Page 25 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

Nessa

When I come back to earth, I’m no longer on my stomach. I’m draped over a muscular and tatted monstrous god. One hand possessively rests on my ass, his fingers strumming on my spanked cheek.

My heart is still beating rapidly as I daringly lift my head and find dark and impassive black eyes watching me.

One of his hands holds the knife and my jaw drops when he licks my cum off of the glistening handle. I blush furiously and drop my gaze to his chest, which is also a mistake.

Because the two cuts—one by him and another by me—mar his beautiful and tanned skin. The blood has dried and even though they aren’t too deep, they’ll still leave a scar.

I can’t believe I did it and lost control. Even though it’s half his fault for provoking me.

His palm on my hip slides higher and I frown when my skin feels damp and the coldness makes me shiver. Confused, I glance down and a loud and horrified gasp erupts from my mouth.

Blood is painted from my hip to my waist.

Pushing away from him, I sit up and look for the source. If it was from me, I would’ve felt it by now. Twisting, my gaze lands on his right hand which is bloody. I grab his wrist and flip it, hurting at the sight.

There’s one deep cut in the middle of his palm.

How is he not screaming in pain?

It doesn’t take me long to put two and two together. Immediately, guilt strikes my chest. He fucked me with his palm wrapped around the blade of the knife. Which time, though?

“Oh my god!” I sob and press on the wound to stop the flow of blood.

“Nessa.”

I shake my head, fighting tears.

“Little prey.”

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I mumble when my own fingers become drenched in seconds. Does he need stitches? “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“Ness,” he sighs softly.

“What?” I yell, except my voice comes out shaky. Half panicking and half angry, I scold him, “You crazy freaking monster. I told you it wasn’t safe.”

“It’s nothing. It’ll heal.”

“Nothing?” I wrench my gaze to his serene face as he leans against my headboard. His hair falls over his forehead in disarray. I would be fawning over his sexiness if it were any other circumstances. “For the love of God, August , you’re still bleeding.”

His gaze flashes heatedly, and I’m bewildered.

Instead of asking the reason behind his look, I climb down the bed and run to the adjoined bathroom. In the mirror cabinet, I grab the first aid kit and hurry back to his side.

Kneeling beside him on the bed, I lift the lid of the plastic box and yank out some cotton. Tenderly taking his wrist, I turn it over and dab the thick gauze on the wound.

The last time I saw so much blood… I discard the memory.

I focus on my task and put pressure on the wound. When the redness soaks through, I put more gauze over the area. Augustus remains quiet, not even a hiss or a groan out of him. Once I’ve stopped the bleeding, I finally tilt my neck to glance at him.

His eyelids are half-mast and staring at me under hooded eyes.

A zing of electricity runs down my spine but I ignore it.

“We need to wash this before I clean it,” I tell him, standing from the bed. “Come.”

After watching me for a lingering breath without drifting his gaze down my bare body, he listens and follows me to the bathroom. He towers over my small frame as I place his hand under the tap and twist.

Standing in the cramped space, I become aware of my nakedness and him being shirtless and wearing only his jeans that hang low on his waist. The deep and cut V on his hips is tempting me to stare and steal a glimpse of his cock.

Will he ever let me see, let alone touch him?

Why would you want to, Nessa?

Disgust swarms in, trying to drown me for even imagining wanting Augustus after everything he’s done. His unhealthy obsession with bringing me orgasm after orgasm.

I can no longer deny I become a willing participant and enjoy every minute while vowing to push him away the next time. Only to fail and succumb to this forbidden and catastrophic chemistry between us.

It’s reckless and dangerous behavior.

Just look at what happened tonight.

I let him fuck me with a goddamn knife and now he’s bleeding in my bathroom because he has no self-preservation. He gets off on violence and he’s corrupting my head too. He’s the last man I should lust after.

Turning off the tap, I grab a clean washcloth. Meticulously, I dry his palm and relax when the blood has stopped dripping. I’m also able to study the wound clearly and conclude that he doesn’t need stitches.

Dropping his wrist, I walk out, knowing he’ll follow.

He quietly does.

After sitting on the bed without waiting for my command, I tremble when he tugs me between his spread legs and keeps his uninjured arm around my waist.

“Finish.” He gives me his upturned hand.

I have to reach around him to grab the kit. Leaning over, my breasts come dangerously close to his mouth. A moan escapes when he uses it to his advantage and dips his head to seal his lips around my nipple.

“Augustus,” I whisper as a weak protest.

“I need a distraction, Nessa.”

His mouth glides to the other nipple and closes around it. I concentrate on finishing dressing his wound quickly so he’ll leave. Flipping open the small box, I pull out the antibacterial cream and some more cotton.

The items almost slip from my hand when he maneuvers one of his legs between mine and with his big palm on my hip yanks me forward. I have no choice but to straddle his muscular thigh.

A zap of lust shoots straight to my pussy at the contact against the rough denim.

It becomes ten times harder to concentrate.

His lips let my sensitive nipple go with a loud pop.

Leaning back, he watches in his unnerving way as I apply the cream. A rough exhale from him ruffles my hair. I soften my strokes and grab the bandage. His fingers tease along my spine as I roll it around his palm. I do it a couple of times until the wound is covered and finish dressing it.

“You should get it checked out as a precaution,” I murmur to him.

Silence falls and I wait for his hold to loosen so I can get up.

Instead, he brings me closer to his bare chest. I clutch his shoulders to not lose my balance. God! He’s thick and big everywhere.

“You need a shower,” he states.

That’s when I notice my state. I’m covered in blood, cum running down my thighs, my nipples red and swollen from his teeth, while the rest of me is flushed.

Ignoring all of it, I mutter off-handedly to him, “And you need to leave.”

Using his index finger and thumb of his bandaged hand, he tips my chin until I peer at him. “Tonight was a truce.”

So, tonight was different for him too. It wasn’t just my delusion.

“Come tomorrow, don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

The knife thing was easy? Easy ?

I have half a mind to pinch his wound that I spent the last few minutes taking care of. He doesn’t deserve my kindness.

My jaw clenches. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Get your phone,” he commands abruptly, lifting me off his thigh.

I stand on wobbly legs and scowl at him. “Why?”

“You’re canceling the favor with Ace.”

“It’s late.”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?” he snaps at my excuse.

Unbelievable. I’ve learned by now that he won’t leave until he gets his way. Fuming quietly, I turn around to go into the closet to cover my nude body first. His whipping command halts me.

“Naked, Miss Nessa.”

I switch directions without sparing him a glance and march downstairs. I find the phone dumped in the hallway where Augustus sneaked up on me. Picking it up, I see it’s after one a.m. but there’s no avoiding disturbing Ace.

By the time I return upstairs, Augustus is dressed and standing up. All his walls are also back up as if he didn’t just spend the night helping me fight my fear of knives in the most hazardous way.

You let him .

“Open the chat and give it to me,” he orders.

I clutch the phone tighter. “I can tell him myself.”

“Don’t test my patience, little prey, unless you want me to spend the night here.”

Unlocking the screen, I pass him the damn phone. His fingers fly over the screen as he types out the text and in seconds, hits send. He’s so rude, conceited, and controlling that he doesn’t even bother to ask if I have another option to go to work.

Simply does as he pleases as long as it suits him.

Thank goodness, I was planning to take the bus.

Bridging the distance between us, he hands the device back to me but not without a warning, “Don’t let me catch you alone with him ever again. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Running one last salacious gaze down my naked body, he walks past me. His strong scent lingers in my bedroom as a minute later, I hear my front door open and shut, confirming that he hid my key in the first place.

I wait ten more minutes before running downstairs.

The key is in the hole and I twist the lock into place. However, it doesn’t bring me the comfort or security that it did yesterday morning. I’m clueless as to how he keeps getting in. Tonight was supposed to get me ananswer but my plan failed terribly.

I cannot afford to move into another house.

He’ll probably find a way into that as well.

With a defeated sigh, I drag myself upstairs and take a warm bath. Then I change into a tee and nothing else. My body is exhausted from the highs and lows of tonight. The moment my head hits the pillow, I’m out as a light.

***

After rising, I go about my morning routine in slow motion. Fatigue isstill heavy in my bones. I’m drained both mentally and physically.

Is this what my life is going to be?

Somehow, I manage to get dressed for work in a floral wrap dress with my hair up in a ponytail. Despite the tiredness, my face is naturally aglow.

Even though the orgasms are forced, they still do wonders for my skin. There’s more color in my cheeks but my eyes are another story. With one look at them, everyone can tell I’m lonely and miserable. No matter how much I try to act like I’m happy and independent, I cannot succeed.

I’m tainted far too deeply by the cruelty of life.