Page 105 of Run to Me

“Pull my fucking hair. Do it.”

She fists the hair at the back of my head and tugs hard, ripping an animalistic noise from my throat. My hips take on a life of their own, plowing into her without mercy, and the flimsy table beneath her threatens to collapse. I lift her lower half to bear most of her weight, and she clamps her knees on either side of my waist, holding on for dear life. She plants one hand on the table and maintains a painful grip on my hair with the other. The pressure pulling at my scalp tempts my eyes to roll back in pure ecstasy.

“Fuck yes.” My jaw clenches as I dig deep for strength. “My dirty birdie loves getting ruined, doesn’t she? She loves when I stretch her tight, little pussy.”

“Yes!” she cries, tightening her hold on my hair.

I pound into her, wild and unrelenting. Maisy was made to take me in all my versions, in all my forms. My physical strength is no match for her mental fortitude. She’s a fighter, determined and gritty and raw when she needs to be. And her grit keeps her latched on to me when the table sways.

“Don’t drop me!” she shouts.

“Never.”

Despite my strained muscles, weak after hours of lifting, I’d sacrifice my last ounce of strength, down to my final waking breath, to keep her from ever hitting the ground. Countless times, she’s saved me, catching me before I crashed, same as she did tonight by stopping me before I injured myself. I will always do the same for her.

She loops the other arm around my neck and sinks her fingernails into my skin just as the table collapses. Knees slightly bent, I band my arms around her waist to hold her up while she bounces on my thighs, flesh slapping flesh.

The multiple points of pain she inflicts on me—the sharp nails, the stinging scalp, the screaming muscles bearing her weight after I abused them—settle as one point of pleasure low in my gut. After three more hard thrusts, I explode with a loud roar, spilling everything I have into her. All my desires. All my demons. They belong to her, and I trust her to protect them. I’ve always trusted her.

She trembles in my arms, her quickened breaths leaving her chest in a cascade of soft whimpers.

Struggling to catch my own breath, I press kisses all over her face and whisper, “I’ve got you, my beautiful birdie. I’ve always got you. I’ll never let you fall.”

She pulls my head down and slams our mouths together, giving everything she has to the kiss, our tongues attacking with equal fervor and meaning. Hers conveys fierce loyalty, a message that she accepts me for who I am. Mine expresses unwavering gratitude for that acceptance.

“I can’t stand up much longer,” I confess as my knees tremble.

Her soft chuckle ghosts across my lips. “Do you feel better at least?”

“You make everything a thousand times better just by being near me.”

I kiss her once more before slipping out of her. Securing her with one arm, I tuck myself back into my shorts. Then I swing her into a bridal hold and carry her to the shower to perform my ritual. I care for her body and praise it for being strong enough to withstand a monster like me.

37

MAISY

“Psst.”

I look up from tying my sheer sarong after changing into my swimsuit in Javi’s bathroom. Brody waits at the end of the hallway, pressed against the wall like he’s hiding from the cops.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I need to talk to you.” Craning his neck, he peeks around to see if we’re noticed by anyone in the backyard, then he drags me to a corner of the kitchen away from the windows.

“Brody,” I hiss, unsure what he’s up to.

Other than brief hellos at bar events or Tatum’s wedding, we haven’t spoken since high school.

In a hushed voice, he says. “I heard Ainsley cleaned your mom’s house.”

I raise my eyebrows, urging him to continue. “And?”

“Did she—I mean, did she mention me or anything?” He musses his blond hair, a sign of insecurity from the real Brody I uncovered when we were kids.

My mouth turns down in a sympathetic frown. “No, she didn’t.” When his face falls, I say, “You like her.”

“I want to get to know her. I’ve been trying for months, but she’s hot and cold.”