Page 34 of Break Me Beautifully
My heart skips. Lifting my eyes, I scan the outdoor area, finding no hint of him.
Gritting my teeth, I ignore him and text my sister instead.
Me: I need to ask something.
Katy: Ok
Me: Do you think Marshall could hurt me?
I hold my breath as I send the message. A footstep, so slight I almost miss it, alerts me I have company. "There you are," Marshall says, swooping in close. He's wearing the same clothes he fucked me in. I catch a whiff of a scent; like fire, and musk, and my own sweat from when we moaned together. My muscles tense. I clutch my phone, lowering it to my hip. His eyes follow it down. "Who were you talking to?" he asks.
"Nobody," I say, putting my phone in my purse.
"I thought you didn't drink," he says, indicating my glass.
"I don't." Pursing my lips, I throw my spritzer back, swallowing it in one gulp that leaves my nose burning from the bubbles. I don't know why I do it, I guess just to piss him off, though he doesn't look bothered. Wiping my lips, I set the glass on the ground near my heels. "Did you want something?" I don't keep the acid from my tongue. He notices, his eyebrows crawling upwards.
He looks at me like he wishes he could crack his way through my skull and see the thoughts swirling in my head. His chin lifts, attention going to the hedges, not looking at my face any longer. "I did want something, yeah."
"Well, what was it?"
Marshall dips his head in, lips pressing to mine before I can prepare myself. It's just a kiss but it makes me deaf to the distant chatter of the other guests. They might not be there anymore, how would I know? Marshall has a talent for making me feel like we're the only two people in the universe.
I don't have time to snap to my senses and end the kiss. He does it instead, his scar glinting in the garden lanterns like a tiny second crescent moon. Blinking rapidly, I touch my mouth. “That's what you wanted?”
"You sound shocked."
"I am. You've been acting cold to me all evening."
Marshall glances back at the gala. “Were you waiting for me to find you out here?”
"Avoiding you, actually."
His eyes burn, warming me in the dark night air. “You expect me to believe that."
Adrenaline spikes through me. “What?”
"I'm not falling for your act, Leona." His fingers curl around my wrist, my skin lighting up. "I just kissed you. I felt you respond. You might be angry with me, but I'm positive you were hoping I'd come looking for you." He scans my face, then the hedges again, before pushing me against the foliage until we're surrounded by it. "The first place I searched was here, where the flowers are. You can't hide your heart from me, no matter how angry you are."
In a haze of desire, I lock eyes with him. "I'm beyond angry at this point, Marshall."
"Because you thought I was ignoring you. Does this seem like I'm not paying close attention to you?" Stroking my cheek, he runs his fingertips down my throat until he travels the path between my breasts to my navel. I whimper, spine arching, and he grabs my hip tighter. "Fuck, I love how you respond to me, Leona." His breath scorches my ear, teeth nipping my tender skin. “Are you too pissed off to enjoy more of my cock, sweet girl?"
Why did he make it so hard to think? Marshall is a master at changing the mood, at shifting the dynamic. We're in public! Does he have no limits?
He palms my ass through my velvety dress. “Answer me."
My pussy clenches, like it's eager for his roughness. The frustration in me from his hot and cold behavior hasn't vanished. But his aggression is a welcome path to direct my emotions. “Make me enjoy it," I taunt him. "Prove I'm so transparent to you, or I'll walk away and never touch you again." I kiss his mouth with all I have. He tenses through his bones. His reaction shows me a hint of the power I have over him.
Growling around my tongue, he cups my jaw, forcing me back. “Careful. I love a good dare."
"Empty threats are just that, Marshall."
Something cruel and sexual moves in his eyes, his voice red-hot coals. "You think I have limits. You're confident I care enough about those people in that building behind us to not make you scream your head off. That I won't allow them to hear you come for me over and over. You have no clue how far I'll go to prove a point, darling."
My clit swells, skin trembling through to my scalp. "That's ..."
His palm brushes my stomach. “No backing down now, Leona. Tell me you want my cock. Tell me you need it, and maybe," he uses his entire body to press me against the hedges, his erection nudging my pussy through my dress, making me wetter, “just maybe I won't let the guests know how your orgasm scream sounds."
