Page 24

TWENTY-FOUR

Ashley

All of the clothing Isaac had bought me was exquisite. Top of the line, well made, and with a few designer names I recognized. The shoes were just as nice and contained a mixture of heels and flats. I tore off the pair I had on and quickly exchanged them for comfort when I couldn’t find any slippers.

It took a little bit but eventually I found a pair of leggings and a loose, thin sweater and got changed.

The penthouse Isaac secured for us wasn’t what I would’ve expected from a vampire. The suite was light and bright, covered in shades of white, gray, and cream. Little pops of color stood out here and there, in shades of gold and yellow. I’d kind of been imagining darker, richer tones when I visualized where he’d be taking me but there was none of that here.

The space was pure and clean, directly opposite of how I felt. When I signed the contract, I’d known what I was getting into. I knew it would be a major adjustment, at first. The stories I’d heard from other women reassured me that it was a good gig and that great relationships were formed, and over time you experienced a freedom you hadn’t known was possible.

Getting a sponsor solved all your problems.

For myself, however, a large problem remained—my heart. The treacherous organ persistently tried to convince me I’d given up too soon, hadn’t let enough time go by. I’d tried to nurse my inexplicably broken heart by jumping into a brand new relationship.

Matthew was confident I’d be able to keep my friends and have a life once things settled down. He’d reassured me, answering my text moments ago. Would I be able to visit Della after Josiah decided I was dead to them? There was Karissa, but she was also friends with Della. And if Josiah allowed my best friend to hang out with me, what guarantee did I have I wouldn’t run into Micha? After he turned his back on me at Fleur de Luna, I could guarantee I’d punch him in the face on sight.

“What’s wrong?” Isaac walked in, took one look at me and sat beside me on the bed before I could blink.

My hands scrambled for purchase at his sudden appearance beside me before he took my hand in his.

“I'm trying to adjust to the situation,” I told him.

His gaze trailed over me, skimming my edges. “It’s more than that. I can see it.” Genuine concern covered his features.

I glanced down at my lap, uncertain how much I should tell him. There was no need to cause an issue where there wasn’t one. My problem would just take time and then everything would be okay. It was to be expected—it’d taken me a full year to get over my cheating ex.

Finally, I said, “I’ve had some bad experiences in the past.”

Isaac sat up a little straighter, fully engaged. It almost seemed as if he’d run out of the room to avenge me. “And?”

“Well, it's okay. I had a relationship where the man cheated on me all the time and then?—”

He interrupted me, “I would never do that.”

“Do you mind? I’m trying to be open with you.”

His jaw slid to the side. “Fine.” He was clearly pissed off, his eyes narrowed and muscles tense.

“And I believed him when he said he’d stopped, told me he changed. And then I wasn’t believed when I was accused of something I didn’t do. It was awful. I didn’t even know I cared for the man until after that happened. So, if I seem a bit standoffish, it's because I’m working through those things.” I picked a stray piece of lint off my leggings and when I went to drop it on the floor, Isaac snatched it.

He stood and strolled to a bin, letting the cotton fall inside. Another clean freak vampire.

It figured.

He turned back to me and started pushing my thighs open with his knees. He leaned forward until I was on my back, and he held himself over me. “You’ll learn you can trust me; I’ll teach you that you can. You’re mine and I am yours; there’ll be no secrets.”

“Okay. I guess we’ll see.”

His eyes flashed and he pushed me farther onto the bed and crawled over me. “I know you like danger, and I’ll exploit that every single day. You’ll never be bored. I know exactly what to do to make your heart flutter; make you feel alive.” He cupped my breast, the heat of his palm coursing through me until he flattened it right over my heart. “I know everything about you.”

My heart slammed in my ribcage. I couldn’t help my physical response, and I knew he could hear and sense every biological function of my body. It was intrusive and left me nowhere to hide. Perhaps it was only fair since he’d purchased me; to know everything about his property.

Isaac pressed his forehead to mine and kissed me before he said, “I’m going to take your breath away.”

He tore away my leggings, the waistband ripping from his impatience. When I gasped, he turned his attention back to my mouth, swallowing the rush the rush of air as it passed through my lips. My body was thrumming, anticipating his touch, wanting him to erase my painful memories. He peeled my undergarments off after I yanked my sweater over my head, a look of pure rapture reflected in his eyes.

“Do not move,” he ordered, shoving himself from the bed.

He unbuttoned his shirt and then his cuffs, swinging his arms back to pull the garment off before he unbuckled his belt. With a glint in his eye, he dragged it through the loops as he licked his lips.

My heart began pounding even harder, threatening to beat its way out of my chest. Then he stepped forward and climbed back over me, claiming my lips in a searing kiss before he gently gathered my hair, tucking it behind my neck. The motion was so much softer than the intensity in his eyes, it was jarring.

“Give me your hands,” he rasped. I held them up slightly, glancing at them. “Now,” he ordered, a warning in his tone.

I lifted them and he placed them over my head, wrapping them with the belt. “Don’t move,” he repeated. “You’ll find if you follow my directions you’ll be rewarded. But if you want to fight me, you are welcome to try.”

An ache began filling my lower belly as his dark words flew over me. He removed his pants and boxers, kicking them to the side to join the rest of his clothing and then stood at the edge of the bed.

The oxygen tore out of my lungs when he seized my legs, dragging me to side of the mattress. Lowering himself to the floor, he placed my legs on his shoulders. I felt his hot breath against my inner thighs and my muscles tensed, waiting.

Isaac ran his hands up the outside of my legs, stopping at my hips before he clasped them and pressed his face into my core. He inhaled deeply and shuddered; his breath warm against my sensitive flesh. I felt the flick of his tongue against my clit, burning hot and wet, and couldn’t stop the cry that left my lips.

When he thrust a finger inside me and curled it, I whimpered, wiggling on the bed. When my leg fell from his shoulder, he yanked it back, pausing to say, “I told you not to move.”

The sound of his finger pummeling my pussy and the bliss of his tongue curling through my inner lips left me coiled tight, the pressure building further and further. His order to hold still couldn’t be followed, not while he played my body with precision.

He grabbed me and lowered my trembling limbs, and I felt him rise. “Ashley, look at me. Look at who’s going to fucking break you.”

I peeled my eyes open to see Isaac standing before me, a savage glint in his eye. When my gaze lowered, they rested on the thick cock he held in the palm of his hand, stroking it slowly.

He moved me backward, laying my head against the top of a pillow, my tied hands resting atop my head as climbed over me. “You’re shaking,” he said. “As you should be. This is the only cock you will worship for the rest of your life. Your pussy belongs to me. Your tears belong to me. Your blood is mine. You’re going to take every inch of me like the bad little girl you are and forget anyone who came before me.”

A low whimper left my throat as he began to ease the swollen, fat head of his cock between my folds, pausing right above my entrance. He leaned down and began kissing the side of my neck, licking the skin. The sharp edges of his fangs skirted the surface, and I tried to drop my arms, but his head blocked me. He growled in warning and nipped me, sending me back into his required position.

Isaac angled his hips, spreading me open several more inches. I felt his lips separate and his mouth widen. He thrust himself forward the same time he bit into my neck.

I screamed. In the beginning, all I could feel was horrific pain, the agony tearing into me until my shouts became soundless, sucked into an invisible void. Then it transformed, similar to the feeling when Micha had bitten my breast, molten pleasure soaring through every cell of my body as he dragged his organ in and out of me while sucking and nipping at my neck.

I could feel my life force trickling down my skin as he ravaged me, ruthlessly pummeling me with his cock. I wanted to grab onto something, hold onto something that would keep me grounded yet I soared higher and higher, untethered from existence.

The more he fucked into me, the more I craved him, longing to touch him and hang on for dear life. All rational thought fled from me as he licked the side of my neck and claimed my mouth, shoving his tongue inside.

He pulled back, groaning in pleasure. “Come all over my cock. Give yourself to me,” he demanded. His fingers traveled down to my clit, sending me spiraling out into space.

I moaned, trying to lift my hips to meet his thrust. Delirious with pleasure, I felt the waves building higher and higher. I was right on the edge.

“Now, angel. Come .”