CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
STORM
I fled the graveyard, moving as fast as my feet would carry me. More than a little drunk, my mind and body struggled to work together as I navigated my way through the headstones.
I thought I heard Athena call my name, but there was no stopping. Rebel would be right behind me in no time. I knew that he would catch me, and he would do exactly as he’d promised. My goal was to be as far from the party as possible before that happened.
The forest stretched wide behind the graveyard. I ran straight ahead at first before veering off to the left. Twigs cracked under my shoes. Leaves rustled as I pushed through. No doubt Rebel would know exactly which direction I’d gone. I wasn’t exactly being incognito here.
There was no way of knowing how far I’d run. My lungs heaved as I gasped for air. Slowing my pace, I listened hard for any sound of him behind me. Noises from the party in the distance reached me. Far away now.
I was starting to understand why some people said that silence could be deafening. The harder I strained to hear, the less I was able to make out anything specific. Everything was so quiet. It freaked me out.
Something creaked a few feet behind me. Even though I wasn’t able to see very far ahead, I took off running again. A tree branch slapped me in the face, scraping against my cheek. I touched the stinging wound, hoping it wasn’t bleeding. The moon provided enough light for me to make out the silhouettes of the trees around me, but that was about it. It sure didn’t help me see the tree roots sticking out of the ground.
My foot caught on a root, and I went down hard. Flinging my arms out to catch myself, pain slashed through one of my wrists. What the hell was I doing? Still playing Rebel’s games, even though I said I would quit. Why couldn’t I deny him?
“I didn’t think you would make it so easy.” Rebel loomed over me. He reached down to pick me up, holding me around the waist when I tried to break free. “Nice try, pet. I’ve already caught you. You’re not going anywhere.”
My hand seemed to move on its own when I slapped him across the face. “Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you leave me alone?”
He chuckled, catching my hand before I hit him again. “We’ve been over this. You’re mine now, Storm. I want you, and you want me too. I don’t know why you’re fighting it so hard. You already know how fucking amazing we are together.”
“All I know is that you’re an arrogant asshole who won’t take no for an answer. Let go of me.” I struggled against him, mostly because I felt like I had to, not because I wanted to. A battle went on inside me that I felt myself losing by the second.
Holding me so I couldn’t escape him, Rebel crushed his lips to mine in a breathtaking kiss. Our tongues entangled as he sought to own me. Needing to show some resistance, I pushed against his chest. When that proved useless, I bit him.
Rebel jerked back. He touched his bottom lip and swore. “Goddamn, girl. What the hell did you do that for?”
“Because you need to start taking me seriously. I won’t be owned by you, Rebel.” I struggled to get away, even though I had nowhere to go. Maybe I could follow the sound of the party and find my way back.
“Sorry to disappoint you, babe, but you already are. The sooner you accept that the better. You pretend that you hate it, but we both know that you love it.” Fisting a handful of my hair, Rebel guided me down to my knees on the hard ground. “Why don’t you show me how much you love it? Show me how much you love my cock.”
He unzipped his jeans with one hand, keeping hold of my head with the other. Even in the scant moonlight, I could see how hard he was. I peered up at him, wondering how well he could see my face. Did he see the hatred in my eyes? Did he know how much I wanted to hurt him?
When he guided the head of his cock to my lips, I found myself parting them to take him into my mouth. My tongue glided around the sensitive head, licking at the precum that had gathered. Even though he stood over me, holding my hair, I had the power here. I loved his soft groan and the way his fingers tightened in my locks. I loved knowing I made him mine as much as he claimed I was his.
I felt the weight of his stare as he watched me. Something about his gaze upon me kept me looking up at him. The darkness surrounding us brought a sense of mystery and wonder. I couldn’t see his expression as well as I’d have liked. It made the sensation of touch that much stronger.
Sucking him deep into my mouth, I took him as far down my throat as possible. Then I pulled back to tease the head before taking him deep again. Rebel moaned and rocked his hips forward, seeking more. Tightly gripping the base of his cock, I did my best to hold him back, trying to retain control.
“Have I told you how fucking amazing you are?” he asked, his voice husky with want. “I can’t even get it up for anyone else anymore. All I want is you.”
Not quite the most romantic of declarations, and yet, I loved it. I didn’t want Rebel to want anyone else. Maybe he was being dramatic, yet the thought of his cock not even rising for anyone else gave me a sense of pride and ownership.
It shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to feel this way. Didn’t want to admit it to myself.
As I kept licking and sucking him, he began to thrust into my mouth. So quickly Rebel stripped control away from me and took over the situation. Holding my head with both hands, he pumped into my mouth with enough force to almost knock me backwards on my ass. Doing my best to breathe through my nose, I tried not to choke on his cock.
Knowing he was about to come, I readied myself for it. He shot a hot stream down my throat that was quickly followed by another. I managed to swallow without issue.
“Good girl,” he said softly. Pulling me to my feet, he kissed me, tasting himself on my tongue. “I love the outfit choice, by the way. It’s almost like you knew I would be fucking you in the woods. I hope you’re not wearing underwear.”
He reached beneath my skirt to find that I was indeed wearing underwear. He also quickly discovered that they were soaked with desire. I made no move to resist as he tugged them down my legs. Stepping out of the fabric, I watched as he stuffed it into his back pocket.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I said. “Would you really want me running around that party without any underwear?”
“Good point. Although I kind of love the idea of you walking around with your pussy bare, ready for me to take it at any moment.” Slipping a hand beneath my skirt, Rebel dipped a finger into the wetness pooled between my thighs.
Overcome with an undeniable longing for him, I bit down on my bottom lip. I didn’t know whether to tell him off or beg him to fuck me. Maybe I would have to do both.
Rebel backed me up against a thick tree. Two fingers slid inside me, stroking me on the inside until my legs trembled. “Tell me how bad you want my cock inside you, Storm. Tell me how bad you need it.”
I did need it, but I didn’t want to tell him that. Still, I heard myself say, “I need you to fuck me, Rebel. I need you to make me come. Now. Please.”
Despite coming mere minutes ago, Rebel’s cock was hard again and more than ready. Hooking my leg with his arm, he held me wide open as he stepped between my thighs. The head of his cock was smooth but firm at my entrance as he thrust inside me.
I cried out from the force as he entered me. There was a possessiveness to his actions that made me want to succumb to him. To be his in every way. Gone was the part of me that wanted to fight. All I wanted in that moment was to lose myself fully in Rebel.
He caught my jaw in his strong hand, holding my face as he kissed me. His mouth moved on mine, making silent demands of me. I kissed him back with a ravenous need. Like nothing I’d ever known and knew that I would never know again with any other man. One day this would be a memory I would look back on long after I had moved on and left Rebel far behind.
Because I had to, didn’t I? There was no future here. No happily ever after. Men like Rebel didn’t do happily ever after. They were into games and manipulation. Doing whatever it took to get what they wanted in the moment. Eventually, he would tire of having everything he wanted. He would tire of me.
Every thrust of his cock inside me grew more forceful than the last. Soon he was roughly fucking me, hard enough to make me cry out with each stroke. Thankfully, we were far enough away from the party that nobody would hear us. That made it easier to let go, to let myself fall into him in every way and just be free. I needed to enjoy it while I could.
“You make me so crazy,” he murmured in my ear. “Like I don’t even know who I am when I’m around you. What the hell are you doing to me, Storm?”
A swell of emotion fogged my head. This man was going to hurt me.
“Me? I’m not the one who initiated this game. I never wanted to play.” My words were breathless. My body had wanted Rebel right from the start. My heart knew better. At least, I thought it did.
Rebel pressed tight against me as he filled me with his cock over and over. The touch of his mouth on my neck followed, a gentle kiss before the sting of his teeth. I gasped, holding onto him.
He pulled back to meet my eyes in the darkness. “Of course you did. You’re the one that brought us to where we are now. Not once have you denied me. Every move you made was because you wanted to see what I would do next. Are you satisfied yet, pet? Have you managed to figure me out?”
The bark of the tree was rough through my shirt. Scrapes along my back were another of many sensations to overwhelm me. He pushed me closer to climax with every thrust. I’d never wanted to reach that peak as badly as I did with Rebel. Like every cell in my body needed to come undone all over him.
I vigorously shook my head. “I don’t think it’s possible to figure you out. I don’t think I can put myself at risk by trying.”
Rebel’s response was to fuck me harder. Moving almost painfully between my legs. Every bruising motion sent me spiraling. When I came, it was with his name on my lips, just as he’d wanted. As the pleasure wrecked me, it felt like a loss. Like another point for him in this game.
Bracing myself by clutching him so hard my fingers ached, I took his rapid pounding. My body opening up to him. Welcoming him despite the violence in every thrust. I whimpered as he came inside me. It was everything I wanted, and everything I hated, all at once.
There was a long, strange moment that followed. That odd transition from mindless passion back to reality. Rebel released me and stepped back. He shoved his cock back into his pants while I lowered my skirt. There was no pretending I didn’t feel his cum sliding down the inside of my leg.
Something seemed to have shifted in Rebel. There was an aura about him that I couldn’t read.
Finally, he asked, “Do you think that I’m only out to hurt you?”
“Sometimes,” I answered honestly. “I don’t really know what to think anymore. You mess with my head. Everything about you is a mindfuck. I don’t think I can take much more.”
Rebel nodded. A long moment of strained silence stretched between us before he said, “We should probably get back to the party. I wouldn’t want your brother to come looking for us.”
Taking my hand, he led me through the forest. We took our time, picking our way through the fallen trees and roots. Neither of us said a word. Somehow that left me feeling more unsettled than if we’d been shit talking to one another like usual.
As we drew closer, the sound of the party grew louder. Soon it came into view. Nobody seemed to have noticed we were missing. They were all too involved in their own activity.
Rebel released my hand as we broke from the forest and into the graveyard. He paused, a perplexed frown adorning his face. He opened his mouth to say something, shook his head instead, and walked away.
I stared after him, feeling my insides being hollowed out. Multiple times I’d told him I was done with this, that I didn’t want to play his game anymore. So why did I suddenly so desperately want him to come back?