Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)(100)

He glared, waging an internal war. I knew he wanted to shrug me off—and he could—there was nothing I could do to stop him, but he let himself be ruled, just for a moment. Finally, something unlocked in his eyes; heart-shattering passion blazed. He nodded. “Yes.”

I could barely breathe. “Yes, you hurt?”

He rolled his shoulders, breaking my hold on him. He towered over me, gathering shadows from the room, crackling with energy. “Yes, I f*cking hurt. I haven’t slept well in weeks. I can’t go in my bedroom because I get so hard. I f*cking come twice a day remembering how you writhed beneath the whip. How your skin flushed and crested with red.” He stopped, breathing hard. His body beseeched mine and I struggled to stay frozen.

Dragging hands over his head, he forced himself to go on as if the confession was the hardest thing he ever had to do. “You’re everything I’ve been looking for and you scare me shitless. You want me to hurt you! You’re f*cking crazy for taunting me that way.” In cobra-strike quickness, he kissed me hard. “I’m terrified I’ll end up killing you.”

We locked eyes, overcome with truth. My blood thrilled at the thought of his deep desires.

With shaky hands, I unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside under his blazer. Every button, he breathed harder, until his chest strained and panted. My own breath matched his.

“Stop it, Tess.”

I swallowed. “You won’t kill me. You wouldn’t go that far.” I traced inked sparrows on his skin, following ribs, and hard planes of delectable muscle. “I know you deplore what happened to the women you save. You won’t turn me into a broken shadow of myself. Your ferocity feeds me.” I ducked to nip his nipple, teeth aching to draw blood. “Whatever you give, I can take… as long as I know how you feel.”

My fingers etched brambles and barbwire going around his side, pulling him into me. Q flatly refused to come. Back muscles tensed as he denied my request.

I groaned, loving his strength. His control. But I wanted him closer. Glaring, I pressed against him from toes to chest.

Q ground his teeth, eyes growing heavy with lust. He stood perfectly still, not uttering a word. His power, his rage, filled the library, threatening.

“Tell me…” I murmured. “Speak to me…”

Q sucked in another shuddering breath as I stood on tiptoes, licking his bottom lip.

He softened. The ridges of muscle at the base of his back trembled, leaning into me. “I will never get enough,” he whispered. “C'était la plus grosse erreur de ma vie à te renvoyer à lui.” It was the biggest mistake of my life sending you away.

Effervescent happiness. Complete sublime joy.

“You’re willing to keep me? To hell with the police?” I licked the seam of his lips, capturing his ragged sigh.

“There was no deal with the police. They congratulated me on saving such a strong slave.”

Time froze. What?

I pulled away, crying out as Q snapped, “You can’t tease and expect to get away without paying.”

Arms tightened around me, plucking me from the floor as if I weighed nothing. Q carried me to the desk, swiping the contents off in one swift move. Pens clattered, papers fluttered, and a laptop smashed to the floor.

Practically throwing me on top, he pressed hips violently against mine.

Heat smoked and words disintegrated to cinders, but I clung to lucidity.

I arched, clawing his forearms. “Stop… what do you mean?” My body swept control away, but I needed to understand. What the hell did he mean?

Q groaned, thrusting his hard cock. I automatically wrapped legs around him, thrilling, filling with lava and need.

“The police know what I do. Once the girls are…better… they find their loved ones and return them.” His eyes snapped closed as he thrust again, body shuddering with desire. He chuckled darkly, bowing over me. “They’ve been meddling in my love life since I was sixteen. They thought you were different. Hinting that I’d touched you, rather than helped you.” Eyes burned me with hot jade. “It freaked me the f*ck out. They saw the truth and I knew I had to get rid of you before I killed you, or worse… turned you into what other sick masters do to their slaves.”

He stopped thrusting, the sudden silence chilling me.

“Don’t you see? I cared too much to do what I wanted. I made a promise. I won’t ever break that vow again.”

My world shifted, turned from round to flat. Black and white became colour, night became day.

Finally.

The puzzle of Q Mercer made sense; I fitted the final piece. I wanted to hug and bite and slap and f*ck him to death. He gave me up because he cared for me. Even though he swore he never could.

I laughed. Men. Glorious stupid, egotistical men.

My man.

Mine.

He stared deep into my eyes, not moving apart from a small pulse of his hips, barely detectable. I rocked, moaning as the seam of his fly teased through my dress.

“Break your promise. Now. With me.”

Q shook his head, even as hips pressed harder. “I can’t ever let myself free.”

He groaned as I shot up and kissed him. Wrapping arms around his neck, I threw my entire being into the kiss.

He fought for a millisecond, before kissing me back, plunging tongue deep and violent, taking possession completely. Brain muddled, breathing caught, and I no longer thought. I only felt.