Moth to a Flame

9. CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

Landon

Things haven’t gone according to plan.

Wait, I had a plan?

Yes. Yes, I had one.

Push my meetings to later this morning. Check.

Drive down here next to Regan’s home, sit at the nearest internet café, and hack Brinestone’s systems. Get the names, phones, and addresses of the guards who work the nearest Sunday shift. Call one of them from my burner phone and bribe him with Cryptocurrency in exchange for his cooperation.

Some of it would go to his buddies, and I’d be able to go through their inspection on my way to meet one Bobby Cantrell on my visit there.

Done.

Next part was this. Come here, wait for Regan to be by herself and bare my soul to her. Show her who I really am. Claim her. Own her.

Tell her I’ll defend her from anyone and anything.

Except from myself.

Also done.

Then force my little lamb to accept this one, single truth.

She’s mine.

And that’s where I’m struggling.

I’m losing control over the situation. Over her.

I can’t have that.

“How did you know?” Her skin is electric beneath my fingers. Desire vibrates through her.

Her anger is incredibly loud.

And so. Fucking. Hot.

Years of denying myself of anything good, anything worth loving, come back with a vengeance. I need her so much that the civil side of me is slipping through my fingers.

There’s a door behind her that probably leads into the repair room.

“Is it locked?” I ask her.’

“Y-yes.”

“Unlock it.”

With shaky fingers, she does.

The handle lowers for me when I reach for it. I push the door open, gripping Regan’s neck so she won’t get away.

Fuck, my hand fits as if I was always meant to hold her like that.

Her body know that too. I drag her closer, then into the dark room, and she obeys me.

She, too, know she’s always been mine.

“Tell me.” Her mouth, though, that part of her continues to sass.

I like it. “Moth to a Flame.”

A gasp.

“It’s my company.” The door clicks shut behind us. “I sabotaged your chances of finding a match. I brought you the eyeballs. Me. Do you like that? Like being mine?”

“Oh my God.”

I push her until her back hits the wall. Both my hands thread into her hair, and I kiss her, long and hard.

She doesn’t return the kiss.

Doesn’t open her mouth for me.

She doesn’t try to shoot me, either.

I urge her mouth open with my tongue, pushing past her sealed lips. Finally, fucking finally, they part for me. Her moan has me throbbing, and I pull her face closer to me by her hair. She groans a second later, then starts crying.

Her tears are silent, and she pushes my chest as she stirs beneath me.

As much as I love the way she fears me, this doesn’t feel like a game.

“Shh.” I cup her jaw, tilting her head up to lick the tears off her cheeks. “You’re safe. I’m not him. Let me take care of you.”

She keeps crying, and I keep spreading kisses along her cheeks. Her skin is warm beneath my lips as I brush them over her nose, her eyes, her forehead.

Regan clings to me like a lifeline, and God, fuck, I’m hanging by a thread over here myself.

Still, I hold back from ripping her clothes off and making her come until she can’t stop crying. Her tears won’t be those of agony then.

“I understand. You didn’t call the cops about the eyeballs, but yes, it must’ve been too much to take in by yourself.” My mouth brushes her ear. “Tell me to stop. Tell me to stop, and I”—I won’t stop, can’t stop—“I’ll go slower.”

“No.” She shudders, her hot breath trickling on my cheek. “I’m just scared. I’m…Are you going to kill me too?”

My head snaps up. The blue glow from some machine somewhere in the room offers enough light for me to make out her face. Her large, round eyes.

“I would never.” I lean into her. Our foreheads are pressed.

“You hear me?” A shudder rakes through me. I’m pulsing with conviction. “I would never kill you.”

“You killed them.” Her tears slow to a stop, her hands clutch my shirt harder. Wrangling the material. “For nothing, Landon. They died for nothing. I don’t want to die for nothing.”

“I’m not going to kill you, damn it,” I bite down her lip, pressing my thumb to the pulse point on her neck. I’ll keep her heart beating for-fucking-ever. “And nothing? It wasn’t nothing. Not for me.”

Is it too early to let her see my easily my jealousy is triggered? Yes. Yes, it is.

She’s staring at me, and holy shit, blush creeps up her cheeks.

When she twists her face to the side, I yank it back to mine.

“What is it?”

Her eyes search mine. Trust appears there first. Curiosity shines through next.

“It…Uh…It wasn’t nothing for me either.”

“Then?” If she doesn’t talk soon, I’m crawling into her head and dragging it out of her.

“Before I knew it was you, I thought it was…cool?” She sounds embarrassed and, fuck me, it’s adorable. “Like I was living in one of my horror movies. Or books.”

“Say the word, Regan.” I let out a harsh breath when her hands run up to my neck. When her teeth grind. She’s not upset about them. She’s scared of me, and she wants me. “Say the motherfucking word, and you’ll have eyeballs and any other body part at your doorstep every day for the rest of your life.”

“That’s the problem.” Her hands ball into fists, gripping my hair. “I figured whoever left them wouldn’t come near me. That I was safe. But you’re here. Right here.”

Regan’s gun stays tucked in her leggings. This gives me hope. Not like I needed it. I’d have made her mine whether she likes it or not. Though, yeah, the fact that she doesn’t point it at me is a small comfort.

“I am here, that’s right.”

My cock strains against my jeans with the need to own her. Possess her. Make her understand that I will never, ever hurt her. I want her alive. I need her to keep breathing even when I’m long gone.

“You…Can’t you see you terrify me?” She pulls her lips in, trying to look away again. Fuck if I’ll let her. I force her to stare at me, and her expression hardens in my tight grip. “You said you wouldn’t kill me. How am I supposed to believe that when you won’t tell me why you killed those men?”

“They looked at you.” Telling her I’m a jealous bastard is the lesser of two evils, it seems like. So be it. “They looked at what’s mine. You, little lamb? I would never hurt you. I’ll stab myself in the chest and tear my heart out before I even dream of doing that.”

Her large eyes drill holes into my head. I let her see everything. How honest I am. This is the most truthful I’ve been in my life.

“You won’t.” Her back arches, and I groan at the feel of her soft body pressing to mine. “You won’t kill me.”

Her nails bite into my skin.

They don’t stay there.

She lets go and her gun—fucking Jigsaw—is right there, between us.

One second passes.

Crack.

I stare at her, shocked. In love. “You pistol-whipped me.”

“That’s for lying to me.” She knees me in the balls.

Is it sick that it turns me on? Probably. “What was that for?”

“For scaring me when you knew.” Her breath hitches. “You knew, yesterday. That I was raped. You still decided to come here and scare the shit out of me with that photo.”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “I dare you to tell me you didn’t like it.”

“I didn’t. I saw the photo on your laptop, and at first, I was okay, and then—”

The spot where she hit me throbs and I welcome the pain. I welcome Regan’s anger just the same, crushing my lips to hers and kissing her.

“You forced me into this room where no one could see what you were doing to me.” The accusations are blurted out between a hundred violent kisses. A million of them. “Where no one could see you hurting me.”

There’s that gun again in my periphery. I grip her wrist, pinning it up against the wall.

“Fuck, you are going to kill me.”

She’s beyond listening to words, so I wrangle the gun from her hand and slam it against the nearby metal table. Regan reaches for it as soon as I start kneeling before her.

“You could hit me again.” I can’t get her leggings and panties off fast enough. Can’t say another word before I give in to my most base needs, part her lips, and taste every inch of her pussy. “But that second one might knock me out.” Another lick. I swirl my tongue on her clit, flicking the tip on the sensitive spot that she pushes into my face. “Then I won’t get to make you come. Do you really want that?”

“No.” Her hands are in my hair, the gun forgotten as she begs for more of me, and yes. Just yes . “Please, Landon. Don’t stop.”

“So am I? Going to kill you?” I’m being a prick, barely touching her with my tongue until I get the answer I need. I slide a finger up her slit, her lips, her clit slowly. Softly. “Tell me, Regan.”

“No, you won’t.”

“You can do better than that.” I blow a hot breath on her wet pussy, holding her up by her gorgeous thighs when her knees buckle.

“Fuck. Touch me. Touch me. I can’t feel you, Landon.” Her hooded eyes meet mine. “Please, I need you. I need you so goddamn much.”

“That’s my good girl.”

Two fingers go into her heat, and my name has never sounded this perfect.

The reverence in her voice reminds me of a prayer, and I’m here to show her what a merciful god I am.

“Again.”

She’s not done coming on my mouth. I sure as hell am not done with her. Her arousal drips on my chin, and I lick and devour her. I eat Regan out, sucking on her clit.

Making her moan for me.

“Come. Again.”

“It’s too much.” Her thighs clench, her pussy squeezing my fingers, pulling them in deeper. “Before you, I haven’t come—I can’t—”

Haven’t come since that monster ruined her life.

I’m still just as hard as I was a second ago. The rage, the wrath , Christ, it’s a beast clawing its way out of my chest. It’s growing and evolving and no, fuck no. He won’t ruin this moment for her too.

Whatever he broke, I’m going to fix.

“It’ll hurt until it won’t anymore.” I’m relentless. Tasting, pleasuring, finger-fucking her. Coming up for air to order her, “You have more in you. So much more. Eyes on me. That’s it. That’s a good girl. Fuck my face, Regan. Fucking come on me.”

Two orgasms later, and she’s a shaking, pleading, begging mess. My mess. She didn’t take long to get there, either. My body and soul have waited for her all these years. Looks like hers waited for mine just the same.

I tear her panties off her, sniff them, and shove them into my pocket. Pull her leggings up and stand, cup her cheeks, and kiss her.

She flinches. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I—My o-o—”

“Orgasms.” I grip her chin, staring into her eyes. “Say it.”

“Orgasms.”

“Good girl. Now taste it.” Her lips part, just a little. Her tongue peeks to meet mine, and I rub it against her. Talk to her while I’m violating her mouth. “That’s it. See how good you taste? You’re so sweet, Regan. So good.”

She hums. “Thank you.”

So innocent. She thinks I’m done.

I’m hard as a fucking rock, but it’s not it. She and I have unfinished business.

I yank on her hair, hovering over her to meet her eyes. “Kneel.”

“Why?”

“You hit me because I lied to you. Which is fair.” The sound of my zipper going down is loud in the otherwise quiet room. “I won’t hit you, ever. But…Turnabout’s fair play.”

“When did I lie to you?” she argues, yet she goes down on her knees like a good girl. Stares at me beneath her thick eyelashes.

“You said you didn’t like what I did today.” I take myself out, my cock thick and throbbing. While I talk, I rub my precum on her lips. “I know for a fact that you did. You love it when I scare you. When I force you. You love it because you trust me to take care of you. So don’t ever tell me that you don’t like it.”

Her lips press into a fine line. I tap my cock on them.

“The truth.”

“I won’t.” She’s not lying. I hear it in her voice. See it in her eyes. “I promise. Let me taste you.”

With a finger on her chin, I yank on her bottom lip, and open her mouth for me. Shove inside.

The growl coming out of me isn’t mine. I sound like an animal as pleasure pulses through me. A beast, not a man. “See how good it feels to tell the truth?”

I pump into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat. She has no idea what she’s doing, how to suck me, and that’s beautiful.

“Unless.” I tug on her hair, thrusting her face into my crotch. Teaching her what I like. “I tell you to. If I tell you to fear me, to cry, to beg, you’ll do it.”

“Mmm,” is the choked sound of her approval. Tears prickle the corners of her eyes as I fuck her face.

As I praise her. “Good fucking girl. Taking my cock so well. Look at you, with your lips wrapped around me. Sucking me. Feels so good, love. So good. Hand on my balls.”

The feel of her cupping me nearly sends me over the edge. “Yes, fuck, you were meant for me. So hot. So wet. Fuck. Fuck, Regan. I’m coming and you’re going to swallow it. All of it.”

And then I really do go over the edge. She gags and chokes while I empty myself in her mouth, spilling load after load down her throat.

“Come here.” I help her up then use two fingers to shove the cum dripping down her chin back in her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles while I feed her my cum.

“What the hell are you sorry for?” Pressing my lips to hers, I lick myself off her. I taste myself and her and fuck if I’m not hard again. Just so my cock won’t get any ideas, I tuck myself in. “You did so well. You’re such a good girl. My girl.”

“Landon, this was…” Her eyes water as she gazes at me, and she blinks the tears away. My brave woman.

“Use your words.”

“This was my first.”

The first time sucking a man.

“Guess what?” I tug on her hair, pulling her into another kiss that leaves her breathless and panting. “When I take your pretty cunt, Regan, and I will, because you’ll let me, it’ll be another first.”

“But—”

“Quiet.” My eyebrows knit, and with an arm around her back, I bring her as close as I can get her. Her curves are soft, her body melding into me. Mine. Mine. Mine. “That monster didn’t take shit from you. You belong to me. Your heart belongs to me. Every. Hole. In. Your. Body. Is. Mine. Always have. Always will. I’ll make that nightmare go away, little lamb. I’ll make all of your nightmares go away.”

There’s a knock on the front door just as my phone buzzes in my jeans.

“I have to go,” she says, her voice hoarse from sucking me.

Nothing is as important as Regan. This text, too, is about her. I’m sure of it. I’ve been expecting a message from a certain security company that handles a certain building in the Upper West Side.

“I’ll see you soon.” My fingers run through her hair, smoothing it over. She does the same for me. I hate how my heart reacts to that. How my addiction spins out of control. “When I can.”

“What if I need to see you first?” She disturbs her bottom lip. “I kind of need to talk to you.”

She. Needing to talk to me. If she’s trying to kill me, it’s working. I pull out my phone, dialing her number.

Her lips curve into a shy smile. “I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?”

More knocks on the door, and a woman calls, “Regan? Rosemary? Anyone here?”

“No, you shouldn’t be surprised.” Being the gentleman that I am, I hold the door open for her. “I’m always one phone call away.”

A few meetings I’ve been putting off at work. A message I have to reply to. That’s it.

Happiness is just around the corner.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

Soon, little lamb. Soon.