Episode 229
LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
River
She’s ready. So ready.
Emily.
My Emily.
I can’t stand that she fucked Sebastian, and though I’ve already punished her, she has no idea what she’s in for now.
I’m going to fuck her so violently that she’ll never even think of fucking another man again.
Never.
Not fucking ever.
I grip her tighter, my fingers digging into her soft skin. I bring my mouth to her ear, my voice a low rumble. “You’re mine, Em.”
Her breath hitches, her body shuddering against mine. “Always.”
“You’re goddamned right. Always.” I take her to the bed, throw her onto it, face down. “And that gorgeous alabaster ass is mine. Mine to spank.” I bring my palm down on her.
Hard.
She squeals.
But not in pain.
I want her pleasure, but damn…
I want to hurt her too.
Hurt her the way she hurt me.
Hurt her the way I hurt Brett and the others.
Fuck…
This is…
This isn’t just about Emily.
It’s about me.
All those damned years ago…
I did what I had to do to save Jake’s life, his future. I had no idea Brett had feelings for Jake other than friendship. At least not until much later.
I bring my palm down again, this time harder.
And this time—
Emily raises her head, looks over her shoulder. “For the love of God, River!”
But I smack her again, again, again…
She glares at me, her blue eyes on fire.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
And her eyes soften.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
Her ass is cherry red, so gorgeous, and my cock is raging hard. I could slide between her ass cheeks right now, truly make her mine. Rip her virgin hole to shreds with my massive dick.
I meet her gaze.
And she nods.
Only slightly, but she nods.
I slide my fingers between her legs.
Still so wet.
And she…
“Go ahead,” she says. “Take what you need. Do to me what you need to do. I deserve it all, River. All of it. If this is what I must endure to prove my love for you, I’ll bloody suffer it.”
My rage is still inside me, but it’s quieter now—less like a scream and more like a whisper echoing through an empty room. It coils low in my gut, not gone, just watching. I breathe, and for the first time since I realized what Emily and Sebastian did, the air doesn’t taste like blood and betrayal.
I wanted to hurt her. I wanted her to feel what I felt, to break where I broke.
But now?
I just feel hollow.
Because somewhere between the anger and the obsession, I stopped being the one who was wronged. I became the weapon. The one who wronged Sebastian. Alex. Most of all, Brett.
And now, Emily.
The heat inside me is flickering. Not out. Not yet. But changing. Cooling into something heavier, something that hurts in a different way.
I don’t want to hurt Emily.
I don’t want her to suffer. Why the fuck did she use that word?
You don’t hurt a person you love.
This isn’t new to me. I’ve always known it.
I do love her. I love Emily.
And though I’m angry with her, I’m angrier at myself for something that has nothing to do with her.
Yet she’s willing to let me do what I need. She’s willing to let me hurt her.
I slide down onto the bed beside her. “Forgive me.”
Her eyes widen. “For what?”
“For trying to hurt you. That’s not me, Em.” I sigh. “I’m a damned mess.”
“You’re not a mess, River. You have every right to be angry. Just as I had a right to be angry with you. But I do love you, and sleeping with Sebastian was a mistake. I regretted it as soon as it was over.”
“I think he has a thing for you,” I say.
“Maybe. But I have a thing for you, River Barrett.” She rolls onto her side and snuggles against my shoulder.
“I swear to God,” I say through gritted teeth, “I’ll never give you reason to doubt my love again.”
She smiles. “You’d better not.”
I move over her, turning her so she’s facedown, and I climb on top of her. “You ready for that hard fuck now?”
“Always.”
And I thrust into her wet pussy.
God, she gloves me so perfectly, as if she were made for me and only me.
Barely a few moments in, I feel the first stirrings of climax winding its way up my spine. It gathers strength, coiling in my belly and spreading like wildfire through my veins. The sensation is so overwhelming, so intense, that I’m ready to blow.
But not yet.
I pull out and flip her onto her back. I want to see her. See those beautiful blue eyes filled with raw desire for me.
“Look at me,” I command.
She meets my gaze as I slide back into her.
She bites her lip and arches her body toward mine as I thrust, thrust, thrust…
“God, River,” she gasps.
“Do you feel that?” I growl, increasing my pace. “You feel how much I want you, desire you?”
“Yes, River,” she gasps. “Don’t stop, please.”
“You’re mine, Emily. Fucking mine.”
“Yours. I swear it. Faster. Harder. Please.”
The desperation in her voice spurs me on. I drive into her without mercy, balls deep.
Yes.
Her walls are clenching.
Fuck, it feels good. She’s close. So fucking close. I want her orgasm. I want it now.
“Come for me, Emily,” I demand.
She shatters beneath me.
Her orgasm is an explosion of raw beauty, her body writhing as wave after wave of surrender crashes over her. It’s so magnificent that I ache.
And with one final thrust, I let go of my control. I spill into her with a loud grunt.
Release.
Sweet fucking release.
Breathless and drenched in sweat, I collapse onto her, burying my face in the crook of her neck.
She wraps her arms around me. “River,” she whispers, “I love you.”
“I love you too. Only you, Em. Forever. You’re mine and only mine.”
“Absolutely.”
We lie there for… I’m not sure how long.
When my heartbeat finally steadies, I know what I have to do.
If Emily and I are going to make a life together, we can’t have any secrets.
“Baby?” I kiss her forehead.
“What?”
“I need—”
But the pounding on the door interrupts me.