Page 49

49

HARPER

“ I t’s nice of Ally and Connor to give us some alone time.” I wiggle my brows playfully, my gaze lingering on Ford’s handsome-as-sin face.

I wave my hand out to keep the briar from hitting me in the face, but Ford already snaps it in the other direction before it makes contact with my skin.

His eyes don’t leave mine.

Something darker swirling in them, something dangerous that makes my pulse stutter.

“Are you sure you’re ready for me like this, baby?” His voice is smooth, but there’s a sharp edge underneath—one that sends a thrill skittering down my spine.

I take in his face as we walk through the woods.

This isn’t my usual playful, teasing husband.

There’s a storm brewing inside him, and for the first time, he’s not keeping it hidden from me.

Although I should be afraid of that, some twisted part of me isn’t.

I play it coy, blinking up at him with wide eyes.

Swallowing hard, I whisper, “I think so.”

His lips press together as if he’s deciding something.

Finally, he says, “Why don’t you tell me about that asshole back there.”

My breath catches.

He jerks his head in the general direction we came from, his jaw tightening. “I want to know exactly what you’ve been hiding from me.”

I should have expected this.

Ford doesn’t let things go.

Ever.

But this is different.

This isn’t just possessiveness.

It’s something deeper.

A need for control.

A need to reclaim what he thinks was taken from him.

And God help me, that thought sends a rush of heat straight to my core.

My mouth and throat are dry as I nod. “Well… I’m not sure where to begin.”

“I don’t care where you start . I just need to know what that fucker did ,” Ford snaps, his voice like gravel and steel.

My pulse pounds.

I should be unnerved.

I should be scared.

Instead, I’m wet.

Dripping.

Why the fuck am I getting so turned on by him losing control of himself?

My eyes flick toward the woods ahead, catching a glimpse of my parents’ house in the distance.

A wild idea takes root.

I take off running. “You’ll have to catch me to find out,” I yell over my shoulder, not looking back.

Ford’s snarl cuts through the air—a low, menacing sound that should have me sprinting in the opposite direction.

But I know better.

The predator inside him has fully emerged.

And I’m his willing prey.

My feet pound against the earth, my breath ragged.

I’m not built for this .

I don’t run unless I absolutely have to, but Ford? He’s an apex hunter.

He’ll always have the edge.

My only chance is to outsmart him.

My gaze darts over the area, relief filling me when I spot the tall weeds and rocks shielding the entrance to the old coal structure my parents never used.

It’s been abandoned for years.

My dad always warned me the ground might cave in if I got too close, but right now?

It’s my only shot.

I round the hill, slowing my pace as I slip behind the structure, keeping low as I sneak through the entrance.

Long shadows stretch across the damp, cold interior. The air is thick with the scent of coal and old earth.

Pressing my hand over my mouth, I try to stifle my heavy breathing.

The thrill, the fear, the anticipation—it all coils inside me like a live wire.

Seconds stretch into minutes.

The air in my lungs burns as I slowly creep toward the door?—

A thud stops me in my tracks.

My heart slams into my ribs as a shadowy figure drops into the doorway, blocking my exit.

A shrill scream rips from my throat before I can stop it.

Ford.

His hand wraps around my throat. The darkness in his eyes is all-consuming.

“Look what I found,” he murmurs, his lips curling into something between a smirk and a snarl. “My wife.”

His grip isn’t tight enough to hurt—just enough to remind me who’s in control.

“She thinks she can hide from me.”

I take a shaky step back.

He follows, closing the space between us.

I’m trapped.

“There’s only one way out of here, baby.” His fingers tighten just slightly. “And I’m blocking it.”

His voice turns gravelly, lower than I’ve ever heard it. “I’ll bet your pussy is fucking dripping.”

A jolt of heat lashes through me like a whip.

My breath catches.

Ford’s eyes flash with a challenge. “Where’s my badass wife now?”

That snaps something inside me.

My teeth grit together, defiance rising to the surface. “Right here.”

I move fast, jerking my elbow up, aiming for his ribs?—

But I’m too slow.

Ford catches my arm effortlessly.

A wicked laugh rumbles from his chest as he spins me, pinning my hands over my head.

Cold metal snaps around my wrists.

Handcuffs.

My pulse pounds. “Ford?—”

He cuts me off with a slow drag of his fingers down my body, pinching my nipple through my shirt.

“You like pain with your pleasure, don’t you, hummingbird?”

I suck in a sharp breath, my body betraying me.

His lips graze my ear. “Words, wife. Use them.”

I turn my head, glaring at him.

Fighting him.

Finally, I breathlessly whisper, “I like when you pleasure me… And make me feel pain.”

His smile is pure sin. “There’s my good girl.”

His hand snakes lower, cupping me through my leggings.

I jerk away—a useless move.

His fingers slip inside my waistband, brushing against my panties.

The barest tease.

“Mmmm. You’re on fire, baby.”

I twist away, earning a dark laugh that echoes off the concrete wall.

The predator is all around me, beside me, and now, his fingers glide over my panties, soon to be inside me.

There’s no escape.

I’m trapped, his helpless prey.

As much as I want to fight him, there’s a bigger part that wants him to eat me alive.

“Ford.” His name slips out like a whispered prayer, breathy and haunting. “P-Please.”

He circles my clit, his touch too light.

Teasing.

“P-Please, what, wifey?”

God, why do I melt every fucking time he calls me wife?

Even when I pretend to fight him .

“S-Stop teasing me.”

He raises his brows. “ You’r e going to tell me what to do? After you withheld information from me?”

I frantically shake my head, realizing my mistake. “N-No.”

“Sure sounded that way.” He continues his slow, delicious torment.

My teeth gnash together to prevent me from doing something stupid, like demand he rub my clit faster.

Harder.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I shake my head, loving and hating the torment he’s dishing out.

“What’s wrong, baby? Frustrated?” His warm breath tickles my ear, making me shiver.

I give a quick nod, worried I’m about to break some teeth with how hard I’m clenching.

His fingers slide lower, and suddenly, his fingers are inside me, thrusting hard and fast.

My lips part as a long moan slips free.

“Oh, fuck. So good,” I rasp, moving my hips faster.

“You like that?” His voice is gravelly and seductive, drawing me in.

My eyes pop open. “Yeess.”

He growls, his thumb moving back to my clit, furiously circling it, while his fingers thrust in and out, harder and faster.

I’m a puddle of desire.

My pussy is so wet, the embarrassing sounds filling the cold, dark room.

The air carries the acrid scent of coal as my breaths rasp in and out, faster and faster, mixing with Ford’s sweat and the body wash he used this morning.

He keeps my wrists pinned over my head, his fingers fucking my pussy harder and faster than he ever has.

His warm breaths feather over my skin before his teeth sink into my neck, marking me.

I yelp from the pain, my pussy growing even wetter.

“Fuck,” he growls. “That’s it, wifey. Fucking soak my fingers.”

His words, his rough touch, his dominance, all of it are sending me dangerously close to the edge.

My legs begin to violently shake as I brace myself for the most vicious orgasm I’ve ever had.

I’m close.

So close.

And then— he’s gone.

I sag against the wall, my legs trembling. “W-Why did you stop?”

Ford chuckles darkly, stepping back. “You don’t deserve to come yet, wife .”

My heart lurches. “What?”

Before I can react, he grabs me, slinging me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing.

He smacks my ass hard.

“F-Ford?” I whimper, confused.

Wrecked.

Desperate.

“What are you?—”

Another sharp slap .

“Don’t question me, wife.”

His voice is cold.

Calculated.

Merciless.

I dangle over his shoulder, too stunned to fight him as he strides toward the house.

“Told you I was going to punish you.” His grip tightens. “This is only the beginning.”

Holy fuck.

I’ll never survive this.