Echo (Bleeding Hearts #1)(18)

Fragments of color exploded behind my eyelids as I transcended the laws of gravity. I was flying, soaring, falling… I couldn’t be sure. There was only one way to come down. I exploded into another dimension as I thrashed beneath him, my fingers digging into his back as ripple after endless ripple washed over me.

I clamped down on his cock and he swelled inside of me, letting out a string of curses as he let himself go. Warmth flooded my womb as he growled out his release, nipping at my shoulder until he collapsed on top of me.

“You’ll never have another, Brighton.” He stroked my face. “Not now.”

His words scared and aroused me at the same time. I was certain it was a psychological effect to be flattered by someone wanting you so deeply. But at the same time, this was a man who held the power of my brother’s fate in his hands. And I could never forget that.

“Do you want to know who’s inside of you?” he grazed my swollen lips with his thumb.

Truthfully, I wasn’t so sure. Did I want to see the man who had stolen my virginity? The man who was blackmailing me and would be for the foreseeable future. The man who I was already more confused about than I should be. No, I really didn’t. I wasn’t ready for that. And so I shook my head on instinct.

“I knew your agreeability couldn’t last,” he snarled. “What’s the matter, Brighton? Don’t want to know the monster that’s doing these things to you?”

His voice was so cold it sent a chill through me. I tried to move, to get away, but he held me steadfast, gripping my chin in his hand as he gave me another punishing kiss.

I was completely and utterly used as he lifted my body and pulled out of me. And then his cum dripped down my thigh.

A moment of panic seized me, but he didn’t seem to notice as he shuffled away.

“Are you trying to get me pregnant?” I asked in horror.

“Pregnant?” he sounded every bit as horrified by the idea as I was. “No. But I don’t want anything between us, so you’ll need to get on birth control. Today. I’ve already made an appointment for you.”

I remained silent, unable to process the possible repercussions of this game. He didn’t waste any more time trying to calm me, though. Instead, he snapped something cold and metal onto my wrist.

“This is the GPS tracker,” he said. “Don’t take it off.”

He let the words hang between us, and I didn’t need him to reiterate why. I belonged to him now, clear as the day was long. I blinked back the tears that threatened, wishing I could understand why he was doing this.

He slipped a card into my palm.

“Your appointment is an hour, so you’d better get dressed. I will contact you tonight on your cell phone, and Brighton, I expect you to have it on you at all times.”

I nodded woodenly, surprised when he leaned down and brushed his lips against my cheek. “And don’t even think about taking a shower,” he whispered into my ear.





Chapter Seven



I pulled off the blindfold the minute he walked out the door and attempted to process what was happening. The enormity of what I had just done.

I was horrified and confused, angry and ashamed… but strangely almost all of it was directed at myself. I was horrified that I had liked him inside of me. Confused by my reactions to him. Angry that I’d ever agreed to this, and ashamed for what Brayden would think of me if he ever found out.

But Brayden was everything to me. All of that stuff people said about twins? It was true. He’d already wasted five years of his life rotting in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. A crime that he’d pled guilty to. It didn’t make any sense.

I wanted to ask him about it, but that was one of the specific clauses of the agreement. There would be no discussion with Brayden about anything to do with his case or what I was doing. Not only Brayden but anyone else either. As if I hadn’t isolated myself enough already, this man was going to ensure I continued to do so.

I walked to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror, horrified at what I saw. He had marked me. Everywhere. Bite marks and bruises littered my body from front to back. I braced myself against the counter and took a deep breath. I couldn’t even recognize the girl staring back at me. My hair was a tangled mess, my pale skin flushed. My mascara was smeared beneath my eyes, and it reminded me of Norma-Jean. I hated that.

His cum still dripped down my thigh, and I couldn’t go to the doctor this way. Ignoring his instructions, I turned the shower on to a scalding hot setting and stepped inside.

The marks on my body couldn’t be washed away, but I hoped that my guilt and shame might. Would he know what I had done? I didn’t care. If he had to punish me, so be it. But I needed to feel clean. To feel like I hadn’t just sold my soul to the devil himself.



***



My cleansing took a lot longer than it should have. I was late to my appointment, but the doctor waited for me. An hour and one Depo shot later, I headed back to the apartment.

Nicole was waiting for me when I walked inside, and she looked sick with worry.

“Brighton?” her gaze swung to the red mark below my neck. She trembled and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, God.”

“I’m okay,” I assured her. “I went to meet… an old friend. Things got a little crazy between us that’s all. It’s fine.”