The Dark Forest: A Collection Of Erotic Fairytales(152)

“I know you’re trying to scare me, but it’s not going to work.”

He lunged forward off the bed, stopping just in front of her as she rocked back on her heels, but she held her ground as he stared down at her. “You should be afraid of me, princess. I’m still a monster. I’m just a monster with a bullet wound right now.”

“A bullet you took to protect me, and I don’t care. You just got caught up in the same shit that I did, only you’ve known about it. It’s been inside you, twisting you, shaping you. Making you this person.”

“And you were blind to all of it. So innocent and wide-eyed.” He stroked her cheek, and then shoved his hand into her hair, painfully ripping her head back. “Tell me you’re not scared.”

“I’m not scared of you. I’m grateful. You showed me the darkness that had always been there, tore away the lies.”

His other hand caught her hip and he shoved her back against the wall, his body crowded close, the fist in her hair keeping her face angled up towards his, but she didn’t get the urge to run. Instead, that tingling hum at the base of her spine returned with a flush of heat. “I almost got you killed using you like a pawn. I took out my rage on you instead of your father. I tore away your innocence, and I tainted you with my darkness. You can’t forgive that.”

“I wasn’t innocent, Adam.”

“You were whole, and beautiful, and pristine, and I tried my best to destroy it.” His grip in her hair tightened, the sting sending lightning down her spine. “I liked trying to destroy you.”

“But you failed.”

“I know.” He leaned in close, breathing in at her neck, his lips brushing her skin in the lightest of touches that made her silently plead for more. “But I can see the darkness in you now, princess, and I did that. I put it there.”

“Yes, you did.” She gasped as his body leaned into hers, pressing her against the wall, his hand inching up to her waist to squeeze.

“You would have been happier if I’d left you in The Tower, you know that, right?” Even his voice was a growl, a texture against her skin that had heat pooling between her thighs.

“It would have been a lie.”

“You’d lived the lie long enough, you could have lived it forever. Been the good little heir, followed in Daddy’s footsteps.” With a nudge, his knee was between her thighs, his thigh rubbing against her, and she chewed on her bottom lip as he traced his mouth over her collarbone.

“It was all fake, this is real. I want real. I want honest.” She hissed when his teeth nipped at the side of her throat, but it turned into a moan as his next movement delivered a delirious friction between her thighs. “I want you,” she breathed, and he laughed low.

“You don’t know what you want, princess.”

“Yes, I do.” She nodded against the grip in her hair, trying to keep her thoughts straight as her body turned into a nest of live wires that he was plucking at his leisure. “I want someone who understands the darkness in my past, the shit they’re talking about on every news station. I want someone who knows the truth, who can see me for who I am. Someone other than a lifeless doll, a hapless victim of circumstance.”

“Rebecca…” A low groan left him as she used his own words against him, his hips rocking against her. “No. I won’t. I’ve already ruined your life, I won’t be responsible for filling you with more darkness.”

He released her and pulled away, leaving her heart racing, her skin hot, but she caught his arm and pulled him back. “That’s my choice, not yours.”

Leaning up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms behind his neck to bring his lips to hers, and she poured everything she had into the kiss. Desperate to get through to him, to not lose this connection, no matter how terrifying and unpredictable it was.

Adam was stiff for a moment, and then the hum of a growl buzzed against her mouth and he had her back to the wall in a moment. He nipped at her lip, and when she took in a breath he deepened the kiss. Their tongues clashed, warring for a moment, and her skin was alight with energy. It was like all the color in the room was turned up whenever he touched her, like the world was half-asleep, seen only through a window, until his touch set her free.

“Dammit, Rapunzel,” he broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’m not a good man.”

“You’re not good? I’m the result of so much horror that there’s a court case being put together about it. You said it yourself, every file in that room was about me.” She twisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him harder against her. “I’ve got plenty of darkness to share.”

“None of that was your fault. I was being an asshole.” His hands squeezed in at her waist, and she lifted up to press another kiss to his lips.

“What happened to your father wasn’t your fault either, and you got your revenge. Everyone knows the truth now. The world is digging through those files. You fulfilled his mission.”

“I’m still not a good man.” He rubbed himself against her, the erection straining the front of his pants, his hands roaming up to brush her breasts through her top, and then his lips were on her neck. “Even right now I want to hear you scream again.”

“That’s fine, I’ve been fantasizing about it anyway.” A smile spread across her lips as he leaned back to look at her in surprise.