Page 85 of What You left in Me

A door closes somewhere down the hall and my heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest.

Chapter 27 – Finn – The Catch

It’s too late for anyone in this house to be awake. This was by design, obviously. By now, Dad should be drugged on his painkillers, Eleanor wound so tight she probably passed out just to escape herself, and Ariane… I can’t let myself finish that thought.

I shut the door behind me, drop my keys on the hall table, and head for the stairs.

I’ve barely turned the corner when I hear her footsteps come padding across the top floor, running. She isn’t wearing shoes. I can hear it. In another moment, I see it too.

Ariane barrels down the stairs, hair loose, eyes wide, like she’s been waiting all damn week for me to show up. She doesn’t hesitate and runs straight at me.

I catch her before I even think about it. She launches herself into my arms, legs locked tight around my waist, arms around my neck, her breath breaking against my ear.

“Finn,” she whispers, and fuck, I almost lose it right there.

One week. One goddamn week of trying to stay away, and here she is, undoing every bit of restraint I pretended to have.

My hands clamp on her thighs and ass, holding her up like she weighs nothing. I’d carry her for miles if she asked me to, even if it killed me.

“You shouldn’t be doing this,” I mutter, even though I’m gripping her for dear life, with no plans to relinquish my hold on her.

Her mouth brushes mine when she answers, shaky but defiant. “Neither should you.”

And then she looks into my eyes and nothing in the world could stop me. She kisses me… softly, yet desperately.

I groan into her mouth, low and rough, because fuck, this is what I’ve been starving for. My tongue slides against hers, my teeth catching her lip, and it’s all heat and surrender in one.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” I growl when she finally tears away to breathe.

“Yes,” she pants. Her nails dig into my shoulder. “Do you?”

Fuck. She’s going to ruin me.

Instead of answering, I just adjust her higher in my arms, turn, and take the stairs two at a time. Her body clings tighter, every gasp in my ear feeding the fire already eating me alive.

By the time I reach my door, my blood’s pounding so loud it’s all I hear. I shoulder it open, cross the room, and drop her onto my bed without a word.

She lands on her back, hair spilling across my sheets, breasts rising and falling like she can’t catch her breath.

And I just stand over her, every thought stripped down to one word, one truth that owns me.

Mine.

I stand over her body, and her eyes are dangerously wide with that delicious mix of fear and want. Everything else blurs as my cock strains against my pants, begging to be unleashed. She’s mine tonight, and I’m gonna make damn sure she knows it. I rip off my shirt, buttons popping like gunfire, and toss it to the floor. Her gaze moves to my chest, hungry, and I smirk, loving how she’s already unraveling.

“Stay fucking still, baby,” I growl, yanking my tie free and letting it dangle from my fingers like a promise. Her lips part, asoft gasp escaping, and I can’t wait to see those lips swollen from my kisses. I strip off my pants and boxers in one go, my cock springing free, hard as steel, throbbing for her. She’s staring, and I let her look, let her see what’s coming for her. I climb onto the bed, straddling her hips, and rip her clothes open, the fabric tearing with a satisfying rip. Her bra and panties follow, shredded in seconds, leaving her bare beneath me, her skin flushed and perfect.

“You’re fucking mine, Ariane,” I snarl, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head. Her breasts bounce with the movement, and I want to bury my face in them, but not yet. I lean over to the nightstand, pulling out the ropes I keep stashed there. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t fight me. I wrap the coarse rope around her wrists, looping it tight, securing it to the headboard with a knot that I’m sure bites into her skin. She winces, tugging against the restraints, and a small whimper slips out.

“Finn… It hurts,” she breathes, her voice trembling.

“As it fucking should,” I snap, tightening the knots even more, making sure she can’t move an inch. “You’re my slave tonight, and you’ll take what I give you.” Her breath hitches, and I see the heat in her eyes, the way she’s already soaking for me. I grab my tie again, folding it into a makeshift blindfold, and tie it around her eyes, plunging her into darkness. “No peeking, slut. You feel me, not see me.”

She’s trembling now, her body arching slightly, begging for touch without saying a word. I run my hands down her sides, rough, possessive, my fingers digging into her hips hard enough to bruise. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous like this,” I mutter, my voice low and raw. My cock’s aching, but I’m not ready to fuck her yet. I want her screaming first.

I slide my hand down her thigh, slow, teasing, my fingers brushing closer to her pussy but not touching—not yet. She squirms, her bound wrists straining against the ropes, and I chuckle darkly. “So fucking impatient, aren’t you?” I spread her legs wide, exposing her dripping pussy, and I can’t help but groan at the sight. She’s so wet, so ready, it’s driving me insane. I drag a single finger along her slit, barely grazing her clit, and she jolts like I’ve shocked her.

“Please,” she whispers, her voice desperate, and it’s like gasoline on my fire.