Page 21

Chapter 21

Fantasia

I ’m stunned into silence. In all the years I’ve known Piers, he’s never shouted at me like this.

He’s never looked so incandescently angry.

Piers storms toward me, and I’m so fascinated by the novelty of his rage that I don’t back away. His shadowed eyes are wide with fury, the sclera stark against his pupils, and his jaw creaks audibly as he grinds his teeth. The flush in his cheeks nearly matches his hair.

When he grabs my wrist and pulls me up the stairs to our room, I don’t try to fight him.

There’s something like anticipation building in my stomach as we mount the stairs, but I can’t even tell what I’m waiting for. Piers releases my wrist once we reach our room, slamming the door behind us. For a long moment, he keeps his back turned to me, as if I’ve at last disgusted him to the point that he can’t even look at me.

I don’t expect it to feel like a loss, but it does.

“Piers-”

“You keep trying to get rid of me,” he says to the door, “but that’s not going to happen, Fantasia. Not now, not ever.”

Despite my surprise, I feel myself bristle all over again. “Can’t you understand that I’m trying to save you, you idiot?!” I cry.

Piers whirls on me, his eyes glassy with rage. “Well you can’t!” he screams. “You can’t. Because where you go, I go. When you’re hurt, I’m hurt. When you die, I die.”

He can’t mean that. He can’t be saying these things. I won’t listen to them. “You’re insane,” I spit, backing away from him. He follows, refusing to let me run from his own delusions. The backs of my legs hit the mattress, trapping me between him and where we’re both about to end up, no matter what blasphemy we’re speaking. “You’re willing to throw your entire life away for me- why ?! What have I ever done-”

“You’ve existed ,” Piers says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’ve smiled . You’ve looked up at the sky. You’ve licked blueberries off your lips. You’ve fallen asleep in my arms- straightened your shoulders so you won’t look afraid- I can’t explain it, Fantasia, because it just is . You live, and I love you.”

I shake my head, but I can’t look away from his open face, his wild eyes, the way he’s fisting his hands in his own hair. These words are being pulled out of him like teeth, but he means every one of them.

I live, and he loves me.

When he closes the distance between us, I don’t stop him. His mouth crashes into mine, his teeth dragging over my lower lip, but I’ve barely opened my mouth before he’s shoving me away. I fall backward onto the bed, and Piers climbs on top of me.

Outside our room… outside our sealed sanctuary, the stalemate goes on. But between the two of us, it feels like a battle is being won and lost at the same time.

Piers’s hands tug at my clothes, his fingers scalding every time they brush my skin. My spine softens, my back arching as my shirt is pulled up over my head and my bra is unfastened. Piers fits his mouth over my breast and licks up my naked skin. He pinches my nipple between his teeth, and I buck under his body, my hips pressing into his, his erection grinding between my legs. I moan, and Piers growls in response. His hands scoop beneath my body, his calluses scraping over my skin, and lighting fires in my veins.

“You’re an idiot,” I gasp, burying my fingers into Piers’s hair and holding on for dear life as he wraps me up in his arms. “You’re a masochist- ah!” His teeth sink into my breast again, scolding me, but I’m undeterred. “You only like me because I tried to kill you.”

“That definitely helped,” he murmurs against my skin. Piers's fingers tangle in my hair, yanking my head back as his mouth sears down my neck, nipping and sucking. “But you should’ve aimed for my heart, Fantasia. Because now I’ll spend forever proving this one still beats for you.”

I can’t even tell if he’s joking or not.

And before I can retort, he whispers, “all this time,” his lips trailing down now, grazing my stomach as he speaks, “and all I kept thinking about was you. Even when I should’ve hated you… even when I tried.”

He pulls my hips towards the edge of the bed and removes both pants and underwear with a swift tug, spreading my legs wide apart, exposing my wet center. He struggles with the button of his jeans and forcefully unfastens it, the sound echoing loudly in the silent room, like a gunshot.

His pants are clinging tightly to his hips now, the thick fabric acting as a barrier between him and his intense longing. He tugs at the waistband with fervor, pulling it down just enough to reveal a vast expanse of skin and the angry, throbbing erection that strains against the confines of his underwear. He decides against completely taking off his pants, instead hooking his thumbs into the elastic of his boxer briefs and yanking them down just enough to expose his hard cock.

It springs forth, and I can't help but gasp as he presses the tip against my entrance. He rubs teasingly, making me yearn for more, and I can feel him already glistening with pre-cum.

“Every day apart felt like an eternity. And now that I have you back, I’m not letting go.”

With that encouragement Piers plunges into me, filling me with one hard thrust. We both moan at the exquisite sensation of being joined again. Piers moves slowly at first, savoring every movement.

“That's it,” he murmurs, “take every inch of me.” He starts moving faster, his thrusts becoming harder and deeper as he loses himself in the feel of him inside me.

“You feel that?” He thrusts deeper, his voice a growl. “That’s me. Inside you. Owning you. No one else gets to have you like this.”

“I'm going to fuck you until the only name you remember is mine.”

I respond with a loud cry, my head thrown back in ecstasy. I’m so close, teetering on the edge, and I want to be pushed over, want to shatter underneath him.

Piers reaches between us, his fingers finding my clit, swollen and slick. He rubs tight circles around it, and my body tenses in response. I feel my inner muscles clench around him, gripping him like a vice, and I know I’m right there.

“Say my name, Fantasia. Scream it. Let the whole world know exactly who you belong to.”

And I do. My orgasm rips through me, my body convulsing as I cry out his name.

He thrusts deep one last time and holds it there, his release pulsing through me in waves. His body shudders, a low growl escaping his lips as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. I feel his heartbeat pounding against my chest, erratic and wild, echoing the chaos in my own veins.

My body feels weightless, boneless, as if he’s unraveled me piece by piece and put me back together again. But now, every part of me is tangled up in him- his scent, his warmth, his breath hot against my skin. I can’t tell where he ends and I begin.

He doesn’t move, his grip on my hips possessive, unyielding. He’s still inside me, filling me, grounding me, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go. His hands slide up my sides, strong fingers splaying over my ribs, holding me so close it’s like he’s trying to fuse us together.

His lips press against my shoulder, a lingering, searing kiss that feels more like a brand. His voice is rough, raw, still thick with the aftermath of his climax. “You think you can push me away? Not a chance. You’re mine, Fantasia. Always have been… always will be.”

His words wrap around me, tightening like a chain I’ll never break free from.

And maybe I’m starting to think I don’t want to.