Chapter 14

Ophelia

Iwoke up in Alex's embrace sometime before sunrise. I tried not to rattle my chain as I turned my head and realized how I'd fallen asleep. He snored beside me, and we were both in his bed. One of his arms circled me, and mine curled around his waist. It would have felt like we were a couple waking up after a passionate night together...if it hadn't been for the chain weighing down my neck. The rub of metal reminded me I was his captive. That I was in bed, cuddling with my captor.

When I tried to peel away from him, he stirred awake. His eyes opened, heavy with sleep, and as he stretched, I spotted the hard length tenting his boxers. He noticed my open staring and covered his crotch with the sheet.

"Morning," he whispered. It felt and sounded too normal. His hand grazed my side, leaving goosebumps behind. Part of me wanted to spit fire at him and tell him not to touch me. Another part of me reveled in the way his fingertips whispered over my skin. It was kind, almost loving.

It was also wrong. So fucking wrong.

I pulled away and sat up without responding, but he pushed me down with a stern grasp on my shoulder. "What's the matter?" he asked, his green eyes dark and intense.

"We can't cuddle like this," I told him as I once more tried to get up.

"I wasn't the one who cuddled up to you, O," he said as he pulled me closer and kissed me.

I pushed at his chest. "No," I whispered as his lips ran along my jaw.

"I want you," he growled.

I looked at the ceiling, mentally preparing to disappear within my head as he took me. When he didn't climb over me, I blinked away the dread but refused to look at him.

Alex grabbed my chin and turned my face toward him. "I don't want you to go somewhere else in your head." He smirked, his fingers grazing my jaw. "It doesn't have to be what it's been."

He leaned in and kissed my chest. My stomach tightened as I remembered Gunnir's come marking that same spot, but Alex didn't seem to care as he devoured me. His fingers worked open my buttons and his mouth captured my nipple. I wanted to stop him because he didn't deserve to kiss me. He said we couldn't have feelings, he'd reiterated how fatal they'd be, and yet there he was, acting like I was more than just his captive.

His hand moved down to my stomach, and I caught it before he went any lower. "You're putting a lot on me that you shouldn't. You're telling me to enjoy this, but I can't enjoy this hell."

Alex brushed the hair from my cheek. "I know we're in hell, but it doesn't have to be all fire and brimstone. It doesn't always have to burn."

"Maybe it's not burning you, Alex, but I'm on fire."

He rested his chin on my chest. "I can't give you heaven, but I can make hell feel good sometimes."

"That sounds like a devil's bargain."

"Maybe," he said as he spread my shirt and trailed kisses down my stomach. "But the devil doesn't bargain."

"What if I say no, Alex? Will you take it anyway?"

He stopped his descent and brought his face to mine. I felt every ounce of his strength as he hovered over me, and the hard heat pressing between us was a threat I'd felt too many times already.

A frustrated breath eased from his lips and rolled over me, and his eyes met mine. "As much as I want to sink inside you again, I'll stop. For you."

I exhaled my relief.

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook. Patience is a virtue, but I'm not a virtuous man." His eyes flashed with an idea, and a sly smile spread his lips. "Play checkers with me."

* * *

Alexzander

I was being a certifiable creep,but did I care? Not a bit. I didn't take her mouth or her pussy, but I needed to come, and I wanted to be slaughtered by her in checkers while I did. She always thought out every move, and the way she bit her lip when she focused drove me nuts.

"Get the game," I told her. "But keep your shirt unbuttoned for me."

She got out of bed and pulled the box from the closet. She kept her gaze on the floor as she sat across from me and prepared the board. The two pieces of aged cardboard didn't want to lie flat on the lumpy mattress, but she fiddled with it until she made it work. My eyes went to her soft hands. She fondled each piece near her breasts before leaning over to place them down. I imagined putting my dick between those breasts. Every part of her was so fuckable.

I pulled my cock through the slit in my boxers and stroked myself as we played. Just like I'd hoped, she leaned over, bit her lip, and examined every move. Her competitive need to win helped her ignore the fact that I was jerking off as she played out each move. She was wiping the floor with me, and her pride made me stroke myself faster.

Just as she finished her final move, as her tits pressed together when she leaned over, as her dark hair grazed her pale skin, I came. I caught most of it in my hand, but some squirted across the board. Her eyes rushed to mine because we both knew who would be cleaning up that mess.

"Get on your knees and get it up, O," I said through a groan.

Her mouth gaped. "Really?"

I nodded, but she didn't move. That was probably because her knees still hurt, but it wasn't like I was making her kneel on the ground. I wiped my hand on an old shirt, stood up, and knocked her forward. With both hands, I brushed her hair away from her face and gripped it behind her head. When I pushed her head down, she put out her tongue and obediently licked up my come. She curled her lip in disgust, but I fucking loved it. I hated seeing her obedience when Gunnir issued commands, but I loved seeing glimpses of that for me.

She continued to lap up my come. With the chain extending from the loop around her neck, she looked like a dog. A sudden pang of guilt squeezed my chest. She was too beautiful to be a dog.

"O," I whispered, and lifted her by her hair. A drop of come dangled from her lower lip, and I leaned down and took the salty taste of myself into my mouth. I kissed her, transferring more of my remnants from her tongue to mine. She welcomed me into her mouth, and I growled. If she was gonna be a dog, I'd join her pack.

My eyes caught on the door, and I pulled away from her. The lock was no longer engaged, but I was certain I'd locked it when we came in last night. Because of her chain, there was no way Ophelia could have reached the door. Which only meant one thing.