” I muse.

“No,” she sighs. “Not fully.”

A sound of defeat and her back relaxes slightly.

“Show me,” I say, and her eyes snap back at me, brows knitting together.

“No,” she says. “Hell no!”

Her hand lands on my chest, trying to push me back, but there’s not even an inch of movement from me.

“You don’t want me to go,” I taunt. “You like when I watch you. Not Jared. Not some other prick who can’t make you feel even an ounce of the pleasure that you know I can make you feel.”

“Are you fucking deaf, Knox?” she fumes, and the tiny bit of bite is back.

“Show me first,” I say.

And defiance shines in her eyes. A slight twitch in her lips. “Make me,” she grits.

My cock hardens. “Oh, daring little thing.”

The bit of defiance fades and realization hits her. But’s it’s too late.

Once you’ve invited the monster in, there’s no getting rid of it.

“Knox, no,” she says carefully as she inches back, and I grab her wrist, pulling her arms to her sides to watch how the moonlight grazes over her bare breasts.

My initials stare back at me, calling me .

“Fuck, sweetheart. I’m going to have so much fun.”

She moves her legs from under her, trying to kick at me, but I can’t stop the laugh as I crawl over her, my body burying hers, and it doesn’t matter what she tries, there’s no escape.

“Knox!” she screams and thrashes beneath me, but it only hardens me further.

“Are you going to run, Hope?” That question makes her pause, and I lean up to peel my top from me and remove the loose-fitted shorts.

And she does precisely what she needs. She runs.

She bolts for the door, gliding over the wooden floor. But as she fumbles with the lock, I grip her hip and press her against the door with my body. The flowery smell of her hair washes over me as I push my nose into the soft strands.

“Hmm, you weren’t lying that you weren’t naked,” I hum. “Nice G-string.”

I hook my finger under the flimsy fabric and pull it to the side. She keeps moving, and my hold becomes rougher until she whimpers in pain, her legs going limp as I thrust my finger inside her.

“No, you definitely don’t want this,” I joke as I pull my finger out and force it inside her mouth. “Taste how wet you are, sweetheart.”

She clenches her lips shut, but with some prying and pinching of her cheeks, she opens up.

She bites down as I enter, pain simmering into pleasure deep within me. “Yes, hurt me. Harder! ”

Her tongue curves around my finger. I can’t tell if it’s on purpose or if she’s trying to speak, but it makes my cock throb all the same. Fuck, I need to be inside her. I need her to feel me, feel how much she belongs to me.

With my one hand on her jaw, my finger in her tight mouth, I push her hips back with my other hand, just enough for my cock to line against her pussy.

“Please, sweetheart, do scream for me,” I taunt and thrust inside her.

Her jaw loosens as a cry breaks free.

“Stop it, please,” she whimpers, and I pull out a bit, leaving only the head in.

“Never,” I grit and thrust hard inside. Another whimper, another shake of her head. But I feel it. How her pussy clenches around my cock, begging me to do more, fuck her until she can’t even move.

And I do. I’m relentless with her body, taking what I want.

I step back, pulling her hips with me, giving me the needed space to fully take her.

Her back arches, and I press my palm in the bend, watching her beautiful body contort just for me. She’s a damn work of art.

She holds herself up against the door, panting, whimpering as her pussy tightens its grip around my cock.

I thrust through the tightness as my hand snakes up her spine and tangles in her raven black hair.

A harsh tug up, and I hear it. The first full moan .

God, that sound. It nearly makes me spill inside her right then and there, but I grit my teeth through the spike of pleasure, determined to make her fall apart first.

“Do that again, sweetheart. Make that sound again,” I grunt.

“No!” she grits, venom lacing the single word.

With my other hand, I linger on her ass cheek. “Remember how Dimitri took your ass?”

She tries to move away from me as my fingers glide around her ass, applying pressure until I feel her body tremble.

She pushes herself from the door, and I stumble. She takes the moment to crawl away from me, and I hurl up and wrap my arms around her, tossing her on her back as she kicks and punches me.

She lands a few hits, but my focus won’t change. Not even when she grazes a few over my jaw.

“Look who got some fight in her,” I say and grab her thighs, ripping them apart and pulling her against me. My cock’s inside her before she can throw another punch.

My fingers dig deeper into her thighs, and I hope they leave a mark. She should be used to my marks at this point.

“You need to accept who you are,” I grunt, and my thrusts turn rapid.

I lift one of her legs over my shoulder and hit her deeper. She gasps and her head falls back.

Her fingers claw at my arms, her body trying to twist and move. All of her movement just makes her squeeze my cock even more, driving me even crazier as we shuttle toward the point of no return .

“Fuck,” I groan as my cock tenses.

With every trust, a delicious sound comes from her, but she doesn’t look at me, pretending I’m not the one fucking her. That won’t do.

I grab her chin and direct her face forward so that she has to look at me, making her eyes narrow and her teeth grit in defiance. “You can’t escape from me, sweetheart. I’m the one fucking you, making you mine . And I can feel you squeezing my cock, just begging to come.”

Hope tries to shake her head, but I hold her still with a vise grip. When she tries closing her eyes to shut me out, I snap my hips, making them fly open as an uncontrollable gasp rips from her. Her walls clamp down on me even more, getting so tight that it’s almost hard to thrust into her.

I make it work, though. She still hasn’t come for me yet.

With my left hand, I crawl between us and rub my thumb over her clit. Her body twitches and my lips curve.

“Say you like it,” I tease.

“Never,” she says, but the slight moan around the word makes me keep moving.

I can’t hold on any longer and tilt my hips, hitting that sweet spot. She covers her mouth with her hands, but it’s already too late.

She spills over me, her orgasm crashing through her as her back curves off the ground. I push through the tremors in her pussy until I can still deep inside her, feeling how my cum fills her .

Hope pants heavily, trying to catch her breath as a deep red flush covers her cheeks. She shudders a little from the aftershocks of her orgasm, a look of embarrassment flooding her face.

My body slumps. All the buildup tension is gone, and I pull out but keep her legs apart, just to watch how pretty she looks used and fucked by me.

“This is what you’re good for, sweetheart,” I whisper as I admire the view. A work of art. A masterpiece.

She moves, and I let her, not wanting to get punched in the face since her glare is back. “Just get the fuck out of here,” she sneers.

“Careful now. Your lies are getting old.” I chuckle and get up from the floor to get dressed.

She slowly gets off the floor, staggering on her feet. Her hair’s a mess and cum drips down her thighs. She touches her fingertips to the mess on her skin, her teeth briefly pressing into her bottom lip as her brow furrows. I can’t read her expression, and I doubt her thoughts are any clearer.

Is she confused? Disgusted? Turned on?

I wish she would just talk to me instead of tossing me out or running away every chance that she gets, but if she wants to make this a guessing game, I’ll play along. I’m always down for games.

With my loose shorts on and shirt in hand, I grab her face, tilting it so her lips are there for the taking.

“It will be our little secret, Hope. We don’t want to make Dimitri and Jaxon jealous. ”

She whimpers as I pull her closer by her face and take her lips with mine. Her lips are warm and soft against mine, but her teeth are sharp as she tries to bite.

I grin. “Fucking perfect.”