Chapter 2

TWO

H is lips leave mine, and the world stops spinning.

I open my eyes, not realizing I'd closed them. Hawk is watching me, his gaze intense, searching. I've seen him before at family events, always from afar. Always watching, never participating. Just like me. But now, here in this opulent suite away from prying eyes, he's close enough to touch. Close enough to taste.

My first kiss. With Hawk Rivers. The Devil. That's what everyone in my family calls him. He's mentally unstable they say. Cold. Calculating. Willing to kill his own family without batting an eye. He's perfect.

"Hawk," I whisper, his name a prayer on my lips.

Something flashes in his eyes—desire, possession, something darker I can't quite name. It should frighten me. Instead, it ignites a fire low in my belly.

"So beautiful."

His words wash over me, soothing the raw edges left by Regina's cruelty. For years, I've endured her taunts and bullying. I've hidden in shadows, made myself small. But now, with Hawk looking at me like I'm the only person in the world, I feel something shift inside me.

I'm leaving for college in a few days. This might be my only chance. For once in my life, I'm going to take what I want.

Before I can second-guess myself, I surge forward, capturing Hawk's lips with mine. The kiss is clumsy, inexperienced, but fueled with pent-up longing. Hawk freezes for a moment, clearly caught off guard.

Then, gently but firmly, he pushes me back. "Devin, stop," he says, his voice strained. "You're not ready for this. For me."

Hurt and embarrassment flood through me. Of course. Someone like him would never want someone like me. Stupid, awkward Devin. Always misreading situations. I know I'm not right for him. Strong, commanding, and powerful Hawk. I'm just a socially awkward heiress who can't even get her cousins to respect her.

Yeah, my family comes to my rescue all the time, but I'm tired of it. I don't want to be that weak person anymore. Why would Hawk want a weakling like me? Why would he bother with me when I can barely stand up for myself?

"I'm sorry," I stammer, heat rushing to my cheeks. "I thought... I mean, you kissed me, so I assumed... God, I'm such an idiot."

I start to pull away, wanting nothing more than to flee and hide away and never show my face again. But Hawk's hand on my arm stops me.

"Devin, look at me," he commands, his tone brooking no argument.

Reluctantly, I meet his gaze. What I see there steals my breath. Gone is the careful control he's maintained all night. In its place is a raw, primal hunger that makes my pulse race.

His hand wraps around my throat and squeezes. He's holding the air in my lungs hostage. I don't care. If I die at this moment from his hands, I wouldn't regret a single second. The hand around my throat harshly pulls me close while his other hand slides into my hair and grips, turning my face up to his. I struggle to suck in a breath. My eyes water but I'm not afraid. I blink away the tears gathering in my eyes.

"It's not that I don't want you," he says, each word deliberate and heavy with meaning. He slides his tongue over my bottom lip. "It's that once we start, I don't know if I'll be able to stop. And you deserve better than a rough fuck in a hotel suite."

His crude language shocks me, but it also sends a thrill through my body. I've never been spoken to like this before. Never been looked at with such naked want. He releases my throat and I feel slightly sad.

"I don't care," I hear myself say, surprising us both with my boldness. "I want you."

For a long moment, Hawk stares at me. I can see the battle raging behind his eyes—desire warring with restraint. Then, like a dam breaking, the careful control he's maintained all night snaps.

In an instant, he's on me. His kiss is rough, demanding, nothing like the gentle peck from before. His hands tangle in my hair, gripping to the point of pain. I should be scared. I should want to run.

Instead, I feel alive for the first time in my life.

I match his intensity, pouring every ounce of my frustration and longing into the kiss. When we finally break apart, we're both panting.

"Devin," he growls, and the sound sends shivers down my spine. "Last chance to back out. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

I meet his gaze, seeing the storm of desire and something darker swirling in his eyes. In this moment, I know there's no going back. Hawk Rivers has awakened something in me that can never be put to sleep again.

"I'm sure," I whisper and seal my fate with another kiss.

He takes several steps away from me and then pins me with his gaze.

"Take off your clothes, Devin," he commands, his voice leaving no room for argument. Not that I planned to.

I hesitate for a moment, but the intensity in his gaze has me complying. I strip down, my dress and underwear pooling at my feet, leaving me bare and vulnerable under his scrutiny. For a second, his gaze stops on my hip and stares. It's a tattoo I got myself for my birthday. A black snake curled around a moth.

He nods appreciatively, his eyes darkening with desire as he stalks around me. "You're fucking perfect," he murmurs, his voice thick with lust. "You're a damn wet dream, Devin."

I've spent so long feeling invisible, unwanted. But here, now, under Hawk's burning gaze, I feel like the most desirable woman in the world.

I blush, my body heating with embarrassment and arousal. Seemingly satisfied, he sits in a chair several steps across from me, his legs spread wide, and beckons me forward with a crook of his finger.

"Crawl to me, sweetheart," he orders, a wicked smirk playing on his lips.

I drop to my hands and knees, the cool temperature sending shivers up my arms. I crawl to him, my eyes locked onto his, and I'm shocked to find that I love it. I love the way he's looking at me like he wants to devour me whole. I love the way my body responds to his commands.

I reach him, my hands resting on his knees, and he leans down, his lips brushing against my ear. "Undress me, Devin," he growls, sending another shockwave of desire through me.

My hands tremble as I unbutton his shirt, exposing his muscular chest. Wow. He looks even better than I could have imagined.His massive arms make my throat dry.

Next, I unbuckle his belt, my fingers fumbling with the zipper of his pants. He lifts his hips, allowing me to pull them down along with his boxers, freeing his cock.

It's hard and thick, standing at attention. This is my first time seeing a man naked, in person. I should be embarrassed but I'm too caught up in the moment. He's beautiful. All strength. My body aches with desire. I want him inside me, filling me, claiming me. I want him to make me his. I've never felt these emotions for anyone else. Ever.

Hawk Rivers is my birthday present, and I can't wait to unwrap him.

Hawk's hands grip my waist, and with an effortless show of strength, he lifts me onto his lap like I weigh nothing. I gasp as he settles me on top of him, my pussy grinding down on his hardness.

A low moan escapes his lips, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "Fuck, Devin," he growls, his hands tightening on my hips. "I can't wait to stretch you out. To make you mine."

His words are filthy, wrong, but they turn me on even more. I roll my hips, coating his cock with my wetness, my breath hitching as the head of his cock brushes against my clit.

He leans in, his lips brushing against my neck and he sucks on my throat. I moan his name. He bites hard and then sucks again. I dig my nails into his shoulders, wanting to keep him close. Another bite and suck. My body is on fire. He continues to lick, suck and bite my throat and shoulders, leaving his mark as he goes. "Has anyone else had you, Devin?" he murmurs, his voice dark and possessive.

I shake my head, a moan escaping my lips as I continue to grind against him. "No," I gasp.

He pulls back, his gray eyes locking onto mine, intense and demanding. "Keep it that way," he orders, his voice leaving no room for argument."I'm the only one who will touch you."

Before I can respond, he grips my hip with one hand, using the other to guide his cock to my entrance. He rubs the head against my wetness coating himself in my desire before slowly sinking me onto his cock.

I cry out as he fills me, stretching me wide. He's so big, and for a moment, I can't breathe. He pinches one of my nipples, rolling it between his fingers, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to my core.

"That's it, sweetheart," he murmurs, his voice thick with lust. "Take it all. Take every inch."

He helps me roll my hips, his hands guiding me as I slowly adjust to his size. The whole time he grunts at words that make me even wetter. "You're so fucking tight, Devin," he groans. "So fucking wet. You love this, don't you? You love having me buried deep inside you."

I nod, my breath coming in short gasps as I continue to ride him. He's stretching me, filling me, and it feels so fucking good. I can feel every inch of him, every ridge and vein as he slides in and out of me.

He leans in, his lips brushing against my ear. "You're mine now, Devin," he growls.

Once I'm stretched around him, his hips move with a force that leaves me breathless. "You're so good, Devin," he moans. "Riding me like you were made for it. You're going to come for me, aren't you? You're going to come all over my cock."

His words push me over the edge, and I cry out, my body convulsing as I come hard around him. One of his hands grips my throat tightly while the other squeezes my ass cheek to the point of pain. Then he smacks my ass, the sharp sting sending another wave of pleasure through me. "That's it, sweetheart," he groans, the hand around my throat squeezing. "Come for me. Make a mess all over my cock."

He swells inside me, growing even harder. He leans in, his lips brushing against mine, his breath hot on my face. "I'm going to fill you up, Devin," he growls. "You're mine now. Mine."

With a final thrust, he buries himself deep inside me, his cock pulsing as he comes. The hand around my throat squeezes at the same time his other hand grips my hair painfully and brings my face into his for a hard kiss. He comes inside me, filling me, marking me, claiming me. I collapse against him, my body spent, my breath coming in ragged gasps. He wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly, his cock still buried deep inside me.

"Happy birthday, Devin," he murmurs, his voice low and gravelly.

Hawk Rivers has claimed me, and even if it's just for today, I am his.