Chapter 14 - Miley

The hand that gripped Miley"s throat ought to have terrified her. She had been attacked one too many times of late.

But the hand was warm, and though there was pressure, it was not painful. The grip itself was almost tender.

The warm breath that caressed her ear made her heart race.

"You don"t get to talk to me like that and get away with it."

The voice was little more than a growl, but Miley recognized it well.

Kane…she gasped, her entire body stiffening as she came to realize she was naked, pinned to the bed by Kane's heavily tattooed body.

He hovered over her, his lips coming down on hers possessively.

Her head told her she ought to fight him, but every other inch of her pulsed with desire.

His dominance, the way he forced her down into the bed with his rippling, hard muscles, made her want him so badly that she wrapped her legs around him.

His grip on her throat tightened until she could barely breathe.

"Is this what you want?" He growled in her ear, and his hand slipped down between their bodies, guiding his cock inside her without warning.

He thrust himself so hard into her that if it hadn"t been for her own dripping desire, he might have hurt her.

He stretched her wide, making her scream even past his grip on her throat.

"Yes," she breathed out. "Yes!"

And her pleading tone only made him more forceful, more dominant.

"That"s it, baby, take it, take every inch!" he groaned, his grip never leaving her throat, yet it loosened so that he could caress her flesh with the ball of his thumb.

And when he leaned down to kiss her collarbone, electricity surged through her entire body. The pleasure that had been tightening like a huge knot in her stomach suddenly exploded.

"Kane!" she screamed, writhing uncontrollably beneath him as he continued to have his way with her, making her orgasm over and over.

It was quick, animalistic, and intoxicating, until she felt the searing pain of fangs pierce her throat.

Sitting bolt upright in bed, Miley gasped for breath, her hand instinctively reaching for her throat.

Fangs? Fangs! Kane didn"t have fangs. What the hell was her mind playing at?

Her arm was itching again, and she glanced down, half expecting to find the wound was back. There was nothing but flawless, unmarred skin.

Leaning back again the pillows, she sucked in breath.

What the hell is wrong with me? It was one thing to have sex dreams about Kane, but it was quite another to have sex dreams about him practically killing her.

Shaking her head, she tried to tell herself it was just her brain trying to make sense of all the weird stuff that had been happening to her lately. Whether the dreams made sense or not, they didn"t have to mean anything. They were just dreams. At least, that"s what she told herself as she tried to make sense of how she had even fallen asleep in the first place.

The last thing she remembered was arguing with Kane before he had walked out, leaving her to rest. She must have fallen asleep.

Shit! she thought when she glanced out of the guestroom window.

It was dark outside. She had to have slept a good portion of the day away.

Her stomach twisted. Why did Kane have to come and ruin everything? Before he had arrived, she had been busy helping with everything that needed to be done on the farm, making herself invaluable to her grandma in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, she might be able to stay on for a while.

He had gone and messed that all up simply by showing his face. She wasn"t likely to be able to convince him just to leave her here. Kane didn"t seem like the type just to give up that easily. And he had come an awful long way just to find her.

Don"t let him fool you! Miley told herself as she clambered off the bed. It was quiet, too quiet. What had Kane done to grandma?

Ugh…she shivered. Maybe she really had been reading too many books.

Leaving the room, Miley headed down the hall towards the kitchen. As she grew closer, she heard the sound of metal on a chopping board, the rhythmic sound of cutting so mundane. The smell of food cooking made Miley"s stomach growl and ache.

The sound of the old static radio on low was almost cut out by the added sound of her grandma singing. Even more than that, she could hear Kane humming along.

And the sight that met her eyes as she turned the corner startled her greatly. Her grandma was standing stirring a pot over the stove while Kane stood beside her, chopping vegetables in a rather fetching pink frilled apron.

It was certainly a sight to behold. A giant of a man with tattoos as far as the eye could see and a jet-black beard that grazed his chest when he looked down did not have any right to look so damn cute or hot in a pink frilled grandma's apron.

Hell, he didn"t even seem like the type to be doing mundane household chores. Yet there he was, chopping carrots and humming along to the radio as if he was in his element.

Miley leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed, and watched him for a while. That was, until Moses got up from his favorite spot on the rug and came to sniff her arm, growling grumpily before returning to his spot.

Whatever that dog"s problem was, she didn"t know, but he seemed to be getting used to her, so she let him be.

"Ah, Miley! There you are!" her grandma said when she turned, catching sight of her in the doorway. "I was just about to send Kane in to check on you."

Kane turned and looked her up and down, his knife still in hand. "We were getting worried. How are you feeling?"

The concern in his eyes appeared genuine, but after the dream she had just had, Miley was in no mood for his concern.

"Fine," she said a little gruffly.

At her tone, her grandma looked between them, her suspicion clear.

Though she hated to admit to his being right earlier, she was well aware that it wouldn"t do to make her grandma suspicious, and so she forced herself across the room.

Kane looked mighty surprised when she leaned up on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek.

"Stop being such a worrywart. I"m fine," she insisted with a smile. She could have sworn that she heard Kane gulp.

"Well then, why don"t you set the table, Miley, while Kane and I finish up dinner?" Grandma suggested, smiling at Kane as if he were God's gift.

"Of course, Grandma," Miley said through gritted teeth, and she moved carefully around Moses to grab everything she needed to set the table.

"You know, Miley, I wish you"d told me Kane was coming," Grandma continued as they all went about their chores. "I"d have written a list of things that needed doing around this place. He"s already fixed my leaky sink and that damned old water heater while you"ve been resting."

"Happy to help, Mrs. Peters," Kane said, his tone so sincere that it actually made Miley feel nauseous.

Why was he being so sweet? Why did he have to be such a good guy?

She tried to close her eyes and hold on to her original impression him. Big, tattooed, aggressive, mean, bad guy. When she opened her eyes to look at him again, he was still all of those things, and yet he was so much more.

No, he is nothing! Miley told herself, wishing not for the first time she could slap herself without looking entirely insane.

Sitting down to eat dinner, just the three of them, didn"t help matters any. Kane was charming and funny and practically had Grandma eating out of the palm of his hand.

Miley tried her hardest not to be drawn in by him, but several times she caught herself leaning her chin on her hand, her elbow on the table, to look into those charcoal eyes of his.

They once had struck fear into her, but now they made her feel so much more than that. And that was frightening in itself.

When they had finished the pork and apple stew that grandma had lovingly prepared, Miley used clearing the table as an excuse just to get away and breathe for a minute or two. It was becoming exceedingly more difficult to do with Kane around.

But when she returned to the table, her breath caught in her throat at the way Kane was looking at her.

"What?" she blurted without thinking.

His gaze, the thoughtfulness if it, unnerved her, and she stood with the hair on the back of her neck rising on end.

"I was just asking Mrs. Peters if she might permit me to take you for a walk," Kane said, glancing at Grandma. "It is such a lovely night, and it"s been a long time since I was last on a farm."

"Take me for a walk?" Miley scowled at him. "Why don't you take Moses? I"m not a dog."

"Miley! What has gotten into you?" Grandma exclaimed, but Kane smirked, pursing his lips as if he were trying to stop from laughing.

"What is so funny?" Miley demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She glowered at Kane, but it only appeared to make him more amused.

He inclined his head in the direction of Moses on the rug. "I don"t think Mo is too pleased at your suggesting there is anything wrong with being a dog."

It was only then that Miley realized Moses was indeed grumbling with his chin resting on his paws, glowering up at her.

At the sight of him, Miley couldn't stop from laughing.

"Well, I, for one, think a walk with a handsome young gentleman sounds like a wonderful idea," Grandma said, and before Miley could suggest that she go then, she added, "Why don"t the two of you go and enjoy the fine weather, and I shall have dessert ready for your return."

Miley opened her mouth to protest, but no valid excuse would quite come to her. And before she could think of anything, Kane rose to his feet and offered her his large, welcoming hand. "Shall we?"

***

Their walk was much more pleasant than Miley would have anticipated. Though they were silent, walking side by side through the herb and vegetable garden, around the pond and into the orchard, it wasn"t nearly as uncomfortable as she thought it ought to have been.

And she was almost disappointed when Kane actually broke the silence. She found she was actually enjoying walking with him, not feeling quite so alone and yet without the expectation of conversation.

"Why did you run away?"

The question came so out of the blue that it struck Miley in the chest. His tone actually sounded pained.

Fighting the lump in her throat, Miley said, "Isn"t it obvious? I don"t like the idea of being forced into marriage."

She shrugged and looked ahead, unable to meet his gaze.

"It"s more than that," he said, and she could feel his gaze on her, heating her skin where it touched her face.

"If you know that, then you know why," Miley said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

The way the moonlight shone down on him made his jet-black hair glow with a glossy sheen and caught the lighter hairs in his beard, making him look older, even more handsome.

Miley quickly looked away.

"I know," he admitted, making Miley cringe. "I"ve been there too."

Yeah right, Miley scoffed, certain he was just trying to get her to relate to him, to get her to trust him.

She wasn"t about to go falling into that trap.

"Is this the part where you tell me we"re kindred spirits and we"re meant to be together?" she scoffed defensively, sidestepping away from him. "Because I have read enough books to know that"s only real in fairytales."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shove his hands into his pockets.

"I used to read a lot, too," Kane admitted. "I kinda fell out of the habit when I joined the army. I guess I didn't need the distraction anymore."

Again, she felt him trying to worm his way in. What was the matter with him? He can"t actually want to marry me, can he?

Her mind whirled, trying to think of any single reason he could possibly want such a thing. There was only one she could think of, one that all men seemed to prize above all else and had for centuries—her virginity. Men were pigs, they always had been, they always would be. Why should Kane be any different?

"I don"t blame you for running," Kane said when Miley remained silent.

At that, she laughed, "Good, because I couldn"t care less if you did."

She could have sworn she saw hurt flash across his gaze, but when she turned her full attention on him, it was gone.

Determined not to be distracted by his act, Miley quickened her pace and headed deeper into the orchard, crossing her arms against the cool evening.

"Miley, stop!" Kane ordered her, but his dominant tone only made her quicken her pace further. "Miley, wait!"

He really had no clue just how stubborn she was. She moved even faster.

"Miley, I said stop!" he growled at her, gripping her arm and yanking her back around to face him.

"Get your hands off me!" Miley yelled at him, yanking her arm away before she gasped, "How did you—"

She glanced back over her shoulder, astonished at how quickly he had managed to reach her.

"That doesn"t matter," Kane said, brushing it off with a shake of his head. "What matters is that I'm here, Miley, and I"m here for you."

He reached out and gripped hold of both her forearms, pulling her close in a way that made her turn her face up to his.

Defensiveness was her only instinct, and she tried to pull away again. "Yeah, right! You"re only here for yourself."

Kane gripped her tighter. For a second, panic threatened to overwhelm her. Then, his gaze caught hers, and her breath caught in her throat.

He growled low in his throat, an animalistic sound that should have frightened the life out of her, but instead it spoke to something inside of her. It awakened something, something that made her feel powerful.

"Miley Peters, you are the foulest, most stubborn, annoying woman that I have ever had the displeasure of knowing," Kane growled, his gaze never leaving hers. "Give me one good reason why I would be doing all of this for myself?"

He shook her a little, pulling her closer. His eyes traveled from hers to her mouth, and for a second, she thought rather foolishly that he might actually be about to kiss her.

Then he met her gaze again and whispered, "Give me one good reason why I should feel the way I do toward you?"

The heat that sizzled between them was like nothing Miley had ever experienced before.

Kane"s grip on her forearms loosened, and disappointment surged through her. The passion in him seemed to have passed.

Was it her fault? Was she so stubborn that she"d gotten in her own way without knowing it?

Then, in the blink of an eye, Kane"s hands tightened on her forearms again, and he pulled her so close that she was flush against him.

Instinctively, her arms slipped around his waist, and his hooked around hers, pulling her so tightly to him that there was no escape to be found.

And yet, she didn"t want to escape. Instead, she melted into him as his lips possessed hers.

That new feeling inside her grew as he kissed her, a new life born as somehow it felt as if an old one was being snuffed out.

In that instant, as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the grassy patch beneath one of the apple trees, the old Miley died.

And when she was laid beneath him, the new Miley was born.

The new Miley didn"t think. She only acted, tearing at Kane's leather jacket to shove it off his shoulders and yank it off his arms.

She was frantic, her skin on fire, desperate for his skin on hers.

All the sex dreams she"d had over the years, all her memories of hearing stories and watching adult movies in her teens, all the recent dreams she"d had of him, flashed through her mind.

But nothing could compare to the real thing when his large hands slipped beneath the hem of her t-shirt and caressed up her ribs.

He growled again, the sound rattling on her lips, making her skin tingle. And she returned the sound in a much more animalistic way than anticipated.

Any fear or confusion she might have felt at that moment was lost as Kane unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her thighs.

Heart hammering in her chest, Miley reached instinctively for the buckle of his belt.

Quick as a flash, he had undone it and his jeans button himself, shimmying out of them expertly.

That"s when Miley started to panic. He was so much older, so much more experienced. What if she couldn"t match up?

As if he sensed her panic, Kane paused, leaning over her with his elbows on either side of her shoulders, pinning her arms to her sides.

All she could do was grip his muscular hips in her palms, anchoring herself to him.

"What"s the matter?" he asked, nuzzling her nose with the tip of his.

"I…I don"t know what I"m doing," Miley admitted, blushing. She was an idiot. He was the hottest guy imaginable, a good guy beneath all of those tattoos and that beard and the tough guy exterior—she was almost certain of it, even if she didn"t allow herself to admit it—and here she was, messing it up.

Compared to any other guy she had ever met, he was practically the perfect man to give her virginity to.

Kane smiled almost sadly and reached up to stroke her hair back from her face. He gripped hold of her hand and pulled it up to his chest, laying her palm on the hair there.

"Don"t think," he told her gently. "Just feel."

His words were as gentle as his touch as he took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.

And so, she did just that, oddly trusting him implicitly as she opened her legs to him.

Once more, passion took hold and Miley lost herself to it, tilting her head back as Kane nuzzled her throat, kissing her with warm, tender lips.

Instinct took over as Kane yanked his t-shirt up over his head, rolled it up and gently placed it beneath hers. Her hands traveled over the muscular lines of his torso, admiring the dark tattoos that covered his pecs and traveled up over his shoulders and down his arms.

Only his ribs and abdomen were free of tattoos, and her eyes were drawn downwards as her hands trailed over them.

Kane flinched and Miley giggled a little. "Are you ticklish?"

Before he could answer, she stroked gently up and down with her fingertips. When he flinched and shied away, she knew he definitely was.

His hands gripped her wrists so fast it made her head spin.

"Don"t," he growled a warning. Kneeling, bent over her as he was with her wrists gripped in his hands, he was glorious, dominant, powerful. And yet, she had tickled him. She had found a weakness.

And, feeling daring, she leaned up and kissed him hard until he released her wrists.

When his hands once more gripped her face, she stroked her fingertips down his abdomen, delighting at the way he tensed as her fingers found the hard, throbbing tip of his cock.

Confidence only growing, she took him in hand and stroked gently, opening her eyes to watch the pained pleasure that spread across his face.

"Miley…" he whispered her name, and it was almost lost on the breeze. But it was enough to make her quiver, to make her pliant as he eased her down onto her back and pulled her hand away from him.

Then, he was inside her.

She expected it to hurt. Her entire body tensed. She had felt him in her hand. He was huge. It should have hurt.

"Relax," he whispered breathlessly in her ear. "I won"t hurt you."

He nuzzled his face into her ear, kissing her gently as he started to thrust.

And she realized he was truthful. He didn"t hurt her. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but somehow, it felt as if their bodies were made for each other.

She opened her legs wider, inviting him deeper, her head tilting back to fully expose her throat.

Still, she was unable to believe that this was happening. How it was even possible, she didn"t know. What she did know was that it was perhaps the best night of her life.

For once, her mind was empty of everything save for what was happening in the moment. Her entire body pulsed with pleasure, and her stomach twisted and twisted into a tightening knot until she thought she might never feel sweet release but be forever tortured on the verge.

"Kane!" she gasped pleadingly, and as if he sensed her need, he slowed his thrusting. She had expected him to go faster, harder, to force the climax right out of her.

But instead, he moved ever so slowly, pulling out almost entirely before thrusting back inside her as deep as he could. Over and over he did the very same with slow, methodic movements, groaning with pleasure.

And Miley realized he had been right to do so. It felt better than ever before. She felt every inch of his cock stroking at her insides, urging her closer and closer. She felt the bulging throbbing of his cock deep inside her, and his labored breathing told her what was coming.

This was nothing like her dreams. It was nothing like the adult movies she and Lauren had gotten a hold of in high school. It was nothing like she ever could have imagined. And yet, it was one thousand times better.

When she finally came, there was no stopping it. She tilted back her head and screamed until Kane gently laid the palm of his hand over her mouth, kissing her throat in the process.

That"s when his entire body started to tremble. And when her pussy tightened around his cock, she knew exactly what she had done.

"Fuck, Miley!" he growled in her ear as he came deep inside her, spilling his essence and marking his territory, the territory that had already been his, she just hadn't known it yet.

She had heard enough stories of one-night stands and walks of shame to know what came next. And as Kane slipped off her, she feared it.

She had given him far too much control. She had let him in far too easily. She was a fool.

And yet, she was utterly surprised when he dropped down onto the grass beside her.

For a while, neither of them spoke. They simply lay there, staring up through the orchard trees at the stars beyond.

And Miley"s chest tightened when she felt Kane slip his hand into hers. Still, he didn"t speak, but he didn"t need to. The action spoke a thousand words. Like her, he wasn"t ready for this to be over just yet.

Miley remained still, determined not to be the one to break the silence.

Her insides ached with his lovemaking, and she wished to concentrate upon that feeling for as long as possible.

Being one of the last of her friend group to lose her virginity, Miley had heard plenty of stories about the experience, some good, most horrific. But not a single one of her friends had described it the way that she was feeling it right now, as if she hadn"t just given her body to Kane, but also her mind and spirit too.

For a while they had been one, writhing beneath the light of the moon like a pair of animals with no other thought but pleasure in each other.

Miley was terrified to let that go. She squeezed Kane"s hand and was surprised when he lifted hers to his lips, kissing her knuckles affectionately.

Did the wonders with this man never cease?

He was a giant, covered almost head to toe in tattoos, long-haired and bearded, with charcoal-gray eyes so dark they were almost demonic, and yet he had such a soft side that it made Miley"s heart ache.

She could just as much imagine him climbing a tree to save a tiny fluffy white kitten as she could imagine him picking up her father and splitting him in two for all the pain he had caused her over her lifetime.

She would love him for both.

That realization caused her to yank her hand free of Kane"s. She sat bolt upright, gasping with pure, unadulterated shock.

No, she couldn"t love him. She couldn"t allow herself to fall like that. Not when he stood for everything she was running away from.

"What"s the matter?" Kane asked, leaning up on his elbow. He stroked his fingertips over the back of her shoulder blade, causing her to shiver beneath his touch. "I didn"t hurt you, did I? Did I do something to upset you?"

"No, no, of course not," Miley said, shaking her head. She quickly ran her fingers through her red locks. "It"s just, well, Grandma will wonder where we've gotten to."

"I"m sure she is under no illusions as to what could take a couple so long out on a walk on such a fine night," Kane said, and the words made Miley blush.

She was of two minds on him calling them a couple. Sure, she knew he was talking about their ruse, and she had every reason to hate him for talking about it like that. She shouldn"t have desired it, and yet, she did. What would it be like to be with this man? What would it be like to be his and to have him be hers? What would it be like to do what they had just done over and over whenever they wanted?

Bile rose in Miley"s throat. It was a fantasy. One she couldn"t afford to lose herself to. The truth was far darker than that. She was already Kane"s. Her father had seen to that. It was the reason he was here in the first place. He had only come to collect his property. That"s all she was to him.

"We should get back to the house," Miley said plainly, grabbing her clothes to yank them back on.

The remnants of all they had just done were still warm and wet between her thighs, an all too real reminder of the mistake she had made.

She just needed to get back to the house, get dessert over with and take a quick shower before bed. Everything would be different in the morning.

"If that"s what you want," Kane said softly, and he too began to dress. "Miley, I…"

When he paused, Miley couldn"t help but turn to look at him. His gaze was apologetic, but if he had intended to apologize for something, he didn"t. He just turned his gaze away and continued to dress.

A weight landed in the pit of Miley"s stomach as she began to walk back to the house.

All the while, Kane walked behind her in silence. And though it was a little awkward and more than a little uncomfortable, she also felt an odd sense of security with him there.

His watchful gaze was on her, warm and caressing on her skin, and for the first time in her life she felt truly safe.

It was ridiculous to feel that way. Kane was just another one of the bad guys. She had to keep her distance. And so, she didn"t so much as glance back over her shoulder.

He was there still, always there, right behind her.