Unbearable Read online

“Am I repulsive to you?” her voice notches up an octave.

  “You, Rose Red are the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes upon. But I think you should know our interest in Hestor may be of a similar nature and perhaps we could strike a deal.” I ease off her and fold my arms.

  “What do you want with him? His magicks are dark and bring only evil.” Her blazing eyes darken, studying me with intent.

  I lean in, pressing my chest against hers as I hover above her face. “I have my reasons, as I know you do yours. They are not of your concern. What we both agree on is that he must be eliminated. No?”

  “Your towel seems to have come lose,” she whispers.

  My brow quirks. “How would you know?” I think she's trying to distract me, but I won't fall for her games. “Your eyes haven't left mine.”

  “Because I'm the one who loosened it.” Her warm hand wraps around my cock, forcing a gasp from my lungs. My head yells at me to jump back, but the sensation of her fingers gripping tight to my flesh wipe all logical thought from my mind. I make the mistake of glancing down, aching to watch her hand stroke my length. It's the last thing I see before she knocks me cold.

  Chapter Two

  I lunge from the bed and my toes curl up as the cold wooden floor shocks them. Scrambling about the room, I gather my soaking wet clothes into my arms. A shiver attacks my spine as the icy remnants of the frozen river still drip from my skirts onto my legs. Snow falls out the window in heavy flakes, wind swirling them like a white tornado.

  Damn. He's right. I'll never make it home.

  Warm arms clamp around me, and I struggle to break free. His hard shaft pins itself against my ass, sending a twinge of heat to my belly. A part of me longs to know the sensation of his thickness inside me. Just the girth of it in my hand sent a flood of arousal between my legs. He is magnificent. And he's pressed against me.

  Broad shoulders swallow me from behind, and taut muscles ripple down his long arms as he pulls me backward.

  “Rose, don't make me tie you to the bed,” he growls in my ear. Strands of his loose brown hair tickle my cheek. “I'll make you pay for clubbing me with that book.”

  “Promises, promises,” I whisper and shirk away from his hold. His shaft pierces my cheeks, forcing a moan from my throat.

  “You like that?” He presses it a bit further, burying only the tip.

  “You always rape women on the first date?” I say, choking the words over the air hitched in my throat.

  He jerks back, releasing his grasp on my arms and his cock falls away from me. My heart plunges straight through my chest, splashing bile into my throat as it hits my stomach. The words gut me as they leave my lips. His gentle blue eyes hold both softness and concern. I know he won't hurt me. But I must not let him think I believe so.

  “I told you, that is not my intent. You're the one who ripped me of my covering.” Stern eyes scold me for my actions, yet desire burns as they deepen their hue.

  “You ripped me of mine.” I fan my arm to the fireplace, my clothes dumped to a heap.

  Pursing his handsome lips, he bends and picks up the remnants of my torn clothing and re-drapes them over the fireplace grate to dry. “Would you prefer I left you in frozen, soaking wet clothes laying on the side of the riverbank? Because I can take you back there if you wish.” His heated fingers curl around my upper arm as he leads me to the door.

  I force a laugh. “I know you wouldn't.”

  His nostrils huff as he jerks me to a stop, turning me to face him. “You don't know anything about me, little girl.”

  I lock onto his glare with a fiery one of my own. “You're right, I don't. Yet I'm standing here naked in your arms. And I'm far from a little girl.” I run my hands over my plump breasts, tweaking each nipple. His gaze follows my movements, the coldness in them melting into desire. “So tell me, Marcus, why do you live alone in a tiny cottage in the middle of the haunted woods? And more importantly, why are you stalking me?”

  “To get away from people,” he says, his voice wavering between a growl and a moan. “You're invading my homestead.”

  “You seem to enjoy hunting me like prey.” I let a fingertip graze his tip, finding a dribble of arousal. My fingers dance in it, and his chest quickens its rise and fall through each breath.

  “You seem to have a fondness for my woods.” His fists clench and unclench at his sides.

  In his distraction, I drop my hand and dash for the door. My head jerks as he grips the back of my long hair, yet momentum causes my legs to continue on and slide out from under me. I fall against his chest, raking my nails along the front of his thighs. Growls rumble in his throat and he tightens his grip on my hair, tugging at the scalp. The pull sends a tingle from my head to my toes. This game heats my arousal even more and an ache wells inside me.

  I stare at his handsome face, graced with days-old stubble against his chiseled jawline. Dark, tousled hair frames his angular features and my fingers long to run through it, grip it tight like he is mine.

  “What are you going to do to me, Marcus?” I ask between panting breaths.

  He grips my head tighter, forcing my face inches from his lips. “That all depends. What do you want me to do to you, Red?”

  “Take me home,” I say, but my heart longs for the opposite. I ache for him to ravage me with his large hands, paw at me and consume every inch of my aroused flesh.

  His eyes narrow and a wicked grin rolls over his lips. “Something tells me that's not true.”

  I shoot him a mock glare and jerk from his grasp. “It is true. Take me home!”

  “Not until mornin'. Neither you nor I will be goin' anywhere tonight in this storm. And to ensure that, you've earned yourself a night in bindings.” He yanks me up to a stance and guides me back to the bed, still gripping my head.

  “I can't wait to see what you have in mind.” I force the words to sound less excited than I feel. It takes everything in me to reel back the smile itching to curl over my mouth.

  He pushes me onto the bed and removes a belt from the closet around the corner. My eyes widen as he slips it over my wrists and locks it in place against the bed rails. I tug at it, unable to rip myself free.

  “This is ludicrous!” I shout over my thundering heart which beats an exhilarating rhythm against my ribcage.

  “Careful or I'll gag you as well. Now get some sleep,” he says, wrapping the towel back around himself before easing into the chair next to the bed.

  “What, you're just going to leave me here?” No, he can't. My loins ache for release, drenched in an arousal that all but seeps from my lower lips. I arch my hips, writhing against the blankets.

  He folds his arms, watching me. “Is there something you want, Red?”

  “You know what I want,” I growl and glare at him.

  “Yes, to leave. We've been over that part.” He quirks a brow. “Goodnight.”

  I wrestle with the ties that bind me and purposely arch my hips toward him. “I can't sleep like this.”

  “You're right.” He reaches back into the closet and pulls out a black scarf. “Here, let me help.” Wrapping it over my eyes, he feathers his fingertips along my face. My pulse races at his touch and a shiver claws at my spine. “There. Now you'll be able to sleep without the light from the fire disturbin' you.”

  That asshole. I have to have him. Fire burns within me and I crave his touch. “Marcus,” I grunt.

  “Yes?” he asks, coyness lacing his response.

  “Will you at least cover me up?” I say through clenched teeth. If only he could see my eyes beneath the blindfold burning a hole through it.

  “What if I like the view?” His soft words float on the air and a tingle shoots over my skin.

  My heart flickers at the thought of him enjoying the view of my body. He wants me like I want him. But I don't know why. Maybe because he risked his life to save me. Maybe because he's the most handsome man I've ever seen. Our paths first crossed tonight, and I know nothing
of this man other than that everything inside me burns for him.

  “Not fair if I can't see you now, is it?” I reply with an ache in my words.

  “Oh, but, Rose, this is my house. My rules.” His chair creaks as he rises from it. Heat from his body rushes my skin as he nears, and the blankets tug out from under me. “But I'll be nice, just this once.”

  “I don't want nice,” I say as my legs wrap around his torso and flip him onto the bed. His face lands on top of my breasts and he sucks one into his mouth. The hot, wet flesh of his tongue laps at my pebbled nipple as he works it between his teeth. Desire burns like fire in my veins, and I can only respond in a moan.

  Finally, a man I want to make me his.

  ****

  Her soft body flinches beneath my touch. My heart hammers to a hum, full of shock and excitement at her turn of play. I can no longer hold back, and my fingers curl into her hips as they lock around my body. Steeped in arousal, her scent lures me in, and I crave to dive into her head first. But her powerful thighs lock me in place, forcing me to make love to her breasts with my mouth.

  Airy moans fill my ears as I flick my tongue over her hard nipple. “You like playin' hard and rough, don't you?”

  “I don't think you have it in you to play rough, Marcus.” Her words come out convincing, but her panting gasps between them tell me she's already liking my moves. And she has no idea who she's dealing with. I'm not so sure she'll like my version of rough.

  I thrust out of her glorious hips, shove my arms over them and re-clench them around my waist, gripping her outer thighs. My fingers press into her flesh, and she stills beneath me. “Are you sure you want to see me rough?”

  “Does that mean you'll remove my blindfold?” A laugh follows her words.

  “Not tonight,” I whisper, hoping there'll be more nights to follow.

  My hands shove her legs apart and I'm swallowed by the beauty of her perfect pink pussy. Cream slicks her in a sensual sheen. She's stunning and it takes all my resolve not to slam my stone-hard cock right into her. But if I want more nights with her, I must make her come back. I must make her beg for more.

  I slap my hand across her mound. The sting of my strike ripples through my fingers and her hips arch in response. Loud moans echo through the tiny room followed by short, labored breaths. My fingers drag across her, starting at her swollen clit and slipping down into the wide open channel where I plunge them in and out of her bucking hips.

  “Is this what you want, Red?” I growl as I work them faster in and out of her with one hand while the other flicks across her swelling bud.

  “Yes,” she whispers in more of a moan than a word.

  “Say it like you mean it,” I demand and shove my fingers in further, bumping against her most sensitive spot.

  “Fuck, yes, Marcus. More please,” she gasps, rocking her hips in rhythm with my hands.

  I slam her hips to the bed and nuzzle my face between her legs. Her juices slick my lips as I work my tongue along her cleft. My hands grip tight to her ass, squeezing her flesh between them. The animal part of me roars inside as it sniffs her delicious scent and my cock throbs against the blankets. I rock my own hips, aching for release. My tongue laps at her, spreading her sheen over her swollen hard clit. Shudders rocket through her thighs.

  Moans fill my ears, and I know I'm pleasing her. But I want her to scream my name. I need her to break for me, to beg for me to be the only one to fill her. I press my tongue against her button and roll over it in slow, tender strokes as I ease my fingers back into her channel. Her walls clamp down around them and rock with each thrust.

  “Oh, God, Marcus,” she whimpers as I clench her bud in my teeth and flick the tip of my tongue over it, quickening the pace of my fingers. “I can't take it.”

  Her breaths pant in and out of her lungs in quick bursts, carrying a guttural groan each time. I glance up her body, keeping my lips tight on her. Hard nipples wave at me as her breasts sway across her chest.

  Parted lips release my name once more. “Marcus, I beg you, I need you inside me.”

  My wish comes true and I crawl up her body, dragging my hard cock across her skin. I unleash her from the bed and she grabs for me. Clutching her by the neck, I force her back down.

  “No, Red, not yet.” The smile over my lips reaches my ears as I flip her body over.

  Her gasps send a shudder through me and I work in a fury to get her hands tied behind her back.

  “What're you doing?” she whispers between pants.

  “Making you come some more, my beautiful Rose.” I slap her ass with a forceful strike, and she thrusts forward with a gasp.

  My eyes train over her backside, drinking in the beauty of her rounded hips and curvy bottom. Clutching my fingers in her channel, I cover them with more of her slick arousal. Dragging them upward, I work my fingertips along the insides of her cheeks, pressing them deeper with each pass. I continue stroking her, each time steeping my fingers in her thick cream before sliding one into the tightness of her ass. As I work it further in, I surprise her and slam my cock deep inside her pussy.

  A sound rings in my ears I've never heard before, her voice deep like a groan, yet airy like a gasp. It drives an insane pleasure through my body and I thrust deeper inside her. Her warm walls surround me, so wet with arousal, and I slide with such ease that I lose myself. My fingers work her ass in rhythm with the strides of my cock buried deep inside her.

  My own thighs struggle to remain upright as my balls slam against her. Our moans echo each other through the room until my name leaves her lips in a primal scream.

  “Marcus!” she cries out as her pussy convulses around my cock.

  Her voice and tightening walls send me over the edge, and my seed shoots deep inside her. With one final thrust I slam into her, releasing my finger from her ass. Her body collapses beneath me and I fall against her.

  I work to untie her binding and blindfold, and when free, I cradle her in my arms. Shudders still claim her as she trembles against me, clinging for dear life. A ping of fear that I’ve hurt her stabs at my heart. Worry floods my stomach, and I caress her back in tender strokes to calm her.

  “Rose,” I whisper against her ear. “Are you all right?”

  She nods. Soft red tendrils tickle my bare skin as she burrows further against my chest. I hold her tight, not sure of my next move as I've never let myself be with such a creature as her. Years I've kept the animal side of myself hidden, but tonight she ripped open that wound and pulled out of me what lay buried deep. I fear I will bleed all my secrets to her just to hear her cry out my name once more.

  “You must sleep now,” I say, letting my fingers fall through her long locks.

  “Lie with me, Marcus.” Her lips hum against my chest as she whispers.

  “As you wish, my Rose,” I whisper into her ear, pressing my lips to her head in a soft kiss.

  A fingernail drags along my chest. “Your Rose?”

  “Do you wish to be my Rose?” The words tumble from my lips before I can stop them and regret punches me in the stomach. I cannot get attached to her, but my body and soul crave her like air to breathe.

  “I must see to my sister tomorrow.” Her voice warbles as if filled with uncertainty.

  I swallow hard over the lump in my throat. “You are free to go tomorrow. If you wish to come back, I leave that up to you.”

  “What about what you want?” She lifts her head and for the first time her green eyes pool into a glassy sheen, yet none of the liquid falls. Her strength is part of her beauty. But I have yet to determine who she has to be strong for, this sister of hers, me, or herself.

  I tuck a finger under her chin and look deep into her eyes. “I want your safety, Rose. You are to go home during the day and if you wish to come back, you do so at dusk.”

  She shakes her head. “But the bridge is broken, I'm not sure if I can even get back home unless I cross the river.”

  “Leave that to me. It will be fixed by the time
you head home tomorrow.” I drape the back of my hand down her cheek. “Sleep now, Rose.”

  She tucks back into the safety of my arms. “And if I don't come back?”

  Her whisper slices through me like a freshly sharpened blade. “I'll check to make sure you made it home, but then I will leave you be.”

  My fingers curl into her hair and press against her head, clinging to her as if she'll slip away with those words.

  Chapter Three

  Sunshine blazes through the window forcing my eyes to flutter awake. Heat from the fireplace warms my skin and a content sigh escapes my lips. Until I roll over and find I'm alone. Perhaps he sought to fix the bridge, as he said he would have it taken care of by the time I made to leave.

  I shoot up to a seated position and glance around the tiny one-room cottage. A table littered with books and candles stands in the corner. Across from it a torn and ragged armchair wears my dried clothing. The stone fireplace sits in the middle of the wall, filling the room with the last of its dying flames.

  Easing myself to the edge of the bed, the rawness of my ravaged nethers reminds me that what happened last night was not a dream. Though, he is one to me. I've never felt more beautiful and vulnerable in my life, and I crave more of it. My mind drifts back, replaying every moment of our lovemaking.

  My body reacts with hardening nipples as I relive the sensation of his large hands roaming my body. Heat surges between my legs, and if he were here I'd bury him between them. His rough, yet careful thrusts filled me with a wholeness I'd long craved. Teasing and torturing me with his lengthy fingers... I'd never experienced an orgasm so strong and raw.

  Yet how he held me tight after he pillaged my body, as if I were a doll, brought back a soft and caring side. The one that risked his life to save mine.

  Not ready to leave, I fling myself back onto the bed and spread my legs as thoughts continue to swarm my head. My hands glide over my body, and I pretend they are his. Though mine are far too soft, much too small to even substitute for him. But he is gone, and they're all that will satisfy the ache he leaves me with.