Chapter 5
PIERCE
Ihadn’t expected her to be so beautiful.
I had seen her at my brother’s funeral, of course.
It was hard not to notice her sapphire blue eyes and the thick waves of midnight black hair which fell between her shoulder blades.
Despite her tearstained cheeks, she had looked pretty in a forlorn way, standing there far off to the side of the gravesite, away from the crowd, in her off-the-rack black cocktail dress and matching ballet flats.
The problem was, she was nothing like my brother’s usual type—bleached, Botoxed women assembled at the sharp end of a scalpel. This woman in my arms was all wrong...but in the right ways.
Her soft breasts pressed against my chest through her thin white T-shirt, perfectly formed, just large enough to fill a man’s hand. My hand.
Her lips were a cherry-stained pink, the top one shaped like a Cupid’s bow over the fuller bottom one.
She wasn’t my type, either. I usually preferred them to be more high-maintenance-chic, where the gold glint of a trophy was obvious with every sway of their hips.
At least, until this moment.
Madison’s mouth opened on a gasp. I knew it was from the unexpected impact of my body blocking her flight, but my deviant mind thought of other, more pleasurable reasons.
Her eyes filled with tears. “Let me go.”
“No.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can...and because someone has to pay for what happened.”
The sheen of tears made her eyes sparkle. How had I missed that the day of the funeral?
She snatched at the lapels of my suit, crushing the expensive silk fabric in her fists, the loose handcuff bracelet swinging. “Please. I’m sorry about your brother, but I swear to God, I wasn’t the one driving. I didn’t kill him.”
I locked eyes with the three police officers now standing sheepishly behind her.
With only my glance, they obeyed and shifted a few steps away.
I leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “Are you really so na?ve as to think the truth matters?”
She jerked back as if I had struck her, twisting her shoulders as she pushed against my chest.
I subdued her brief struggle. Pulling her close, I forced her flush against my body and inhaled the sweet vanilla scent of her shampoo. My cock stirred.
Her gaze widened. Whether it was from my words or from the press of my hardening shaft against her stomach, I didn’t know. If she were smart, it would be from fear.
She raised her right arm and slapped me. “You’re a fucking monster.”
Her hand left a sharp sting, and a hint of blood danced over my tongue.
The police officers stepped forward, palming the handles of their guns.
A quick quelling glance from me kept them at bay.
Returning my gaze to Madison, I issued them an order. “Stand down. I’ll call for you when I’m ready for you to take her away.”
The officers nodded, turning their backs and heading to the front of the store. Giving us complete privacy.
Releasing her, I stroked my jaw.
There wasn’t a single person in my life who would have had the balls to slap me like this slip of a woman just had. The corner of my mouth lifted. “Monster? I’ve been called worse.”
The handcuffs around her left wrist rattled when she raised her arm to jab me in the chest. “You won’t get away with this. There is a video. It will prove I’m innocent.”
I tilted my head to the side.
Indignation and fear gave her cheeks a charming flush, which only highlighted her pale, creamy skin.
My gaze narrowed. “Will it?”
“Yes, it will. I’ll tell everyone what I know.”
I ran the backs of my knuckles over her cheek, relishing the warmth of her skin. “And not one person in this town will listen to you. Sorry, babygirl, haven’t you learned you cannot win against a Worthington? There is no point in fighting. I own this town, and that means I own you.”
Her brow furrowed as she cast her gaze downward, but not before I observed something shuttered in her eyes. As if a shadowed nightmare had crept into the present to block the light. I knew soul-crippling pain when I saw it. I should. I glimpsed it every morning in the mirror.
Someone had hurt her. Badly.
My brother perhaps. I knew he’d never played fair…because neither did I.
For one brief, unwelcome moment, I saw myself clearly—not as a man protecting his family’s reputation, but as a man destroying a woman who had done nothing wrong.
The thought lasted exactly as long as I allowed it to.
I was a Worthington. Worthingtons didn’t flinch and they didn’t second-guess. My father had taught me that before I was old enough to understand what it cost. By the time I did, it was too late to be anyone else.
She stepped back, breaking our connection. “I’m not your babygirl.”
I grabbed her by the chin, forcing her head back. “I’ll call you whatever I damn well please. Your life is in my hands now.”
We were both breathing hard, close enough the heat of her breath brushed the skin of my throat.
Some primal force drove me to seize her mouth.
I needed to know if her lips tasted as sweet as they looked.
I swallowed her shocked gasp, feeding on her oxygen as my hand wrapped around her jaw, keeping her head steady for my assault.
My tongue dueled with hers as I placed my other hand on her hip and pulled her closer.
Her mouth was warm and honey drenched.
I slammed her against the book stacks, pressing into her soft flesh. At first, her response was innocent and trusting, her tongue hesitantly brushing against mine.
At first.
She wrenched her mouth away from mine, turning her head to the side and straightening her elbows to hold me at arm’s length.
Without saying a word, I stared at her bruised and swollen lips, trying to master my own unanticipated reaction to her.
Lifting her arm, she swiped the back of her right hand across her mouth. “I don’t want your Judas kiss.”
Something inside of me snapped.
How did I dare associate this woman with words like sweet and innocent?
I was a fucking Worthington.
She was nothing to me. A pawn. A thing to be used.
My hand whipped out, closing around her neck again.
Her eyes widened and she grabbed my wrist. The cheap stainless steel of her handcuffs rattled against the expensive platinum of my Rolex watch.
“Get on your knees.”
Her gaze shifted to the front entrance of the shop.
I sneered. “They won’t help you. I’ve already told you. The police work for me.”
She clawed at my wrist, rising on her toes to escape the pressure of my hand. “Please, just let me go!”
“I’m losing patience, Madison. Now get on your knees.”
Her body trembled as she awkwardly lowered to her knees.
I released her throat and stared down at her. My cock swelled at the sight of her in such a submissive, vulnerable position. I almost regretted my decision to turn her over to the police.
Perhaps I should have given more thought to keeping her for myself.
I brushed the dark curls back from her forehead. “Tilt your head back.”
She hissed a sharp intake through her teeth before she obeyed, her eyes welling with tears. One blink, and they fell down her cheeks, making them glisten in the dim light.
I stepped closer, placing a foot on either side of her knees. Watching every nuance of emotion that crossed her face, I unbuckled my belt.
A sob broke from her chest.
“Shhh…” I cautioned. “You don’t want me silencing that mouth, now do you?”
She slowly shook her head.
“Good girl.”
I slowly lowered the zipper to my trousers, then pulled out my shaft. Wrapping my fist around the thick girth, I squeezed hard to ease the aching pressure.
“Open your mouth.”
Madison whimpered.
I raised one eyebrow when she didn’t immediately obey.
After another moment’s hesitation, her lips parted.
I leaned forward, pressing my palm against the spines of the books overhead. I violently jerked my fist along my cock, pulling faster and faster.
Her hot, moist breath caressed my sensitive head, while the tip of her tongue ran along the inside edge of her lips, ready to dart out and taste me.
It was the thought of that little pink tongue running up my shaft and the horror in her eyes at her own boldness that made my balls tighten.
I’d mark her, prove she was mine. Then I’d break her.
Staring down at her parted lips, bruised from my forceful kiss, I knew it wouldn’t take me long. “Keep your mouth open,” I growled.
I threw my head back. In the final throw, I imagined shoving my cock down her tight throat and choking her with it. A step too far for such a public space, even for me, but the fantasy was enough.
I came. Coating her tongue.
Her shoulders jerked as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Sucking in gulps of air, I tucked my still semi-hard cock back inside my trousers and zipped up. I then lowered onto my haunches in front of her.
A drop of my come dripped from the center of her bottom lip. I ran my thumb through it, gathering it and feeding it back to her.
With my finger under her chin, I closed her mouth. I stroked her throat with my fingertips, waiting to feel the contraction of her muscles as she swallowed my seed. I then cupped the sides of her head and pulled her face down to meet my gaze. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused.
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then whispered against her temple, “Enjoy prison...babygirl.”
At her outraged cry, I rose and signaled to the police officers I was ready for them.
They finished handcuffing Madison and dragged her through the shop door to their waiting car. The entire way she screamed, “I hate you! You won’t get away with this! Someone will listen to me. Someone will care!”
The warmth left with her. In the silence, I could hear the rapid beating of my heart. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I closed my eyes and savored the lingering earthy vanilla scent of her hair.
It didn’t matter.
None of this mattered.
The only thing that mattered was protecting the Worthington name and my plans for revenge.
Crossing to the exit, I reached into my suit jacket and pulled free a linen handkerchief and swiped it across my lips.
Bright pink lipstick stained the white fabric.
I raised my arm to toss it in the garbage but paused.
Refusing to contemplate my reasons, I folded the linen square and returned it to my inner pocket while taking one last look around.
A bakery box sat on the counter. I flipped open the lid.
Selecting one of the still-warm croissants, I bit into it, enjoying the sweet-tart filling which tasted just like Madison’s kiss.