22. Maya

22

Maya

My breath caught in my throat as he lowered his head for a bruising kiss. My toes curled, and I sank my fingers into his hair. My brain screamed that this was a horrible idea. The last thing I needed was to give myself to him now that I knew how he felt about me, but everything inside of me was so tense I thought for certain that I would crack if I didn't find a release. The fear. The pain.

I needed his hands on me.

"Did you think of this when he asked you to stay?" Rhyson growled as he broke the kiss and ripped my shirt over the top of my head. "Did you wonder if he could fuck you like I did?"

His fingers were punishing as they dug into my side. My tits were bare to him, and all I could think about was how I wanted his mouth on me again. Unfortunately, he kept opening his mouth and ruining the moment. I'd often wondered if I would have chosen him that night if I'd known who he was, or if I would have escaped when he gave me the chance.

It was a luxury then, the not knowing. And fortunately for me, in this moment, it was a luxury again because I did know and it didn't matter. I was tied to him no matter how many times I let him touch me. "Don't be such a fucking asshole. I told you that I don't trust him. I don't fuck men I don't trust."

With a snarl, he lifted my chin. "Are you telling me that you trust me?"

That was a loaded question. I didn't trust him to not break my heart. I didn't trust him to not turn me over to my father as soon as he was done with his vendetta. "I trust you to do your best to keep me alive," I told him sincerely.

His eyebrows arched. "Gideon saved your life. Not me."

Gideon had saved me, with how many men? And how long had he been tracking his monster? Rhyson had followed me, and probably would have gotten himself killed trying to protect me. Not because of me or my child. Because he'd made a promise and he was my king. For all of his darkness, he took his responsibilities seriously, and I was just that. A responsibility.

Not something that I wanted to think about right now.

"Do you want to keep bringing him up, or do you want to do something about your hard-on?" I muttered as I unzipped his pants and reached inside to fist him. With a groan, he slapped my hand away.

"You don't get to touch me."

"So I need permission to suck your dick, Your Majesty?" I said sarcastically before I pushed him away.

"That mouth," he sighed as he grabbed me and pulled me back against him. "It does need something in it to keep it quiet."

Before I could reach for his cock again, he shoved my shirt in my mouth. Scowling, I spit it out. "You son of a fucking…fuck…"

The anger in me began to ebb as he bent down and took a nipple in his mouth. As he rolled it around on his tongue, I whimpered.

"That's a good girl. All I want to hear from you is moaning for me." Sliding his tongue over me, he grinned as I whimpered again.

Even as I narrowed my eyes, I knew that I was gushing for him. It infuriated me even more. He was my first. My only. I should be out there, experimenting with others, seeing what I liked. Instead, all I craved was him.

It wasn't normal, but then he wasn't normal.

And neither was I.

"I am not nor will I ever be your good girl," I snarled.

Immediately, he grabbed me, spun me around, and worked on my pants. Shoving them over my hips and down to my ankles, he took a moment to slide a finger between my legs on his way up as I kicked the pants off.

"So goddamn wet," he grunted. "Does every man get you this wet?"

"You keep talking about other men, and I'm going to wonder if you'd like to see me with one."

Snarling, he pushed inside of me, and I gasped at the intrusion. As wet as I was, I wasn't quite ready for him. Immediately, Rhyson stilled as his hand brushed over my abdomen to find my clitoris. The contact sent a shock of pleasure through me and helped me relax a little more. "As long as you're traveling with me, no other man gets to have you. Just me. Might as well make you useful."

How romantic. Whatever sharp retort I had for him died when he started to move. I had nothing to compare him to, but he filled me absolutely perfectly. Every stroke drove me higher, and I knew it wouldn't be long before I broke for him.

He could tell too.

"And I'm making a point," he whispered. "When you get that wet for me, you are my good girl. Don't hold back. I want you screaming on my cock. I want everyone here to know that you're mine, and I'm taking you with me. Mine. Fuck, Maya, you're so goddamn tight. Keep squeezing me. Just like that."

Starting to shake, I was unable to keep upright, but Rhyson just hauled me up, keeping me anchored to his body, and walked me to the bed. I fell forward on my knees, crying out when the weight of him drove into me. Hissing, he stopped.

"Did that hurt?" he asked in a low voice.

"Don't stop," I said, avoiding the question. "I'm close. Just finish me."

Wrapping his fingers in my hair, he pulled me out, keeping a hand on my chest to guide me. As he kissed my neck, he started pumping his hips again, a little bit slower this time, and I reached between my legs, running my fingers over his cock and then finding my own pleasure. I rubbed my clit and he fucked me, and the world fell away again. His teeth sank into my shoulder, and I came hard.

Pushing me back down on the bed, Rhyson stroked me through my orgasm, roaring before he pulled out and came on my back.

"Why did you do that?" I muttered as I collapsed on the bed. "Can't get me pregnant twice."

Rhyson didn't say anything as he stepped off the bed, picked up his shirt, and wiped my back. When he tossed the shirt in the corner of the cabin, I realized what he didn't want to say. He'd done it to leave evidence.

To let Gideon and everyone else know that he'd claimed me here.

Claimed my body at least.

"Marrow was a good wolf. A good brother. We were outsiders. Part of a pack, but our parents were distributors, so we traveled. When I was fifteen, Marrow stayed back to do something for our alpha, and we traveled without him. We were ambushed, and they were killed. They never did find out what happened, but Marrow blamed himself. He looked after me for a long time. He helped me heal."

My back was still to him, but I didn't dare turn around. I wasn't certain why he was opening up now, but I wanted to understand why he was risking everything for his vengeance.

"It took a long time before he could move on. He got a girl pregnant, and she died in childbirth. Marrow blamed our alpha for not protecting her and challenged him. In one fell swoop he became a single father and an alpha. I became his enforcer and traveled for him. I would have done anything for him. Then, one day, he left on a job that I should have done. A wolf had lost his mate and was going feral. Marrow went to take care of him, and he was murdered within twenty feet of our pack line."

Pain broke his voice, and I closed my eyes. He'd experienced so much death. No wonder he thought he had nothing to lose. "I realized that my brother was investigating this mountain. He'd written a single name down: Emerson. It became my mission to learn what happened to him, to figure out what the hell he was doing. I took over as alpha until I could control myself to take the crown. I needed all the power I could get to make my way through this mountain. With the exception of Duke, the wolves that are with me owe Marrow their lives. They're willing to do whatever it takes to find the truth."

"And Duke?"

Rhyson chuckled. "He seems to think I'm planning on killing myself on this mountain. He came to make sure I make it out alive."

Sitting upright, I turned. "Is he right? Is this a suicide mission for you?"

His cool gaze met mine. "We walked in blind, and every day, I realize we are in far more danger than I could have ever anticipated. It's probable that none of us are going to make it out, including you. You should never have chased me down."

"Yeah, well, I guess you should have been more upfront about who you were. I never would have touched you if I'd known who you were, and we wouldn't be here now. That still doesn't answer my question. Whether you want to believe it or not, you have a child on the way. You believe in family."

"You want me to give up my mission? To abandon what I've spent years trying to achieve because you may or may not be carrying my child?"

Rising from the bed, I started to pick up my clothes and get dressed. "You want some truth, Rhyson? I'll give it to you. I'm not a slut. I'm not a whore. I went to that ball to marry Alpha Larson, but my cousin got to him first. She spread lies about me. I know that this child is yours because until that night with you, I was a virgin, and I wasn't exactly in a position to sleep with anyone else afterward. You're the only man I've ever been with. This child is yours. Don't abandon it."