Page 41 of Merciless King
“Tell me.” I thread my fingers through her hair.
“I’m going to suck your dick.” She arches a brow. “Are you okay with that?”
I feign thinking about it. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Maybe you should be sure.”
My dick is aching. “Suck my cock, Piper.”
She wraps her lips around my shaft, and the feeling is so fucking good. I feel it in every cell of my body. Her mouth is wet and hot, and I’m in heaven as she slides up and down, sucking, licking. Power gathers like a storm at the base, and it won’t be long before I come.
“Baby…” I tug at her to stop. “Come up here.” I lift her, setting her over my thighs. “Fuck me.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me, and I swear I can feel it down to my toes. She rises up over my dick and then takes me in. Our groans of pleasure echo off the walls. I hold her to me, savoring this moment. For the first time in eight years, she’s mine again. Finally.
She rocks, and I let go, let her take me to the place that only she’s ever been able to take me. Sure, over the years, I fucked other women. But it was always like scratching an itch. With Piper, there’s so much more. She rides me, harder, faster, until I hit the edge. My orgasm slams into me like a freight train. My dick pulses, pumping, pumping into her.
She cries out, her pussy squeezing, and stars blast behind my eyes as pleasure peaks again. We ride out the pleasure until I fall back on the bed, taking her with me. She kisses me, and at that moment, my world is perfection. I vow it will stay that way. I won’t let anyone or anything take what’s mine again.
17
PIPER
The truth hits me like a freight train, shattering everything I thought I knew. Elio never abandoned us. He wasn’t part of the plan to pay me off to disappear and raise our child alone. The pain and anger that have fueled me for the past eight years evaporate, replaced by a whirlwind of confusion and regret.
Even lying in his arms after making love, guilt twists in my gut as I remember the venom I spewed at him. I was so quick to believe the worst of him. But looking into his eyes now, I see the same shock and heartbreak that I feel. We were both victims, manipulated by forces beyond our control.
"I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. I should have known you would never abandon us."
Elio holds me tighter, kissing my temple. “We’re here now.”
I melt against him, finally letting myself feel the love and connection that've always been there. We cling to each other, both of us reeling from the weight of this revelation. There's so much to process, so much lost time to mourn. But for now, all that matters is that we're together.
"How much time do you need to pack up your and Elysse's things?"
I tilt my head up to look at him. “What?”
"You’ll move in with me tomorrow."
I pull back, a flicker of irritation sparking within me. At first, I’m not sure why. But then it hits me. He’s telling me what’s going to happen. Not asking. Not conferring. Elio is a powerful man. A man who lives in the shadows. All of a sudden, I wonder if he’s all that different from Gabriel. Not that Elio would hurt me physically. But I can see him as a man who sets the rules and expects everyone to follow.
“You just decided that?”
His brow furrows in confusion.
“You can't just make decisions for me like that."
He continues to stare at me like I’m crazy. “What do you mean? You're not seriously considering staying with your husband, are you?"
His words hit a nerve, and I feel my defenses rising. "That's not the point," I snap, moving out of his embrace. "I've been bossed around and told what to do since the moment our parents made me leave all those years ago. I had no say in the matter then, and I can't let anyone else make my choices for me now."
Elio's frustration is evident in the set of his jaw. “I’m not telling you what to do. I just assumed that you’d want to be with me over that fucker you married. Am I wrong? What is this, Piper? If you think this is a little affair, you’re wrong.” He cocks his head. “You really want to stay here? To have your daughter exposed?—”
“No. But I can’t be a doormat anymore. I need to make my own choices, to regain control of my life. I’m not a damsel to be saved, Elio. At least, I don’t want to be. I want to save myself.”
He runs a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to understand. "If that’s the case, why are you still here? Why have you stayed with a man who hurts you, who terrorizes our daughter? If you could leave, surely, you would have already.”
He’s not wrong. But I realize now that Gabriel’s power over me came on slowly, like that story about the frog in warm water that slowly heats to a boil. The change is subtle, so it’s not noticed until it’s too late.