CHAPTER 16 ELODIE #2
Fiz’s long, rough tongue trails a wet line from the arc of my shoulder to my earlobe, sending a shiver down my back. “It’s fine,” he whispers, his hot breath rising goosebumps on my skin, “it’s lucky I’m really, really good at fitting things into tight spaces.”
The words and unbidden images make me quiver. I shrink away from him, feeling weak and pathetic. Maybe this is why he brought his damn dog, he knew it’d be enough to keep me leashed while he did what he wanted.
My grip on his forearm tightens. I feel the strength beneath my fingers, the cords of muscle rippling as he begins twisting the handle of the axe into my pussy. “Please, stop.”
Fiz bites the line of my tight jaw. “Keep begging and I’ll think about it.” He pushes the axe harder into me and the friction is pooling heat in my belly. I’ll be fucking damned if I let this creep arouse me.
I can swallow my pride for this one. “Please, Fiz, stop,” I whisper, quiet and desperate. “I don’t want it. Please, I’ll be good, just stop.”
The way he’s rubbing it on me is causing an unsolicited slickness in my underwear, which are actually Caden’s boxers. It’s not my fault, the pressure is just right, he’s not trying to hurt me. My body’s reacting to a sensation it’s not fucking used to.
“More,” he breathes and he starts kissing my neck.
His tongue licks and sucks at the skin, over a patch where fingers had imprinted and bruised not long ago. The contrast in sensations is not lost on me. I squeeze my thighs together a bit tighter.
I look between us and see the print of his dick pressed against his black cargo trousers. He’s hard, and he’s not wrong. If the outline of that thing isn’t some illusion, he’s very… well endowed.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Please, I’m begging you, Fiz, please stop.”
He groans onto my neck, the hum buzzing through me, and my spine stiffens. “Fuck, that sounds so pretty, baby.”
“Fiz.” I twist the skin on his forearm around, the same motion he’s doing to the axe on me. “Please, not here. Anyone can see. Bob looks like he’s about to eat me.”
The distraction works. Fiz breaks away from my neck and looks to his dog, who doesn’t look like he’s about to eat me, but is watching us intensely enough to make Fiz laugh. He pulls away, the axe going with him, leaving my body heavy and warm, but I can finally take in a proper breath.
“We’re going to have so much fun, princess.” Fiz turns around, chucks the axe into the trolley and walks off.
I could go. Right now, while his back’s to me, I could fucking bolt for it. But when I push off the stack of flooring, my legs take me towards him. Ten days. One fair shot. I can do it.
Once the trolley’s half full of the most absurd tools that I don’t dare question the use for, Fiz leads us to the tills.
The young girl looks up, and her whole face brightens at the sight of Fiz.
“Hey, Franklin!” she beams.
Franklin? No wonder he calls himself Fiz.
“Hey, sweetie,” Fiz says in a flirty lilt, which does not coil my stomach at all.
He loads his stuff on the conveyer, making small talk with this young, pretty, completely unblemished girl.
I stand awkwardly to the side and for once am happy for the distraction of Bob sniffing at my legs.
The girl rings the total up. “Is that all for you today, Mr Blackwood?”
“Mr Blackwood?” I say and huff a mocking laugh.
Fiz stiffens beside me, while the girl stares at me in horror.
“Yes,” Fiz says to the girl, all of a sudden cold and blunt.
He taps his phone on the card reader, then flashes her a tight smile. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“No problem, see you later.” The girl doesn’t look at me again, but her cheeks are bright red.
What the hell just happened?
He stalks off, Bob at his heel, and I follow close behind. “Why did she call you that?”
Fiz ignores me.
I fold my arms. “Look who doesn’t want to talk now.”
He still doesn’t speak as we get into the car park and he loads the stuff into his boot.
I haven’t known Fiz for barely a week, but I already feel uncomfortable with his silence. He always has something to say. Always has a quip or a dig.
“Get in the car,” he orders. His face is weird without the menacing smirk.
I go to get in the back but he holds his arm out, stopping me. “In the front.”
My heart starts thumping faster. With a heavy gulp, I climb into the passenger seat. Fiz gets behind the wheel and before I can even blink at him, his hand is wrapped around my throat and squeezing.
“If you ever,” he starts, his dark eyes narrowing, “belittle me like that in front of anybody again, I will make your life even more of a hell than it already is. Do you understand me?”
I gurgle around his grip, unable to form words, but my frown tells him I don’t understand.
He huffs, releasing me. I splutter, heaving in a breath.
He turns on the car, his jawline tight and sharp as he clenches his teeth. He whips his cap off, ruffles through his curls, then flips it back on, the bill facing the front and obscuring his eyes.
Once I can speak, I spit, “What the fuck are you so uptight for?”
“Uptight?” he spits right back, turning his head again to glare at me. “What gives you the right to belittle me? You don’t know any of the shit I’ve done to earn my place in this family. Just because I’m not a Blackwood by blood doesn’t mean I’m not one of them.”
I rub the tender skin of my neck. I can tell not only by his words but his bleak tone that I’ve not just pissed him off, I’ve really hurt him. Well, good.
I don’t get why he’s so upset over the truth, anyway.
Why would he want to be a Blackwood? That alone is a testament to how depraved this guy is.
At least Caden and Alfie could use the excuse of being born into the family for being monsters, if they wanted.
Fiz didn’t have to become a monster. He chose to.
“But you’re not. Don’t you guys have some law that you can’t hurt each other or some shit? I’ve seen Alfie smack you.”
Fiz grips the steering wheel hard. “Some law.” He chuckles humourlessly, shaking his head. “You don’t have a clue about anything, do you?” He presses his foot on the gas and drives toward the exit.
Be careful with this one, the darkness warns.
The warning gives me pause. Sure, I hate this guy, but being stuck in a car with him and his giant Boerboel, with nothing but woods around us, doesn’t bode well for me if I push him any further. His eyes already have the promise of death in them.
I drop my hand from my neck and wring my fingers. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” I say quietly.
Fiz huffs, but it’s more resigned this time, rather than irritated.
His hand comes over and drops on my thigh, making me stiffen. “Princess, you’re new here. There’s a lot to learn. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m sorry.”
My eyes bulge. He can apologise for snapping at me but not for biting on my fricking clit? This boy’s brain’s screwed on backwards.
Still, I can’t complain.
“I’m sorry too,” I say under my breath.
“What was that?” Fiz arcs his neck, tilting his ear closer to me.
I pinch one of his fingers on my thigh. He hisses and jerks his hand off me. “Don’t be a dick. You heard me.”
That menacing smirk returns, his cheeks pinched and that annoyingly cute dimple reappears. I’m surprised to find my muscles unclench at the familiar sight.
He drives onto the motorway, turns the radio on, and we’re back where we started, as if he didn’t just do a complete one-eighty on me and seem like he was going to murder me in his car.
I guess there’s more to him than just obscenity and levity.
Even in Caden’s bedroom, when he threatened me that first night, it felt half-hearted.
I’d never felt threatened by him until just now.
I wonder what else is hiding under his playful exterior.
It makes me wonder about Alfie too. What he could be hiding under his nurturing, caring surface.
Caden no longer really feels like the most dangerous one. At least with him, I know what I’m getting. With the other two… it’s the unknown that unnerves me the most.