9. Declan
9
DECLAN
I sla doesn't even resist me. She's so pliable in my hands, I set my gun on the mantel and loose her wrists so I can pull her against my body.
When I saw her running, the fright in her eyes, and my arm caught her to my side, my heart nearly exploded. For a split second, I thought I’d lost her, that she'd be off in the streets where the O’Reillys could hunt and kill her. That my chance at redemption was gone, or almost gone, but more than that… that Isla would be gone.
Arranged to marry her, I'd already grown attached to the idea of taking those vows, putting babies in her belly, learning to love her and teaching her to love me. In that moment, everything flashed in front of me and I felt like I lost control, but not now. Not while my lips are on hers, caressing the moans out of her mouth. My hands tug her against my body which is solid and throbbing for her.
The slap didn't even hurt. I see in her eyes the same longing for something more that I've felt not once, but twice in my life. I nearly stole it for myself when I was young, but my cousin offered me a way out, a path to freedom, and I almost took it. I've since had a change of heart, but the longing for more still hovers just below the surface. And Isla's desperation tugs at my heart. I want to show her the things she's missing, the things I missed.
"You're mine, do you hear me? You can't leave this place." I kiss her harder, swallowing the whimper of rebuttal, the way she resists me with her words. But her hands frame in my face and she pulls me closer to herself. She's desperate for me too, her chest heaving.
"Mother of God," she moans as my lips glide across her jawline down to her neck and collarbone. I slide my hands around her back to the zip of her skirt and undo it. It slides to the floor and puddles at her feet, leaving her hips and thighs bare.
"This is mine too," I tell her, rubbing my thumb over the moisture gathering under her silky panties.
"I don't belong to you," she heaves, but she whines when I pinch her clit through the fabric, then she shudders.
"Tell me you don't want me, Isla. Tell me right now that you don't feel this." I push her against the wall, my eyes meeting hers. "Tell me you don't want me as much as I want you." My urge to protect her is overpowered by my need to have her wrapped around my dick, to feel her and experience her warmth as mine and no one else’s.
"I… I…" she stutters, her eyes wide with desire and disbelief. "I… I don't… don't want this." Her mouth says she doesn’t want me, but the moisture under my touch betrays her.
“If you mean that, I’ll turn you out—let Sebastian have his way with you. Is that what you want?” I stroke her through the soggy fabric, and she whimpers. She can’t respond because it isn’t what she wants.
“I…” She moans again, her eyes squeezing shut. Does she really want to deny us both this? My cock aches for her, as it has done since the night I first laid eyes on her.
"Say it, Isla. Tell me you don't want me and I'll let you go. But if you don't… I'll take what's mine." I lean in closer, my lips brushing hers, inhaling the sweet scent of her arousal.
Isla takes a shaky breath and her gaze meets mine. "I… I don't…" Her voice trails off and she bites her lower lip. It’s all the invitation I need.
I crush my lips against hers, punishing her for trying to run. My tongue plunges into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her tastebuds, the way I've fantasized about a million times. My other hand slips into her panties, two fingers sliding deep inside her wet folds. She's so hot, so wet for me. She moans into my mouth, her hips bucking against my hand.
"That's my girl," I growl, thrusting my fingers in and out. She's so tight, so slick. “I know you want it as much as I do.”
"Please…" She whimpers as I pinch her clit. Her knees buckle, but I catch her before she falls to the floor, lifting her up instead. Her leg wraps around my hips as I continue to finger her, loosening her up for what's to come.
"I'm going to fuck you, Isla," I growl against her ear. "And then tomorrow, and the day after that, and every day after that."
Isla whimpers when I pull my fingers out of her and lift her up. Her legs lock around my hips and I carry her to the bed. The door is ajar, but I ignore it, dropping her to the bed and tearing my shirt off. She lies panting, shuddering, until I slip my fingers into the crotch of her panties and pull them down. Then she inches backward over the bed as if evading me.
My belt clinks as I unfasten it, then shove my pants down. I kick off my shoes, step out of the pants, and crawl across the bed where she cowers.
“I said I don’t want this,” she says plainly, but her eyes lock on my hard dick.
“Your eyes say you do. And your pussy drips with liquid gold for me, Princess.” My fingers inch up under her blouse and find her bra a barrier to what I crave. I nestle between her spread legs, and she sucks in a breath as my cock dips into her juices. “Tell me to stop and I will…” Our eyes meet, and she bites her lip. I grab her tit through the lace of her bra, and she gasps, but she doesn’t say a word.
I slide into her moisture slowly, stretching her. Isla arches her back up, whimpering, then clenches around me tightly.
“Holy mother,” she mumbles, and I take it that she likes what she’s feeling.
“You’re mine, Isla,” I say, my voice deep and guttural. “Don’t ever forget it.” Then I plunge into her heated depths, claiming her.
She moans, but not in protest. No, she moans because she likes it. “You feel so fucking good, Isla.”
Her nails dig into my back as I thrust in and out, her legs locked around my hips like we were made for each other. My name falls from her lips in a litany of moans, whimpers, and pleas for more.
It annoys me that I can’t feel her flesh, so I tear her shirt down the front. The fabric frays and splits open, and she gasps and clings to it, but I shove it away. “God, I need to feel you against my body,” I tell her in a low growl. I pry her hands back and pin them over her head with one hand, then unhook the clasp for her front-hook bra and bare her chest.
Her eyes track to mine again as I drink her in and squeeze her fleshy globes one at a time. “Fuck, you’re so sexy.”
“And you’re a monster,” she hisses, but her hips arch upward, begging for more.
“I am,” I admit, thrusting hard. “And now you’re my pet.”
She moans again, and I know she yields to me. “Say it,” I growl as I reach for the belt on the bedpost. “Say you’re mine.”
“I’m yours…” She pants, then moans again.
“Who are you?” I ask, lifting her hips higher then, slamming into her again.
“Yours,” she whimpers, her legs shaking.
“Tell me you’re mine.”
I slap her ass, and she yelps.
“I’m yours,” she gasps, her eyes dazed. “I’m yours.”
“And?” I ask, pumping into her harder.
“I… I… belong to you.” She’s so close, her orgasm just a few thrusts away.
“Good girl,” I praise her, then drive deep inside her again.
“Oh, God,” she screams as her orgasm tears through her. Her legs wrap around me with an unyielding strength, and her inner muscles clench with a fervent intensity, holding me tightly in a hot vise.
“That’s my girl,” I praise her as my own release builds. “You belong to me.” I smack her ass again, and she screams louder.
“Say it again,” I demand, then slap her other cheek.
“I… I…” She pants, then moans as I spank her again. “I belong to you.”
“That’s my good girl.” I praise her, then slam inside her one last time. “I…” I groan, then my seed spurts into her. With long, slow thrusts, I continue pumping into her, gripping her hip and claiming her lips in a heated kiss again. She’s yielded now, allowing me to move with fluidity and freedom. Her body grows limp under me.
We both pant and catch our breaths as my cock softens inside her. Isla’s eyes meet mine, and for the first time, I don’t see hatred in them. I see acceptance. I hover over her, wishing I could take the weight of this situation off both of our shoulders so we could have a chance to learn what it means to fall in love instead of being shoved together like two jigsaw puzzle pieces that don’t fit.
"I wish you wouldn't fight me. There are forces at play that you know nothing about, things no one has told you. I need to protect you, Aisling." I rub the tip of my nose across hers, and she blinks slowly then turns her head away from me. "I don't like this any more than you do, but you know you're mine now."
"For now," she says calmly, and I don't know what she means by it, but she's wrong. This isn't a temporary thing. Isla O'Connor is permanently my property now, and there is nothing she or anyone else except her father can do about it.
I pull out, backing away. The interchange between us is cold now, the heat of our passion dying down. She rolls to her side and stares at the pile of her clothing on the floor. I'd get it for her, but I like her there naked on the bed. I dress slowly and watch her as she blinks lazily, seems groggy.
We're not that different. Her heart to run, my thirst for freedom. It's a kindred spirit thing we share, something no one told us we had to share or forced upon either of us. And while I may be getting the better end of the deal here, there is still a lot for her to embrace and enjoy.
"I'll send dinner…" I tell her as I button the last few buttons on my shirt.
"Not hungry," comes her reply, but I know she'll eat. She always does.
"I'll come back later." When I step into the hallway, Rian is there waiting. I give him orders not to let her outside again, then scold him for turning his back on her for a single second. We lock her in and he follows me downstairs.
Isla won't be trying to run again because she's under lock and key now. I just wish there were a way I could convince her the locks are there for her protection and not to imprison her, so I could let her be free too. One day, I will. For now, I have to do what I have to do.