Make Her Bleed, page 15
How is it possible that he could be Kai's son and yet be so incredibly sweet and kind?
"I wouldn't be kissing you if I was messed up over it. I want you, Rowe. You've been so amazing these past two week. I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd want to be with right now." It's true. Rowe is my anchor, everything I need right now.
"Then, I'm a fucking idiot for not kissing you back." I can't tell if he's teasing me or if he's serious, but I still laugh.
"You could make up for that by kissing me now," I suggest.
His lips crash against mine with blazing passion that nearly knocks me off my feet. His teeth knock against mine as moans fill the room, his noises mimicking my own as the volume rises, the tension fogging the air with each breath of him I take.
This kiss is everything. It's beyond comparison.
Suddenly, he pulls back and takes a breath. "How's that?" he asks, his blue eyes darkening beyond compare.
I press my mouth back to his and hold him close to me, needing more of him. The scent of cinnamon calms me as I tear at the buttons of his shirt, desperate for his skin.
He lifts me up his body and I lock my legs around his waist, digging my fingers into his hair. Our tongues tango together in a rushed dance of sexual tension.
Rowe sits me down on the edge of the bed, pulling out of the kiss.
"Please, baby. Don't stop," I plead with him.
"I'm not stopping, darling," he says with conviction before giving me a short kiss. He tugs my shorts and my panties down my waist and throws them over his shoulder. "This is okay?" he asks quickly, trailing his kisses up my thigh, lips and his tongue fighting to have my skin.
He's never been more beautiful than he is right now. Completely unhinged.
"More than okay." He flattens his tongue and runs it from my slit all the way to the tip of my clit.
A gurgled moan shoots from my chest as I fall against the bed, gripping his hair tight between my fingers. "Oh, my god!" I cry out in pleasure as he sinks his fingers in and my hips buck against the welcomed intrusion. "Yess!" I whimper as he swirls his tongue around my clit with purpose, sucking it between his lips with urgency.
"Fuck. You taste so good," he growls as he comes up for air. "I don't want to stop."
"Then, don't." I press his head back down to my pussy and he gets right back to it, sucking, licking, biting. He hooks his fingers against my g-spot and I feel my orgasm getting closer and closer. "For the love of god, don't stop. I'm so fucking close. I need to come so bad. Please, baby."
Then, he focuses his tongue directly on my clit, pushing me faster and harder toward my release.
"Fucking come for me, darling," he growls against my bundle of nerves, which sends me screaming over the edge. I can't hold myself up or hold him against me as I ride out my orgasm against his tongue, but he shows no sign of stopping.
Is this why Kai denied me my orgasm before? Did he know it would make me feel so insane with need for Rowe?
"Fuck me," I demand.
His eyes shoot up to mine as he sucks my clit again. I groan with pleasure.
"Please, I want you so bad. I want you inside me, Rowe."
He releases my clit and moves to his feet. I waste no time sitting up and getting to work on his belt, fighting to get to the stiff rod in his jeans.
"Get naked for me," he says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a silver package.
"You came prepared," I joke as I pull my crop top over my head before moving onto my bra.
"Just in case." He kisses me as I push his shirt over his shoulders and he shrugs out of the material.
We move back onto the bed and I kiss down his neck as he rolls on the condom, his coarse pubic hairs teasing my thigh as he moves.
Rowe takes my hands in his, lacing his fingers through mine, as he takes my mouth again, his kisses taking a more sensual edge, less rushed. His cock nudges my entrance and my core welcomes him happily. My heart hammers away in my chest as his thumbs caress my own as if saying he has no intention of hurting me, ever.
My heart … soars. There's no other way to describe what I'm feeling. My spirit flies with how loved and cared for Rowe makes me feel.
Like I'm the only thing or person he wants in this world. Like I'm his dream.
Is this what making love feels like? God, it's everything. Whatever this is, I don't want him to ever stop.
He trails kisses down my throat as he releases my hands, gripping the sheet in his hands. The sounds of his grunts reverberate off the wall and the sound of moaning fills the room.
It takes me a minute to realize the moaning is coming from me.
"You're so perfect, Aria. So fucking perfect," he groans in my ear. The sweat coating our skin slicks his movement as his hips buck faster and faster. The only thing holding me in place is the cage his arms create.
I never want to leave this prison he builds around me. Here, I'm safe. Here, he's the only thing I need, but I know soon the walls will crumble and the sanctuary Rowe provides will shatter because Malakai is just downstairs, and so is the torture waiting for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY
ARIA
"How was that?" Rowe asks in the softest tone I've ever heard him speak as his fingers trail along my waist, like he can't stop himself from touching me. I'm not complaining. I love the contact and the starry look in his eyes.
"That was really good." I bite my lip, fighting against the smile, and he grins at me.
"Good." He leans down and kisses along my hips, pressing me onto my back, trailing kisses across my leg and to my pussy.
I gasp. "Rowe!"
He presses a kiss over my clit before smirking at me. "What? You liked it when I went down on you, and you taste like heaven."
"My body is all used up. I require a longer break than just five minutes."
His smile falls, and I wonder if I've upset him. I don't want to make him feel bad.
"I've got something for you," he whispers before his eyes move to my bedside drawer.
He knows as well as I do that there are cameras in every room of this house and Kai might be watching them.
"What is it?" I mouth to him.
He smirks before sitting up. Rowe leans into my ear and whispers, "A few abortion pills just in case you ever need them."
Abortion pills? How the fuck did Rowe get access to something like that? Why is he offering them to me?
My eyes widen. The condom.
Knox must've told the others about me not being on birth control. That's why Rowe used a condom and brought me some abortion pills. I've never really thought about how I feel concerning abortion, but the fact that Rowe brought me some abortion pills so I have the option warms my heart.
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. No one wants to get pregnant at eighteen, right?" He pulls away and gives me an understanding look.
"Seventeen. I'm seventeen, not eighteen. Well, not for a couple days. What's the date?" I ask, curiously.
"Um, November twelfth."
"My birthday is in two days," I admit, sadness rising in my chest. I'm going to turn eighteen in this prison. "You know, I always wanted to spend my eighteenth birthday whale watching on the coast. The ocean is always calm except when whales and dolphins are playing. Spy hopping if you want to get specific.”
Rowe smirks at me and strokes my hair. He opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it again.
I laugh. "Don't try to make promises you can't keep." I knew what he was going to try to say, that he'd take me. "Kai isn't going to let me leave until the next time he puts me in the hospital."
I'm not safe here.
"He's not going to put you in the hospital," he says with conviction.
"You can't know that for sure. He's not done with me and maybe he never will be. I have no clue if he's finished with C-4 or what his endgame is."
"Oh, trust me. He's not done. He hasn't even done number six."
My dad said there were ten steps. What more horrible things could Kai possibly do to me?
Was him telling me about Rowe one of those steps? Was it a test?
I've put this off long enough. Rowe deserves to know the truth, but what if it hurts him?
"Rowe, I need to tell you something," I say as he gets out of bed and grabs his boxers, stepping into them.
"Give me a minute, okay? I just need a drink."
"Please, it will just take a minute. It's important."
His eyes narrow with concern as he stands in front of me. "What is it, darling?"
"It's about—" I stop for a fraction of a second when movement catches my eye and suddenly my captor is in the room. "Kai." What is he doing and what is he hiding behind his back?
"Come on, Aria. Can we not talk about him? It's just us right now." Rowe strokes my hair.
If Kai wasn't in the room, I would lean into Rowe and get lost once again.
Then I see the sparkle of chrome in the mirror.
"No, that's not it." I look in the mirror, and I see the reflection of the bat behind Kai's back.
Either he's going to use that on me or on Rowe and I'm terrified of the latter.
"Oh, my god. Rowe, look out!"
Rowe gets up in a flash, but he isn't fast enough to defend himself against his psychotic father. He hits him once in the face, twice in the chest, and the crunch reverberates through the room when it connects with Rowe's shoulder, sending him to the ground.
"Kai, stop it!" I cry, begging him to leave Rowe alone, but I know there's nothing I can do. Kai has proven time and time again that I am no match for his strength.
Kai kicks Rowe in the chest again and again as I cry.
"Kai, please leave him alone! Stop it!"
This is worse torture than when he sodomized me. Why Rowe? That's his son, his flesh and blood, his only living relative. How could he do this?
He got rid of Rowe's stepfather to protect him from the same abuse Kai is delivering.
Kai finally stops as Rowe lies on the floor in a heap of flesh and bruises, broken and battered.
Kai tosses the bat off to the side and takes a breath as Rowe struggles to breathe.
"Good job, Aria. That was exactly what he earned."
What the fuck? I didn't do anything. I tried to warn him, but I wasn't quick enough. Rowe definitely didn't deserve the beating he got.
Kai leaves and I hurry over to Rowe with tears soaking my face. His arm shields his injured stomach and his face is twisted in agony.
"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry." I run my fingers through his hair and try to figure out what to do.
"Don't," he groans, his voice weak. "I'm fine."
"No you're not. I can get some ice for your injuries," I offer, my voice muffled by my tears.
"Back off, Aria!" Rowe snaps at me, and I flinch away from him as he pushes himself to sit up, groaning and hissing as he stifles his movements, constricting his body like a man in a straight jacket.
I'm just trying to help. Why won't he let me help him? Why is he yelling at me?
He uses the edge of the bed to pull himself to his feet and, when he walks, there's a small limp.
Rowe is always so strong. Brooding and moody from time to time, but always strong. Not right now. Not after what Kai did to him.
He staggers over to the wall where he stops for a moment, takes a deep breath, and slams his shoulder against the wall, shaking the frame of the room.
I jump to my feet and run over to him. "Rowe! What are you doing?"
"Popping my shoulder back in place. It's not the first time it's been dislocated." He rubs his shoulder before leaning back against the wall, pain across his face.
"What can I do?" I ask, afraid that touching him might make the pain worse.
He doesn't answer the question. "Good job? What the hell was that?"
He means what Kai said, right? "I don't know," I admit.
"Don't lie to me, Aria. Kai just came in here and beat the shit out of me. The only reason he got one over on me is because I was distracted by you." Rowe says the last word like I’m the enemy. He groans as he massages the ache in his shoulder. "Were you in on that?"
"What? No! How can you ask me that?" I cry again, but he's unmoved, the mistrust in his eyes unwavering. "After everything, do you honestly think I would have any part of Kai's schemes? He's obviously trying to stir up trouble. It's bad enough that he has his stupid list of rules I have to follow if I don't want to be tortured. I don't want any—"
"What rules?" Rowe growls with aggression.
"His rules … like how I can only eat what he gives me, wear what he says I can, shower when he says it's okay …" I don't want to say the most important one. I can tell from his demeanor that he'll twist it in the wrong way.
"Fuck who he tells you to?" He grumbles, his body tensing.
That's not why I had sex with Rowe. I did it because I wanted to. I like him. I like him so much and this connection we have is more than I thought was possible in this kind of situation.
"That's it, isn't it? He told you to let me fuck you so I'd be distracted."
"Yes, but that's not how—"
"Don't even try to make it sound better. It can't sound better, Aria. You fucking used me."
He rushes as fast as he can across the room and grabs his clothes.
"Rowe, wait, please. It's not like that. He told me to, but I wanted to. I like you so much. I'm falling for you. Please, just look at me." I beg because I know if he leaves, that will be it. He won't listen to anything else I have to say.
"Yeah, right. Whatever you say, princess."
I flinch at the word others would see as a term of endearment, but that's what Kai calls me. All of the guys have heard him say it. Rowe might as well be calling me Kai’s minion.
"Rowe, please." I sob harder. I grab his arm as he reaches for the door, but instead of listening to me, he pushes me away, throwing me to the floor. I cry out in pain as I make contact with the hardwood, but it's not nearly as loud as the sound of the door slamming behind Rowe as he leaves me alone on the floor, begging for him to come back.
After getting dressed, I curl up in my bed and cry myself to sleep. There's no way to know if Rowe is still here or if he left, and a part of me doesn't want to know.
I know he's hurting, thinking I betrayed him, but he hurt me, too. Not just physically, but with the accusations he made.
Everything hurts and I can't stop crying.
"Aria?" I hear my name but don't look up.
Who cares who sees me crying? It's not like it will change anything or make anything worse.
"Oh, my god, mi amor. What's wrong?"
Mi amor? That can only mean …
"Nico?" I don't pick up my head, but I feel him hug me from behind which opens up the floodgates even more.
"What happened?"
I cry harder, my entire body shaking. "He broke my heart."
"Come here, corazón." I turn in his arms and he rubs my spine as I cry harder. "The first cut always hurts the worst. I'm so sorry, mi amor."
I don't know how I'd make it through this ache without Nico holding me together.
"Crying is healthy. If you don't cry, you don't heal. That's what my mother always says."
Crying is healing. If that's true, why does it feel like I'm being broken instead of put back together?
Once my tears run dry, I'm full of anger and resentment. This is all Kai's fault. He's the one who planted this idea in Rowe's head. I know this is one of his torture methods, but I can't figure out which one of us he's trying to hurt or why.
I charge into Kai's office but find he's missing from it. Where the fuck is he?
I'm about to walk out and search the entire house for him, but my eyes settle on a picture inside the glass case with all his awards and trophies, like some twisted badge of honor.
I step closer and examine it.
It's an old picture, probably from before I was born. It must be from a high school dance or prom because Kai is in a suit, holding a stunningly beautiful brunette in his arms, decked out in a sleek purple dress. Her smile is radiant and she looks truly happy.
So does he. I've never seen him smile in a way that's genuine and so fucking real.
Whatever is messed up in Kai's head, this girl is the key to why and possibly the way to fix him.
"What are you doing in here?" I hear his gravelly voice but don't turn to him.
"Who is she?" I ask. "She looks … familiar."
I don't know why or how, but I've seen her somewhere before. I turn to Kai and the darkness in his eyes drains every bit of wind from my sails.
"Her name is Teigan Harper," he answers.
I think he might attack me, but instead, he walks over, opens the glass case, and pulls out the picture frame. He flips over the frame, opens it, and pulls out the picture before handing it over to me. It unfolds in my hands, revealing an unseen side with my dad and … a girl who looks identical to me.
"Mom?" I see a few traits she has that I don't, but mostly, it's like looking in the mirror. All except my blue eyes. Hers are brown.
"Teigan was your mother's best friend." The way he says this doesn't sit well with me, like anyone having anything to do with my mother is frowned upon. What the hell?
"Was she your date to prom or something?" I ask, more joking than anything.
Kai is a cold fish. He hasn't had a girlfriend as long as I can remember.
"She was my girlfriend," he admits, which shocks me.
Kai actually had a girlfriend.
He gently takes the picture from me and sets it on his desk, taking a ragged breath.
Is he getting … emotional?
A small part of me wants to hug him, but this is the man who has tortured me so I refrain from any contact.
"Teigan… died … a long time ago," he explains.
My heart clenches. "I'm sorry." The words slip out before I can stop them.
"You shouldn't be … because I killed her." Though the words should fill me with fear, I sense the guilt and hurt in his voice. He hates himself for what he did to her.
