26. Galaxy

Chapter 26

Galaxy

I t was a year after Daniel's death. I was drunk at some bar. There was a man. Average built, nothing special, but he was persistent. I let him buy me a drink and then another and then another. We ended up back at his place. I was drunk but sober enough to notice his demeanor change as soon as we got to his bedroom. "Choke me." He wanted me to choke him. Me . It's like he could tell, he could sense it. He knew I had something dark bubbling inside my soul.

He unleashed it.

And it's been running rampant ever since.

"Strip," I command, the eerie clicking of the lock echoing through the Platinum Suite. "Slowly."

"Hmm..." Hayden hums, inhaling the beautiful fragrance of leather, wood, and lingering sandalwood. He disobeys me, slowly wandering around the dark room, surveying the burgundy-colored walls, the stark black ceilings, the glistening wood floors. His gaze lands on the ironclad grip suspended from the ceiling, various chains, cuffs, and restraints hanging from above. He cranes his neck over his shoulder, meeting my lustful eyes, his own aroused, unafraid. "Your playground?"

"Strip," I say again, striding toward the king-sized bed positioned just to the right of the grip. I sit down, crossing my legs as I toss the toy whip on the floor. "Now."

"Bossy," Hayden smirks, licking his lips as he finds the hem of his black T-shirt. His gaze is strong, sensual, and unwavering as he tosses the shirt beside him. My breathing slows as soft red light highlights his chest, his abs, the perfect smooth trail that leads straight to his cock. He grins, enjoying watching me flustered. "Your turn?"

"No." I inhale a quiet breath, jolting up to my feet. Hayden watches me as I retrieve a riding crop from the cabinet fixed to the wall. A paddle might be fun too, but I'm feeling more naughty than nice tonight. I face Hayden, my gaze flitting down to his pants, a smile spreading on my face as I add, "I said strip, Doctor." I meet his defiant eyes. He's struggling. "Everything."

"Then what?" he asks in a rough, deep tone as he unclasps his belt buckle. "What then, Camilla?" His thumbs dip under his boxer briefs, and he slowly, so goddamn slowly, pulls them lower and lower and?—

Salvia builds up in my mouth as his cock springs forward—erect, enticing, and fucking perfect. I clench my jaw, forcefully yanking my gawking gaze away.

This might be more difficult than I thought.

He's not just a faceless nobody. He's not just another toy. He's something special. Something unknown. An artifact.

A fucking holy relic of sex and insanity.

"Over there," I say, glancing at the ironclad bar. "Hands up." Hayden narrows his eyes, displeased but cooperative as he walks toward the chains. Blood courses through my heart, my pulse quickening with excitement as I check out his ass, admiring the subtle movements of every single fucking muscle in his lithe, tempting body. Fuck . "Turn around."

Hayden looks up, a ghost of a smirk on his lips as he notices the hanging handcuffs. "Can't say I've done this before."

"No? Never been in cuffs before, Doc?" I let out an airy chuckle as I approach his naked, vulnerable body, the urge to devour him on the precipice of destroying my plans. I stop in front of him and pull over a metal stool. Feathering my fingers gently up his chest, I step up and reach for one of the cuffs. "Hand?" Hayden obeys, lifting his arms in the air. My thighs clench as our fingers touch, and my skin burns with desire. "And the other?" I whisper. His hot breath blows into my cleavage as I lock him in place. Unable to resist, I inhale the masculine, oaky scent of his cologne, and my head spins.

"Don't fall now," he rasps as I stabilize myself against his body, using his shoulders for support. My nails dig into his blades, my breathing heavy as I look down at him. He's lost in my tormented eyes, and I in his. In barely a whisper, he adds, "I won't be able to catch you."

Then I better not fall.

"It's poetic," I observe with a faint smile as I step off the stool and cast it aside. Circling my prey, I glide the riding crop around his sculpted torso. He shivers from the foreign touch. "A fed in handcuffs." I stop in front of him, biting my lips as I tilt my head. "Doesn't happen often enough."

Hayden gives me a conflicted look as if he only now remembers our roles. Where we come from. What we do. Who we are.

"Safe word?" I ask before he has a chance to speak. I know who we are. I know our roles. I haven't forgotten. "Quickly."

With a devious grin, Hayden responds. "Shark."

And like a cold-blooded beast with its target locked in, I attack.

Starting off gentle, to ease him in, I tap the crop against his thighs, his forearms, his back. He moans from the pleasure, muscle tensing. I increase the force and focus on the erogenous zones of his immaculate fucking body. With the whipping sound of the crop, mixed with Hayden's labored, breathy groans, it's like an orchestra. A pristine, harmonious song that hypnotizes me, puts me in a goddamn trance.

The past, the present, and the future all flash before my eyes as emotions overcome me—sadness, grief, loss, and pain.

So much fucking pain.

"You lied to me," I grunt, slashing the crop against his ass, marking his skin with his own betrayal. "You used me!" Another mark. Another lie. "You fucking manipulated me!"

"Harder," he rasps, tugging on the secured cuffs, the iron bar rattling. "Let it out. Let it all out. Everything, Camilla. Every goddamn thing!"

Like a tectonic plate that's been threatening to shift for too many years, I release the havoc that's been building in my heart.

"I hate you!" I cry, breathing frantically. My voice cracks as the conviction in my tone slips. "I fucking hate you."

He groans, his back arching from the pain of my actions, of the blatant lie of my words.

I need to stop. This isn’t right. This isn’t proper.

"I hate you," I whisper, tears welling up in my eyes. I stop in front of him and rip off my mask. My lips quiver as my body vibrates, my heart rattling between my icy lungs. I shake my head, swallowing as I catch his fiercely submissive gaze. "I hate you."

He stares at me like I'm a goddess. Like he hasn't seen anything quite as angelic. There's admiration brimming from his skin, like an aura of total and utter acceptance that I'm somehow exactly who he thinks I am.

But I'm not.

He's wrong. He's wrong.

He has to be wrong.

"Uncuff me," he breathes as I take a step back. A sudden pang of anxiety flutters in my chest. Can he see me? He can, can't he? He struggles against the restraints, grunting with pleas as he demands again, "Now!"

"No," I whisper to myself. This can't be happening. I can't allow this to happen. He can't break the last wall. He can't tear it down. He can't. It's the last line of defense, without it, I'm exposed. I'm naked. "No... "

"Fine," he seethes, flexing the muscles in his winding arms. My eyes widen with sheer shock as he breaks free of the cuffs, fragments of the once strong metal falling to the floor as if it were plastic.

Like a depraved bull, he charges at me, his gaze glued to my red lips. I don't have time to react as scoops me up and slams me against the back wall, my legs wrapping around his waist.

And just like that... I'm defenseless.

Hayden's provocative lips coax mine open as he sucks all the hate out of my lungs, my body, and my mind until I'm left with something else, something more dangerous.

So much more deadly.

"Say it," he groans, raking his hands through my sweaty hair. His hands roam my curves, squeezing my ass. I moan, heat collecting in my core. "Say it, Camilla."

"No," I whisper, biting his lip as our kiss deepens. Hayden drops me to the ground, aggressively spinning me around. My cheek presses against the cold wall as he unzips my bodysuit, our balmy breaths dancing in the humid air between us. He yanks down the latex fabric and it drops to my feet. His fingers press against my soaking pussy, his other hand around my lying throat as he teases me, plays with me, makes me weak. "Oh my God."

"Say it, Camilla," he demands again, increasing the pressure. He slides his finger under my panties and digs deep, deep inside of me. The curve of his finger hits just the right spot. I whimper, arching into his chest as he brews a cyclone of pleasure and denial. "Fuck, you're so wet, baby."

"Fuck me," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut as he tightens his hold around my throat. "Please..." Hayden bites down on the shell of my ear, a burst of soul-defying need shooting through my blood as I spread my legs. "Please!"

"Fuck..." Hayden rasps, grabbing the base of his cock. He teases the tip along my drenched pussy. "Jesus, Camilla..." He leans down, dragging his thumb across my lips, "Say it..." A long, desperate breath escapes his lungs as he leaves open-mouthed kisses on my face, my neck. "Say it."

"Please." I damn near beg, unable to give him what he wants. "Hayden..."

"Damnit," he grunts, nudging his cock inside me as I let out a moan. He eases in slowly, almost too slowly, like he's savoring the moment. "My name..."

My pussy stretches around him as he goes deeper, my legs already shaking.

"Never sounded so..." With one final thrust, he fills me, and I damn near scream from the euphoric sensation. "Good!"

"Oh my God," I whimper, grabbing the nape of his neck as he increases the speed. "Harder, Hayden..." He bites my shoulder, hard. "Harder."

"Oh baby," he rasps, rocking his hips, letting out a carnal chorus of wanton moans. Our skin slaps and slams together, sweat dripping down his body onto mine and I've never felt purer, more holy...more whole. I feel him throbbing inside of me. "Fuck... "

"Not yet," I breathe, pushing him back, my pussy on the verge of exploding. Like two barbaric creatures, we stare at each other as I turn around. "I want to see your fac?—"

Hayden doesn't waste a second as he lifts me up and plunges me down on his impatient cock. "Look at me," he grunts, cupping my cheek, his gaze glowing with a possessive plea. "You're mine, Camilla." He picks up his pace, punishing me for being a coward, for being too weak to say what I've been feeling. "Do you understand?"

"Don't stop," I cry, scratching his neck, his shoulders, grabbing his arms, and clinging to his body before I'm shot up into a galaxy of no return. Frustrated, he keeps going, he keeps giving me what I want—the sun, the moon, every comet, and every goddamn star. "Oh my God..."

"Come for me, baby," he rasps through strained, gritted teeth. "Let go."

"Ah..." I clench around his cock, my body floating to another plane of existence as I climax. "Hayden..."

"Baby..." Hayden bursts inside me, shaking and quivering as he abruptly stops, breathing deep and heavy as he leans his forehead against mine. "I..." He twists my hair in his fingers like he's suddenly in pain, more pain than before. Jaw locked, he meets my lazy gaze, and then he relaxes, maybe even smiles. "You are so beautiful, Camilla," he whispers, stroking my cheek.

"So are you," I whisper, lost in a dream, a faraway world, a place where everything makes sense, even if for just a moment .

I lean down, pressing my lips against his salty forehead, and I keep them there, holding the back of his head for as long as I can. I revel in this cutaway, in this director's cut, because this part never makes it to theatres, it's always hidden, buried away.

It's never seen.

"Put me down," I finally say as the film comes to end. He hesitates before gently placing me on the floor, my legs wobbly. I swallow, scanning the red marks on his body. I lost control. That can’t ever happen again. "Let me get you some?—"

"Come here," he whispers, pulling me up against his chest. He sighs as his arms become my prison, a cage I don't know if I'll ever escape from. "Not yet."

His heart beats against my ear. What a beautiful sound. Life. It's right there, in his chest— memories, hopes, dreams.

I've never craved a future so badly.

A familiar knock draws our attention, and I glance at the door.

"It's Zoey," I say to Hayden, not wanting to let go of him but it's time. He sighs, giving me a reluctant nod of approval. Grabbing a fur blanket off an armchair, I hustle to the door and open it. "Yes?"

Zoey blinks, clearing her throat. "Hazel called."

I glance over my shoulder at Hayden, swallowing. "And?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," I say, shutting the door.

"Well?" Hayden asks, fear muddling his tone .

"She said yes," I whisper, staring off into the distance.

Hayden laces his fingers through mine, giving my hand a squeeze. "And you're sure?"

"It's the only way," I whisper, my future fading with every breath.

"I don't like this," he says, once again bringing me into his arms. "We can stop this. It's not too late."

"It is." I close my eyes, breathing in his scent, my lungs filling with longing regret. "It's too late."

It is too late.

The wall is gone.

And so am I.