TWENTY-FOUR
I t should be a crime to look this pathetically beautiful.
After Hudson took me out of the underground bunker, he took me back to my apartment. The first thing I did was take a deep, cleansing shower. It took almost too long for the stench to be completely rinsed off, and I probably used a bottle and a half of body mist afterward.
I half expected Hudson to be gone by the time I emerged from the bathroom, which is why I only wore a robe. My surprise when I found him sitting in the living room was nearly as great as the surprise when I saw what he was holding in his hand.
Slowly, I blink myself out of the trance.
“What are you doing with that?”
He snaps his eyes in my direction, looking up and down at me hungrily. He settles his eyes back on my face, jaw clenched. He waves the objects in his hands in front of my face.
“I’m not fucking wearing this.”
The pink collar and muzzle are in each of his hands, with the chain from the collar dragging on the floor. It’s quite long because I ordered the longest one they had. A laugh slips from my mouth.
“Oh, come on, just try it on.”
“I’m not putting a fucking muzzle on my face.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Dylan would.”
“Fucking hell,” he mumbles and puts it on his face.
“The collar, too.”
The chain jiggles as he locks it behind his neck, the pink heart pendant slightly shaking. With a giggle, I grab the keys out of his hands and step back, grabbing the long chain and draping it around my palm.
“Give me the key, Noelle.”
“What was that? Shouldn’t you be barking ?”
“I’m not fucking around with you. Either give me the key willingly, or I’ll take it. Either way, this collar is coming off.”
“Why? It looks so pretty wrapped around your neck.”
To provoke him a little, I tug on the chain, watching as his eyebrow twitches. He tries to yank it off, but it’s made out of real leather, so it’s nearly impossible to be ripped in half, especially given the thickness.
Once he realizes it, he takes a deep breath. In the next moment, he appears in front of me, yanking both the chains and the keys out of my hands. I’m left puzzled, and it’s only now that I understand how much I underestimated Hudson.
He’s almost too quick for me to notice. He moves within shadows; he’s unnoticeable and undetectable. That only means that the moment he decides he no longer needs me, I could die without seeing it coming.
A couple of weeks ago, I would’ve found the thought amusing, challenging, and exhilarating. Yet right now, my chest is aching.
How odd.
“Not bad, little De Santis.” I grin, pushing the thoughts to the back of my head. “Now, I’m hungry. Go grab me something from the fridge.”
He takes off the collar and the muzzle, a look of annoyance on his face. “Am I your maid?”
“You’re my bitch, Hudson.” I laugh at the soured expression he shows. “I’m kidding. Relax. Kalina sent me some food earlier today.”
“I’m assuming you’re on speaking terms with them again?”
“No, I just found the food sitting outside of the door.”
“It could be poisonous.”
“It’s not, I already ate some. And besides, I can smell her cooking from a mile away.”
With a sigh, he puts the objects in his hands on the couch and walks toward the kitchen while I’m still trying to calm myself. He looked so pretty in that collar; it’s a sight I’ll never be able to erase from my head.
“What do you want to eat?” he yells.
“There’s some homemade lasagna and a fruit salad.” I pause, then yell again. “Don’t eat the salad though. It has strawberries.”
Hudson’s head pops through the door, brows creased.
“How do you know I’m allergic to strawberries?”
I smile sheepishly. “Confession time. Around two years ago, we were at one of the fundraisers together. You were pissing me off, so I put pure strawberry juice in your drink.”
His mouth opens, then closes. Shock flashes through him, and he is trying his best to remain calm. Slowly, he clears his throat.
“You sent me into anaphylactic shock.”
“Would you believe me if I told you my goal was the cemetery?”
“You,” he breathes out. “You nearly killed me for no reason?”
“Do I need a reason?”
He clenches his jaw before reemerging into the living room with the bowl of the fruit salad. He didn’t bring me what I asked for, which I assume is his way of protesting.
“I suppose you don’t.” A bitter laugh fills the room. “I’m not even surprised you tried to kill me when I barely even glanced at you that night.”
“A week before, you blew up my summer house. While I was inside!”
“That was only because you fucking smashed my car into pieces.”
“It’s your fault for parking on my territory.”
“It was the fucking cemetery, Noelle. It can hardly be called your territory.”
“It falls on our land, so yes.”
“You’re the most arrogant brat I’ve ever met.”
“And yet here you are,” I spit out. “You know where the door is.”
“Are you kicking me out?”
“No, I’m inviting you to move in with me.” Sarcasm coats my tongue. “What do you think? There’s no reason for you to be here.”
Hudson’s anger slowly starts to melt away. “I’d say you’re obsessed with me.”
“With the idea of seeing you six feet under, yeah.”
His eyes squint. “I’m not sure how long you’ll keep pretending, but you’re just lying to yourself. You like having me around.”
“Why the fuck would I like having a menace being in my personal space all the time?”
He cocks a brow, a teasing smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “Well, you spent a week with me without complaining.”
I ignore the tingly sensations in the lower part of my stomach and swallow harshly. “Speaking of last week, there’s something you need to clarify for me.”
He raises a brow. “Yes?”
“Why do you have the same tattoo as me? Mine is clearly older and is due for a touch up… Or a removal.”
“I just liked it and got it tattooed. It’s as simple as that.”
My mouth falls open. “The tattoo is on my inner thigh. When the hell did you see it?”
He scratches the back of his head. “That’s really not important.”
“ Hudson, ” I warn. “Do not make me force the words out of you.”
“So, funny story. How much do you remember about the night you got it tattooed?”
“Not much. Just that the tattoo artist designed it.”
“I designed it.”
I blink. “I think I’d remember if it was you who had a tattoo gun on my skin, Hudson.”
“I never said I did the tattoo, just that I designed it. You quite literally stole the design from my hands, handed it to the artist, and had it done. I just saved it afterward.”
“But that was years ago. You were just a kid. What were you doing at a tattoo shop?”
“Being rebellious, obviously.”
My mind can’t keep up with the profound information. No matter how hard I try, I barely remember that night. I was drunk beyond belief, and I don’t think I know where the shop is even located, let alone who was inside with me.
“Wait.” I frown. “You could’ve killed me back then.”
He shrugs. “You were too pathetic to kill in that state, Noelle.”
“Fuck you.” I flip him off. “But you still didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Why did you tattoo the same design? Why now?”
“It’s mine to tattoo. You just stole it.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
Hudson falls silent. He walks toward me until he’s standing right in front of me, looking down on me. There’s something that is constantly flickering in his eyes, as if it’s happening against his will. I don’t have enough time to understand what it is because the proximity makes me anxious.
It’s not the first time we’ve ever been this close. We’ve done things far beyond this point. And yet, seeing his chest rising, feeling his intense stare on me, and hearing the loud sound of his heartbeat make little chills dance all over my body.
My throat goes dry, and I’m frozen in place. I’m unable to even move an inch, and a terrifying shiver makes the smallest hairs on my neck stand straight up.
“Are you fishing for something, Noelle?” He bends a little, his head dangerously close to my face. “Do you want me to say that I did it so I’d have something of yours permanently on my body? Do you want me to admit that it’s because, despite hating your very existence, it’s that same existence that’s been keeping me alive? Do you want me to tell you how fucking insane it makes me to think that in a few weeks, I’ll have to kill you? Do you want me to fucking admit that I’d rather bite the bullet myself than pierce it through your skull?”
Time stops around me.
All I hear is his voice in my head, on repeat. His deep voice chills my body, making it go rigid. His jaw is clenched, and all I want to do is kiss all over it. The fear in my body doesn’t allow me to act on it.
“And you’re fucking engaged to another man, Noelle. It means that I can’t have you. In a couple of months, you’ll be married. All of me wants to put a bullet in that bastard’s head. Maybe that’s why I kidnapped him. I wasn’t the one to whip him, but I sure as fuck regret not thinking of it first.”
I don’t have anything else to say. I’m not sure if I mentioned to Hudson that I want to break off the engagement or not, and I definitely didn’t know, up until this very moment, that it bothers him.
The longer we’re silent, the longer I’m trying to break out of the mental cage I put myself in. But the key is far from my reach, and I don’t know how to escape the fear, horror, and anxiety that have taken over my entire mind.
My hands are shaking terribly. My eyes close as I force my hands to move upward, cupping his face. Hudson’s warm body sends jolts down my spine when it connects to my freezing one. Despite having him lean into my touch, I can’t stop shaking.
My eyes flutter open and I’m not sure what to do.
Hudson is expecting an answer. No doubt, he has something prepared in case I entirely reject this. He’s patient, for the first time in his life, and he’s waiting for a response from me.
“Hudson,” I whisper.
He closes the gap between us, his hands firmly holding my waist and his forehead touching mine. His eyes are closed, and I don’t miss the slight trembling of his body.
“Yes, Noelle?”
That husky tone filled with anticipation makes me sigh. This is something I never would have imagined, not even in my wildest dreams. But here we are, so close to one another, yet too far.
“I won’t marry him.”
That’s all I can muster. However, there are plenty of things that I want to tell him. I want to say just how weird this is for me. He is the first person to have my heart race, to consume my mind until he’s the only thing I keep thinking about, to be able to own my body without ever saying it.
I want to tell him how much it scares me. Ray and Henrick’s reactions terrify me. It makes my blood freeze that I am considering leaving this world and running away with him. It makes my heart sink to my feet knowing I’d do anything for him in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
And it makes me sick that it took me this long to realize it.
From the moment he saw me kill his brother, he already owned me.
I was just too naive to realize it.
Hudson’s grip on my waist tightens. It’s possessive, rough, yet still gentle enough not to harm me. His chest is rising and falling rapidly as he distances his head from mine, staring at me.
“You’re not marrying him?”
I shake my head.
“You’re really not marrying him?”
I shake my head again.
“Good. Because you’re mine, baby. You’ve been mine for a long time now. You just didn’t realize it yet.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach and the longer I stare into his eyes, the longer I feel ecstasy filling my veins. It’s liberating, exhilarating, and exciting. I want to melt into him, to have his body close to mine.
“Hudson.”
“Yes, Noelle?”
“This is a bad idea,” I whisper, not believing my words. “Once this is all over, we’ll go back to being strangers.”
“As if I’d ever allow that to happen. I don’t care what anyone says, they can try to take you away from me, but that would be a bad idea. You’ve never seen me go on a rampage, and I’d like to spare your pretty eyes from such an ugly sight.”
“You would do that?”
“I don’t know why,” he admits. “But I always protect what’s mine. That includes you, too.”
“And what if our families retaliate?”
“I’ll retaliate back. You worry too much.”
“How could I not worry? It’s our future at stake.”
“You seem to have misunderstood something, Noelle.” His deep voice is serious, low, and it makes me stare into his eyes, listening eagerly. “I’m not asking you to be mine, I’m telling you: you are mine. You can’t do anything about it.”
“What if I say no?”
“I’ll get you to change your mind.”
“What if I never change my mind?”
He grins devilishly. “You’d change your mind. I’m very persuasive when I need to be. I can also be very dangerous so if you don’t want your pretty ass to be a bright shade of red, I wouldn’t provoke me too much.”
I take a deep breath, trying not to laugh. He catches onto my attempt to cover up my laughter and gently strokes my cheek.
“Noelle.”
“Yes, Hudson?”
“I’m going to kiss you. Then I’m going to fuck you until the only thing you know how to do is scream my name. I’m not giving you a chance to back out. I’m giving you a warning.”
“But I’m still a little—”
I don’t get to finish the sentence before he slams his lips on mine. I part them, giving him access, and the moment his tongue starts dancing with mine, my mind goes blank. My hands wrap around his neck, pulling him closer.
I’m terrified of letting go.
I’m terrified of this being nothing but a dream.
I’m terrified he’ll realize just how dark and twisted the monsters in my head are, and he’ll run away.
But he only kisses me deeper.
And that’s when it hits me.
Hudson is far more dark and twisted than any demons in my mind. His dangerous aura is what lures me in constantly, and it’s what makes all reason vanish from my head. He’s the only monster I’m craving, and he’s the only monster who craves me.
His hand wraps around my hair, yanking my head back and breaking off the kiss. His warm lips find my throat, sucking and biting on the sensitive flesh. He licks the spot he just bit, and it sends a small wave of pleasure down my body.
Unexpectedly, his hands come down to my ass, and he picks me up. He doesn’t stop kissing all over my collarbone and shoulder while carrying me up the stairs to my bedroom. With each step, his grip on my ass tightens, and the anticipation builds more in the pit of my stomach.
He throws me on the bed and immediately crawls on top of me. He grabs my hands and pins them above my head, lowering his to capture my lips in another one of his intoxicating kisses.
My entire body is burning with desire. I even start trembling a little, losing my patience. My underwear is drenched by now, and all I want is for him to rip it apart and stop playing the teasing games.
Hudson seems to feel the same as he breaks the kiss, stands up, takes off his shirt, and gets off the bed, standing next to it.
“Get on your knees, Noelle.” It’s a command I can’t refuse.
With a shaky breath, I get on the floor and stare up at him. His hand comes to caress my cheek, his head cocked to the side with something so dark filling the lustful gaze.
“Take my cock out and see how hard I am for you, baby.”
A little whimper slips out, and I grab his belt, unbuckling it and pulling his pants and boxers down in one go. His cock springs free, the tip already wet with precum. My mouth waters, and I find myself just staring at it for a while.
I wrap my hand around it and stroke it a few times before softly kissing the tip. Hudson groans, puts his hands on each side of my head, and intertwines his fingers in my hair.
“Open your mouth, Noelle.”
Immediately, I do as he says, and he doesn’t wait even a moment before roughly thrusting into my mouth. A small groan of satisfaction fills the room as Hudson loosens his grip on my hair.
“You need to open your throat a little more.”
He slowly taps my throat, and I try to relax it. He grins, and that’s all it takes for him to start throat-fucking me. I feel his cock touch the back of my throat, and I gag around the thick, foreign object in my mouth.
“That’s my good girl.” He smirks as I look up.
He pushes my head onto his cock until I take every inch of him and then he rests it like that, enjoying the sound of my gagging. I’m slowly losing air, yet I adore every moment of this. My eyes close and tears start rolling down my face, staining my cheeks.
“Look at me, Noelle,” he hisses. “Let me see you choke on my cock.”
I moan around him, and he finally releases me, pulling out.
“Oh, you’ve made quite the mess. No matter how much I’d like to see my cum fill your mouth, I have a better place for it. Get on the bed on all fours.”
Hudson notices how weak my knees are and helps me up. He rips the bathrobe off my body and flings it to the side before proceeding to take off his clothes. I lie on the bed, ass in the air, back arched, and head in the pillow.
He comes behind me, and I shiver when his finger starts playing with my folds, teasing my entrance. His touch is soft, and he’s taking his sweet time torturing me. I’ve never felt as exposed as I am now.
“You’re drenched, Noelle,” he mumbles. “It’s all for me, isn’t it?”
Shakily, I nod into the pillow.
Unexpectedly, he grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me back. His hot breath hits my ear, and my back arches more, the crown of his cock positioned right where I need him the most.
“Why are you so shy? I need you to use your words, baby. Tell me what you want.”
I bite my lip, sudden embarrassment flashing through me. Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I can’t bring myself to say it. I’ve never been the one to be embarrassed to talk dirty, yet here I am, terrified to utter my deepest desires.
He pushes slightly, the tip sliding inside with ease.
“Tell me what you want, Noelle. If you don’t tell me, I’ll walk away and leave you a whining mess.”
His words send a jolt of electricity down my spine.
“Fuck me, Hudson,” I whisper out.
“That’s it? I’m disappointed, baby.”
“No,” I breathe out. Why did the disappointment in his voice only make me more aroused?
“Please, fuck me, Hudson. It’s torture to wait like this.”
He chuckles, yanks my hair, and pulls my head to the side. He starts leaving hot, wet kisses all over the side of my neck, sucking on the flesh and leaving a trail of hickeys.
“To wait like what? Dripping wet?”
“Yes,” I breathe out, my eyes closing.
The longer I keep my eyes closed, the more of his touch I can feel. His thumb grazing over my nipple, his teeth sinking into my skin, his breath that sends brisk sensations down my entire body.
“How desperate,” he mumbles. “What a whore you are for my cock, baby. Aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
He removes his hand from my breast and wraps it around my throat, squeezing the sides of it. His voice drops low.
“Yes, what?”
“I’m a desperate whore for your cock,” I whimper out, his restriction on my throat only making me ache for more.
“You’re my desperate whore, Noelle. And I’ll be damned if I ever allow anyone else to touch you.”
Without warning, he thrusts, pushing himself inside me in a quick motion. My mouth falls open, a loud scream piercing through my lungs.
He doesn’t take it slow. He’s thrusting and slamming into me like a madman, all while caressing the rest of my body and leaving kisses wherever he sees fit.
Talk about multitasking.
“Your skin is so soft,” he whispers. “I love how it feels to fucking touch every inch of your body.”
Hudson thrusts as deep as possible, stopping briefly. He pushes me back onto the pillow and grabs my hips, pulling me farther onto him.
A small moan escapes me, and he chuckles.
“Scream, baby. I want to hear those pretty sounds.”
It’s as if he casts a spell on me because in the next moment, he pulls out, leaving just the tip inside before pushing back with full force. My whimpers, moans, and screams fill the room, and he doesn’t even seem to be getting close to his orgasm.
Me, on the other hand? I’m struggling hard to keep it in, to last a while longer. With each thrust, he hits my sweetest, most sensitive spot, and all I can see are stars.
His hand lands on my ass, the impact of the slap echoing through the room. I arch my back, and he takes it as an invitation to spank me once more.
And again.
He doesn’t stop until the color of my cheeks matches the color of my ass.
I glance over my shoulder, and my mouth slightly opens. Hudson’s hair is messy, his chest is shining, and a few droplets of sweat cover his gorgeous face. He looks so handsome, it’s almost painful to watch.
Then, I decide that I need more. With a slight grin, I stare unwaveringly into his eyes.
“You’re going a little too soft for my liking.”
“Hah.” He laughs humorlessly. His eyes darken a shade, and something switches inside of him. His upper lip curls into a sadistic grin, and it’s enough to send shivers down my spine.
“I told you once,” he groans as he pulls out. “You truly bring out the sadist in me.”
In a swift motion, he flips me over on my back, parts my legs, and thrusts inside. I bite my lip to prevent a moan from slipping, but it’s next to impossible when he grabs my throat, leaving an imprint of his hand.
“I should’ve known you’d want to be used like a mindless fuckdoll,” he groans, thrusting violently. My legs start shaking, and I’m feeling ecstasy rush through my veins. It’s better than any drugs I’ve ever tried. Too addictive, and there’s no cure for this addiction.
“What a good slut you are, Noelle.” He lowers his head and takes one of my nipples in his mouth, grazing it with his teeth. “You wanted to be used as my little breeding toy, didn’t you? How convenient, since I plan on coming inside your sweet cunt until it fucking overflows.”
His words bring me closer to the desperate release I’ve been chasing, my eyes fluttering closed.
“Look at me,” he orders, and I immediately look at him. “I’ll fuck you until you pass out and then I’ll fuck you some more, filling your cunt each and every time.”
I’m not sure if it’s because it’s too dangerous to do this or because his deep voice is enough to make my mind melt, but that’s all it takes for me to be pushed over the edge.
My toes curl, and I grab his shoulders, my nails digging into his flesh.
“That’s it. Milk my cock, baby.”
When I come down from my high, Hudson doesn’t stop. In fact, it only seems to push him to fuck me relentlessly, without mercy.
“W-wait, Hudson, give me a break.”
He laughs, and it’s like the devil takes over him.
“Didn’t you ask for this? Be a good girl and take it, Noelle.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Too fucking bad.”
He grabs my hips and with a harsh, short thrust, he’s as deep as possible inside me. He continues the pattern a couple of times, and it sends another wave of pleasure to the pit of my stomach. The more he continues with the same routine, the closer I am to climaxing again.
“I can feel your pussy clenching around me, baby. Are you going to come again? What a slut for my cock.”
“Yes,” I manage to whisper, my voice cracking.
“Yes, what?”
I close my eyes.
“Yes, I’m a slut for your cock, Hudson. Please, make me come.”
I don’t need to say anything else. His hand comes down and starts touching my aching, swollen clit, and I’m gone.
My body shakes, and I don’t think I can handle another orgasm, yet it blasts through me, showing me sudden light. I scream, and Hudson thrusts inside once more, finding his release.
His hot cum fills me, and I moan at the sensation. His heavy breathing hits my face as he bends down, kissing my lips, both of us trying to come down from the high.
I’m too exhausted. My eyes slowly start to close, but he’s not done with me yet. The last thing I can feel is him starting to move a little before sleep takes over.