16. Luella
Chapter 16
Luella
I ’d done it. I’d lost control with Colton and fucked him. Well, he fucked me, but semantics. It was the best feeling ever, feeling him lose control as he gazed into my eyes...but now? I look at the man standing in front of me, his fists bunched, his eyes dark and wild, and he looks...feral. Primitive.
Over me.
I swallow. He needs to know he can’t control me, that yes, we’re attracted to one another, but that’s it. He keeps saying I’m his, and that’s fine if it means he protects me against his sick father and his men—just until I do what I came here to do.
Fuck, we didn’t even use protection!
I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts, to steady myself. I need to regain some semblance of control, to put some distance between us, at least emotionally. I can’t let him see how much he’s affecting me, how much his possessiveness both terrifies and thrills me.
“Colton,” I say, my voice as steady as I can make it. “What happened between us...it was intense. But you need to understand, I’m not yours to keep. I can’t belong to anyone. Not like that.”
His eyes flash with something dark, something dangerous. He steps closer, his breath hot on my face. “Oh really? Tell me, Mary,” he comments, his voice a low growl. “Who do you belong to, if not me? Who else makes you feel like this?” His hand snakes around my waist, pulling me against him. I can feel the heat of his body, the hardness of his muscles, the barely contained power.
“That’s not the point, Colton,” I reply, trying to push him away, but his grip is firm. “I don’t belong to anyone but myself. I can’t be possessed, like some...some…thing.”
He laughs, a harsh sound that sends a shiver down my spine. “You can’t be possessed? Mary, you’re already mine. You’ve been mine since the moment I saw you. You just won’t admit it to yourself.”
I shake my head, trying to deny his words, but there’s a part of me that wonders if he’s right. If I haven’t already fallen too far under his spell. “Colton, please,” I insist, my voice barely a whisper. “You’re scaring me.”
"Good," he barks out, gripping me by the throat.
I panic, clawing at his hand as he tugs me close to him, his lips tilting into a sick smile that makes me want to pee myself in fear.
What the fuck is wrong with him?
I should fucking punch him as hard as I can, let him see what I’m really made of.
“You’re mine,” he states simply, “to do whatever I want with.”
“You sound like him! ” I hiss, wondering if I’ve made a very fucking big mistake.
Colton stiffens, his brow furrowing as he contemplates my words. But there’s no sudden reaction, no explosion of anger—instead, he grins.
He fucking grins at me.
“Is that what you think?”
I bite my lip. I know saying he’s like his father is too much...but he has to know he can’t dominate me. “You can’t control me. You don’t own me, Colton; you barely fucking know me.”
Colton laughs, his grip loosening on my throat as he moves closer. “What don’t I know about you, Mary?”
I stagger back and fall to the floor, and he gazes down at me, his eyes filling with a lust and darkness I want to run and hide from.
In fact, fuck it, I’m running.
I’ve seen what a predator looks like before he strikes, and I’m not being Colton’s prey.
I scramble to my feet, heart pounding in my chest like a wild beast desperate to escape a cage. Colton’s gaze follows me, predatory and calculating. I take a step back, then another, my breaths coming in ragged, uneven gasps. The woods behind me beckon, offering a sanctuary from the storm that is Colton Blackwood.
“Mary,” he growls, his voice a thunderous warning. “ Don’t run from me.”
But I can’t stay. I can’t face the darkness in his eyes, the possessiveness that threatens to consume me. I turn and bolt, my feet carrying me deeper into the woods, away from the cabin, away from him.
The forest swallows me whole. Branches whip at my face and arms, but I barely feel the sting. Adrenaline courses through my veins, fueling my muscles, pushing me forward.
Behind me, I hear Colton’s heavy footsteps, his ragged breathing. He’s chasing me, a hunter pursuing his prey. Panic surges, and I force my legs to move faster, my lungs to pull in more air.
“Mary!” His voice echoes through the woods, a harsh, demanding sound that sends a shiver down my spine. “You can’t outrun me!”
I know he’s right. He’s bigger, stronger, faster. But I can’t stop. I won’t. I have to keep moving, keep fighting.
I dart around a tree, my heart leaping into my throat as I realize I’ve come to a dead end. A steep ravine yawns before me, the ground dropping away sharply. I skid to a halt at the edge, my toes kicking up dirt and pebbles that tumble down into the void.
Colton’s footsteps slow behind me, his breaths coming in heavy, ragged gasps. I turn to face him, my back to the ravine, my heart pounding in my chest.
He stops a few feet away, his chest heaving, his eyes wild. Sweat glistens on his brow, and his hair is a disheveled mess. He looks every bit the predator I know him to be.
“You can’t escape me, Mary,” he says, his voice rough with exertion and something else. Something darker. “You’re mine.”
I shake my head, my breath hitching in my chest. “You don’t own me, Colton. You can’t control me.”
He takes a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “I can. And I will.”
I feel the ground shift beneath my feet. I take a step back, my heel slipping on the loose dirt.
Colton’s eyes widen, and he lunges forward, his hand reaching out to grab me.
“You stupid fucking bitch!” he yells, dragging me back from the edge. I’m shaking, adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins like wildfire. Colton’s grip on my arm is like a vice, his fingers digging into my flesh. His eyes bore into mine, a mix of anger, relief, and that unsettling possessiveness that makes my stomach churn. “You almost got yourself killed,” he growls, his breathing coming in ragged pants. “Is that what you want, Mary? To die just to get away from me?”
I try to wrench my arm free, but his grip is unyielding. “Let go of me, Colton!” I shout, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance. “You’re hurting me!”
His eyes flash, and for a moment, I think he’s going to refuse. But then his grip loosens, just enough for me to yank my arm away. I stumble back, rubbing the bruised skin, my eyes never leaving his.
“You’re out of control,” I hiss, my voice shaking. “You can’t just chase me down and...and claim me like some kind of animal!”
Colton’s jaw clenches, his eyes darkening. “I told you, Mary. I won’t let you go. Not even if it means chasing you to the ends of the earth.”
I shake my head, my breath hitching in my chest. “You’re crazy. You know that? You’re fucking crazy!”
He takes a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m crazy for you, Mary. Maybe I’m so fucking consumed by you that I can’t think straight.”
I’m backed up against a tree now, the rough bark pressing into my back. Colton looms over me, his body mere inches from mine. I can feel his heat, his intensity. It’s suffocating, overwhelming. But beneath the fear, there’s a spark of something else. Something I don’t want to acknowledge.
“Colton,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “You’re scaring me.”
He reaches out, twisting my body so I’m forced up against the tree. “You said I can't chase you and claim you.”
I gasp as he yanks my pants down, my bare ass exposed in the moonlight.
“You want to scream so those men find you? Do you know what they’ll do to you if they find you?”
“Colton...” My voice trembles as he kicks my legs apart, my core throbbing with need that makes me detest my very being.
“I protect you. I own you.”
Then he thrusts into me, and I scream with the rawness of the invasion. He’s so big, he’s stretching me wide, forcing me to take him. It doesn’t matter that we’ve just fucked, I feel raw.
“You feel that, Mary?” he growls, his voice a primal, possessive sound in my ear. “This is me claiming you. Me owning you.”
His hips move in a brutal, relentless rhythm, each thrust driving me harder against the tree, the rough bark biting into my skin. I can feel the anger and desperation rolling off him in waves, the raw need to possess me, to prove that I’m his.
My body responds despite itself, a traitorous heat building within me, even as my mind screams in protest. I can feel the tears stinging in my eyes, the confusion and fear warring with the unwanted pleasure that ripples through me with each powerful thrust.
“You. Are. Mine.” He punctuates each word with a hard, driving movement, his breath hot against my neck. His hands grip my hips, fingers digging into my flesh, holding me in place as he takes what he wants, what he believes is his.
I cling to the tree, my fingers scraping against the bark, trying to find something to ground me as Colton consumes me. His words echo in my mind, a dark, twisted mantra that I can’t escape.
“Colton...please...” I whimper, the words torn from my lips like a secret. I don’t know what I’m asking for—for him to stop, to let me go, or to keep going, to push me over the edge into the dark abyss of pleasure and pain that he’s created.
He growls in response, a low, feral sound that sends a shiver down my spine. His pace quickens, his thrusts becoming more frenzied, more desperate. I can feel him losing control, the primal need to claim me overwhelming everything else.
My body tenses, my desire building. I try to keep an iota of control, but it’s no use. Colton slams into me so hard I become undone, my pussy gripping him as my pleasure owns me.
He shoots his load into me, grunting and groaning in the sexiest way. He collapses against me, his breaths coming in ragged, uneven gasps.
God, he’s a fucking beautiful nightmare.
Then, slowly, he pulls away, his eyes meeting mine. There’s a darkness in them, a possessiveness that hasn’t diminished, despite the intensity of what we’ve just shared. He brushes a strand of hair from my face, his touch surprisingly gentle after the raw ferocity of our fucking. He slides out of me, and I wince, pulling my pants up and turning to face him.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding in my chest. I know I should fight him, should push him away and run as far and as fast as I can. But something holds me back—a mix of fear, confusion, and a twisted, unwanted desire that I can’t shake.
“Colton,” I respond, my voice barely a whisper. “I...I need to tell you something.”
This is suicide, surely.
His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t pull away. He waits, his gaze locked on mine, waiting for me to continue.
But he will understand...
I take a deep, shaky breath, trying to find the words, trying to find the courage to say what I need to say. “I...I’m not who you think I am.”
We’re made of the same thing....
He studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nods. “I know.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You know?”
He nods again, a small, almost sad smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I knew you were hiding something, but I didn’t care. You were mine, no matter what.”
“How...how did you know I was hiding something?” I stammer, my voice barely a whisper.
He shrugs, his eyes never leaving mine. “I have my ways. But it doesn’t change anything.” He steps closer, and I go to say something else when he stops me, his hand in the air.
“I prefer not knowing. Adds to the fun.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into?