Chapter 16
I stayed in the garden, trying to escape the suffocating atmosphere of Vince's family. I could still hear Melissa's snide remarks and Claire's condescending tone echoing in my mind. I needed a break, some air to clear my head. But then I felt his presence behind me, his footsteps soft but unmistakable. I turned around, and there he was—Vince, in his suit, looking at me with those intense, blue eyes.
"Sybil," he uttered, his voice hoarse.
Before I could react, he grabbed me, his lips crashing onto mine. His kiss was desperate, almost punishing. For a moment, I melted into him, feeling the heat between us, but then I remembered everything. I pulled away, pushing him back.
"What the hell, Vince?" I spat, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "What are you doing?"
He didn't answer, just grabbed my wrist and pulled me deeper into the garden, towards the labyrinth. I labored to resist, but he was too strong, his grip like iron. We entered the maze, the tall hedges towering over us. My heart beat in my chest, with a blend of fury and something else—something I didn't want to admit.
"Let me go," I demanded, yanking my arm, but he held on tighter.
Finally, he stopped, turning to face me. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving. "I can't," he growled. "I've tried to stay away from you, but I can't."
I glared at him, my pulse racing. "Why? What's changed?"
His expression softened, and he stepped closer. "I knew about your past, Sybil. I knew who you were before you told me. And when you finally confessed, I didn't know how to handle it. I was falling for you, and it terrified me.
I stared at him, shock and confusion battling inside me. "Falling for me? Vince, this was supposed to be an act. A business arrangement."
"I know," he admitted, his voice pained. "But somewhere along the way, it became real for me. And that's not what you signed up for."
Anger flared in me, and I took a step back. "So you decided to pull away? Treat me like a stranger? You think that makes it better?"
With a clamped jaw, he wagged his head. "I thought it would make things easier, but it didn't. It just made everything worse."
We stood there, the silence growing. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Why did you bring other women here, Vince? Was it just to make Melissa jealous?"
He hesitated, his eyes flickering with something I couldn't read. "Yes," he admitted. "But it's different with you. This is different."
"Different how?" I demanded, my voice rising. "Why did they leave, Vince? What happened to them?"
He shook his head, his expression guarded. "Let's not talk about that."
"No," I insisted, stepping closer, putting my hands on his chest. I felt his heart thumping under my fingers. "I want to know. What happened to them?"
His eyes hardened, and he grabbed my shoulders, pulling me against him. "They couldn't handle it," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "They couldn't handle me. But you... you're different. You can."
Before I could respond, he kissed me again, his lips demanding, and I couldn't help but reply in kind. The anger and confusion melted away, replaced by a fierce desire. We stumbled deeper into the labyrinth, our hands tearing at each other's clothes, the urgency between us escalating.
He pushed me against the hedge, the rough branches scratching my back, but I didn't care. I was too consumed by the fire between us. "Vince," I moaned, my hands clutching at his shirt. "What are you doing?"
"Showing you how much I want you," he growled in my ear. "How much I need you."
The intensity of the moment heightened as he pulled my knife from his pocket, the same one he'd teased me with before. My eyes widened as fear caused excitement to course through me. He pressed the cold blade against my skin, tracing a line down my neck, across my collarbone, and over my breasts. The danger got me shook. My pussy responded.
"Tell me you're my bride," he demanded, his voice a rough whisper.
"I'm yours," I gasped, the words escaping my lips before I could think.
"Louder," he commanded, pressing the blade just enough to make me tremble.
"I'm yours, Vince!" I cried out, the sensation of the knife against my skin intensifying the pleasure.
Vince cut me, the thinnest, finest line across my chest. He bent down to the tiniest bead of blood and lapped it up. Dropping the knife, his palms clutched my hips as he tugged me against his erection.
"Atta girl," he growled, his mouth crashing onto mine again. The kiss was fierce, almost brutal, as if he was claiming me with every touch. His mouth was coppery as I tasted my blood on his lips.
He grabbed me and swung me around, then bent me over a low hedge, the leaves and branches scratching my skin. The hedge felt rough, but his body was hot against mine. He entered me with a force that left me breathless, the wildness of our reunion driving us both to the edge almost immediately.
"Say it again," he growled, hammering my pussy.
“I'm yours,” I screamed, the pleasure against the brush blending into an exquisite sensation which caused me to lose control.
He mashed my insides, inching me closer to the verge of ecstasy. The danger, the intensity, the raw primal need—it was everything I ever craved. The labyrinth closed in on us, leaving only the two of us consumed by our shared passion.
As we reached the peak together, I felt myself shatter into a million pieces. Only Vince held me together. He followed me over the edge, his growl of satisfaction mingling with my cries of pleasure. We crumpled to the grass, panting and spent, our bodies slick with sweat.
Vince kept me in his arms in the maze, his fingers tracing intricate designs on my skin. "I'm sorry, Sybil," he murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just didn't know how to handle this."
"Why didn't you just talk to me, Vince?"
He sighed, his eyes dark and troubled. "Because I'm not used to letting people in. I'm used to controlling everything, everyone. But you... you make me lose control."
I reached up and cupped his cheek, my thumb brushing over his lips. "Maybe it's time you learned to let go, Vince. Maybe it's time you let someone crazy in."
He stared at me for a long moment, then leaned down and kissed me, his lips soft and tender. "Maybe you're right," he whispered. "But it’s only a matter of time before you bolt like the others."