Chapter 21
The thundering of my heartbeat was deafening. That, and Grayson’s boots hitting the ground behind me. I ran as if possessed. I was possessed. By fear. It kept my legs going. It kept my lungs breathing and my body from collapsing.
“This is fucking insane!” I wanted to scream to my brain. I knew it was Grayson. I knew it was him. Why was I still so scared? Why was I running for my life?
Grayson had the same outfit on as the day of the robbery, completely black from head to toe like a demon carved from hell’s shadows.
He was closer now. And no amount of common sense could slow my flight.
I grabbed hold of a sapling tree and swung myself in a new direction, trying to throw him off.
I caught a glimpse of him. His black figure darted past me, going too fast to swerve with me.
He crouched to the ground, sliding across the forest floor, stopping himself.
I had bought myself some time. He seemed to like playing games in the forest. But it felt different from before. He wasn’t toying with me, this time. It felt too real.
Fear laced through me anew as his boots caught up to me again. Gods, he wasn’t letting up! I wanted to scream for him to stop, that I was done with this game of his, but I had no breath to spare. My lungs could barely suck in enough air to keep me going.
His hands ripped at me suddenly, and we tumbled to the ground, the fall knocking the breath from me, my scream abruptly going silent.
I heaved for air as I clawed at the dirt, trying to pull myself away from the black figure behind me.
But he grabbed my ankle harshly and used it to pull himself on top of me.
I fought with all I had, but he was stronger.
Again, I found myself pinned against the ground by a heavy body, with no way of escaping. Again, I found myself helpless, defenceless.
Grayson pulled back on my ponytail, arching my neck backwards. Something thin and cold bit into my throat.
Oh, gods. His knife. A sob escaped me, as he slowly dragged it from left to right over my neck.
It didn’t yet pierce my skin, but gods, I didn’t like this.
I wanted him to stop. I managed to get my hand around his arm that grasped my ponytail, scratching and clawing at it, but he held tight.
He laughed at me, again that ominous sound that had me shuddering at the Inn. The sound of him enjoying my terror.
His fencing-like mask dropped in front of me, and I felt his lips at my ear, his own breathing almost as ragged as mine. “I’m going to enjoy this, Princess. You might not, but fuck, am I going to enjoy you.”
My heart lurched at the eerie sound of his voice. A voice that once had me trembling, the soundtrack of my nightmares. A voice I had forgotten to be afraid of.
“Grayson,” I rasped the name that echoed in my thoughts. I needed to get a grip. This wasn’t real, right? He wouldn’t hurt me. It was Grayson. My Grayson. He wouldn’t hurt me. No, not like that.
“Save your breath, Princess. You’ll be screaming that name in a few minutes.” He let go of my hair, his hand trailing down my side.
My stomach turned nervously. “In fear or pleasure?” I managed to get past my lips.
His hand reached under my shirt, making its way back up my side. I could hear the devilish smirk on his face, “Oh, baby. Both.” His voice dropped low on the last word. He thrusted his pelvis into my backside, hard as a rock.
My throat bobbed. Was I scared or excited? Maybe both.
Grayson sat up, grabbed my hips and flipped me over. Before I could thrust my palm into his nose, his knife dug into my throat again. He chuckled as I stilled.
“Hands above your head. If you so much as move a fucking finger, I’m gonna start carving.” He pressed the blade harder against my neck. The cold look in his eyes turned my blood to ice.
Tears slipped down my face as I obeyed. He unzipped my jacket slowly, then grabbed my shirt and sliced through it. He swallowed hard as he lowered the blade to my chest, and I watched as Grayson sliced through my bra, my breasts bouncing free as the material snapped back.
“Fuck me,” he moaned. I sucked in a breath as he pinched my nipple too hard. I could feel my body responding to him. The insides of my thighs clenched while my heart hammered away. His teeth closed around my still aching nipple, biting hard, like he meant to leave his mark.
“You’re hurting me,” I whimpered, concentrating hard against the impulse to push him off me. I had to keep my hands still.
His tongue swept softly over the burning flesh as he moaned. “Yes, baby. Say that again. I like it.”
His teeth caused a searing pain to travel through my body as he bit my other nipple. I ground my teeth together but didn’t make a sound. Grayson bit harder, drawing blood, and this time I couldn’t keep quiet. “Fuck you!” I hissed at him, breathlessly.
He released me with a devilish glint in his eyes, my blood glistening on his lips. “There she is,” he purred. “Now let’s have some fun.”
Grayson flipped me over again and pushed me down, his hand at the back of my neck, pressing my face into the cold dirt.
“Grayson, please. Stop this.” I grunted against the force of his hold. Instead, his other hand slid down and roughly grabbed me between my legs, over my pants.
“No, baby, I’m going to fuck you so hard, so good, you’ll only see my face if another man ever touches you.
You’ll be thinking of me if another woman’s tongue slides between your folds.
God, baby, you’ll feel my dick, instead of your fingers, each time you think to pleasure yourself.
I will be all there is, Princess. Only me. ”
Fuck, maybe I wanted that.
He eased off my neck, bringing my hands up behind my back. He pinned my arms with just one hand. I tried to turn over again, but he used his bodyweight to hold me down, his legs still straddling my hips. I couldn’t move. Panic struck me again.
Grayson gripped my hip with his other hand and tugged hard, bringing my ass up, flush against his hard dick. He nudged my legs apart, his thighs keeping me from closing them.
I was trapped.
“God, Ava, look at you. So pretty like this. Restrained and arched for me.”
His words had heat flushing through me, settling between my thighs.
He unbuttoned my pants, and slipped his hand in.
He circled my clit slowly, a whimper escaping me.
Was it because I was crying or because I liked it?
I still wasn’t sure if I wanted it or not.
It didn’t matter as Grayson’s fingers continued their onslaught.
When I was on the precipice of sweet release, he stopped.
My body moving of its own accord, bucked against his hand in protest. “Grayson,” I moaned, the sound turning into a gasp as he roughly yanked my pants over my backside. My insides froze.
His calloused hand glided over my bare ass. The stark difference between his warm hand and the freezing air had me shivering. Or maybe it was fear. Maybe it was want.
His hand dropped between us, where I was still pressed to his front. My breathing stopped as I felt his hand move against my exposed backside, unbuckling his belt.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about fucking you, Ava. From the first time I laid eyes on you. I wanted to let your hair down from that uptight bun and wrap it around my fist.”
His words confused me. I wanted to tell him that my hair was down the day he took me, but he had pulled his pants down, letting his dick spring free against my ass. I moaned at the feel of it, wiggled against it, earning a groan from him.
There was no doubt in my mind whether I wanted this anymore. If I couldn’t have him right now, I might die.
“But fuck, baby,” he continued. “Not even my wildest fantasies can hold a candle to the real you. Your smell, your taste. How soft and tight your pussy feels around my cock. Jesus, fuck…” Grayson breathed.
He guided his tip to my entrance, and I was vibrating with want.
I tried to push back onto him, but his grip on my arms was so tight, I only managed an inch, still, it had my eyes rolling back.
“You are a glorious thing.”
He stilled for a while, and I wanted to scream out in frustration. But then Grayson slammed into me, hard and fast. I yelped in shock. I had never felt anything like it. It was pain and pleasure coiled so tightly together, I couldn’t tell where one started or ended.
“Breathe, baby,” Grayson murmured, pushing my ponytail back, out of my face.
Fuck. I had stopped breathing. I sucked air into my lungs and tried to calm my spiralling mind. The feel of him inside me consumed me. Grayson held still, giving my body time to adjust to him, but by the grip he had on my hip, the slight tremor in his fingers, I knew it was an effort.
His hand came around me again, teasing at my clit until I was ready to come undone.
But he stopped right before my orgasm hit.
I was panting and fuming and almost begging.
Then he moved in me. He pulled out of me, oh so slowly, then slammed back into me.
It was the closest I’ve come to heaven yet.
With a mumbled, “Fuck, Ava,” he let loose.
He held me down, thrusting into me so hard, I struggled to keep air in my lungs.
Not that I needed air. I just needed him.
The sounds of our bodies colliding echoed through the woods, mingled with moans and whimpers I didn’t even know I was making.
I felt my orgasm build from deep inside as he continued to fuck me senseless.
My vision went blurry with the pure pleasure that radiated through my body each time he crashed into me.
All my attention was honed to that sweet spot he was hitting inside me, that had my toes curling. The rest of the world fell away.