CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LENA

SHOCK ROOTED ME TO THE SPOT. I’D KNOWN—deep down—I’d push Ethan too far eventually. I’d been poking at him, daring him to snap. And now that he had, I couldn’t move.

Couldn’t speak.

I was frozen in place, caught between disbelief and the scorching rush of something darker, something dangerous, that surged through my bloodstream like liquid fire.

That earlier warmth? Gone. This was an eruption. A violent, volcanic heat that coated every inch of me in molten sensation.

My heartbeat pounded like war drums, thudding in my chest, echoing in my ears, spreading like a tidal wave until it hit every nerve—from my head to my throat to the now painfully sensitive throb between my thighs.

Ethan’s hand slid behind my neck, anchoring me in place as he crashed his mouth onto mine.

He kissed the way we argued—intense, wild, unrelenting.

And I hated how good it felt.

My body came back online, my hands lifting to shove him away—except they didn’t. Instead, they tangled in his shirt, clutching it like a lifeline. I yanked him closer, until our bodies molded into one, and I couldn’t tell where his heat ended and mine began.

A breathy moan escaped me as he subtly shifted his hips, his erection grazing exactly where I ached most.

"Can’t stay away from me, huh?" His voice was a whisper laced with mockery, the teasing tone made all the more wicked by the sudden, sharp pull on my hair.

Pain lanced through my scalp, triggering tears that stung the corners of my eyes—and intensified the already unbearable tension building deep inside.

“Go to hell,” I ground out.

"You and I both know exactly what you want, Red.” His teeth found my bottom lip, biting down just enough to send another electric current of pain and pleasure zipping through me. “Don’t worry—you won’t have to beg. Not yet.”

A growl rose up from somewhere deep inside me, and I finally shoved him off, breath ragged, lips swollen, thighs clenched. My entire body throbbed with a pulse I didn’t want to acknowledge. “I will never beg you for anything.”

Ethan dragged the back of his hand across his mouth, the slow, deliberate movement dripping with unspoken heat.

His flushed cheeks and heavy stare roved over me—from the messy strands of my hair to the open edges of my coat—setting my skin on fire wherever his gaze lingered.

"Don’t be so sure," he murmured, his voice laced with heat and challenge. “Let’s raise the stakes, Red. I’m willing to bet that if I bent you over right now and pulled up that flirty little skirt of yours, I’d find you soaking wet—just for me.

And I bet I could make you beg for my cock, beg me to fuck you so hard you’ll forget your own name and see stars before the night’s over.”

I clenched my jaw so tight it hurt. I hated the arrogance in his smile, the smug fire in his eyes, every cocky word that left his mouth.

But my traitorous body didn’t care. I was soaked. His voice, his words, painted vivid, wicked images in my head that made me tremble—and I hated that even more.

"Nice try, Ethany, But I'm not taking the bait."

It was the coward's way out, but I was one touch away from detonating, and I refused to give Ethan the satisfaction of being the one to press the button.

"Didn't think you would," he taunted. "Scared, Lena?"

"Can't take a hint, Ethan?”

We glared at each other, our anger tangible in the cold night air, before the gap between us disappeared and our mouths crashed against each other again. Harder, more desperate than the first time, our tongues fighting for

dominance while our hands roamed over every inch of skin. Ethan pushed me through the half-open door and kicked it shut behind us without breaking the kiss.

Our fingers flew over our clothes in a frantic rush to remove them.

My coat. His shirt. My skirt. His pants. They all fell to the living room floor until we were naked, our skin heated with the hum of electricity surging through my blood and in the air.

"Get on your hands and knees."

My skin pebbled with goosebumps at Ethan's rough command, but instead of obeying, I lifted my chin in defiance. "Make me."

The words barely left my mouth before he closed the distance between us in two strides and twisted me around. He drove his knee into the back of mine, forcing me to the ground. I struggled half-heartedly, but I was no match for Ethan's strength.

One hand locked my wrists together behind my back in a steel grip while the other slipped between my legs and rubbed my swollen clit.

The jolt of pleasure wrenched a half gasp, half moan from my throat.

"What was that you were saying?" Ethan mocked. He pushed a finger inside me while keeping his thumb on my clit. I was so wet I didn't feel any friction even when he was knuckles deep in me. "Just like I'd guessed. You're fucking soaking."

My hands curled into fists. I was already panting, so turned on I could barely think straight, and we'd barely started.

"Beg for it, Red." He curled his finger and hit my most sensitive spot, eliciting another moan, before he slowly dragged it out and shoved it back in. His breathing harshened. "Beg me to fuck you. To make you come all over my cock like you so desperately crave."

"You wish." My nails dug into my palms. "My vibrator does a better job than you. On its lowest speed."

Ethan let out a soft laugh. "You have to make things difficult." He released my wrists and fisted my hair, jerking my head back until his mouth hovered near my ear. "But I love a good fight."

My response died on my tongue when he thrust another finger inside me. In, out, in, out, faster and faster until the telltale tingles of an impending orgasm gathered at the base of my spine. He reached around and pinched my nipple, and a full-body shudder rolled through me right as the-

He yanked his hands away.

No!

My body slumped forward on all fours without his support, and I let out a small scream of frustration at the ruined orgasm. I twisted my head around to glare at him. "You fucking bastard."

My only solace was that I wasn't the only one suffering. Ethan's chest heaved with deep, ragged breaths, and his cock jutted straight up, so hard it looked painful.

A blade of moonlight sliced through the windows and cast sharp shadows across his face, highlighting the stony set of his jaw and the blaze of lust in his eyes.

"You know what to do if you want to come." His mouth curved as he pushed my legs further apart. "Look at you. You're a mess.

I didn't have to see myself to know he was right. Wetness slicked my thighs, and every brush of air against my bare pussy triggered another needy shudder.

Still, I clung on to enough of my rational brain to twist the situation back on him.

Two could play his mind games.

"Scared you can't live up to your promise, Hale?" I purred. "What happened to fucking the attitude out of me? You talk a big game, but it looks like you're lacking in follow-through." I dropped a pointed glance to his arousal.

Despite my taunt, my core clenched at the sight before me.

Ethan's body could serve as the mold for a Greek god statue. Broad shoulders, perfectly carved abs, sculpted arms...and a long, thick cock that looked like it could wreck me with little effort.

Fuck. My mouth dried.

He leaned forward and, without taking his eyes off mine, slowly wrapped one hand around my throat. He squeezed hard enough to cut off my breath for several beats before he loosened his grip. I gasped in a lungful of air, my head swimming from the brief deprivation of oxygen.

"One of these days," he said. "That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble."

I didn't get a chance to respond before he slammed into me from behind with a vicious thrust.

A scream ripped from my throat at the painful stretch of his size and the roughness with which he fucked me. Tears sprung to my eyes, but my scream eventually faded into a string of mindless whimpers and squeals as he pounded into me.

"What was that?" Ethan's breath grazed my cheek. "You always have so much to say. Where are your words now, hmm?"

"Go. To. Hell," I panted. It was the only sentence I could manage before another sharp thrust scrambled my thoughts.

His dark chuckle reverberated through me. "You're my personal hell, Red." He gave my hair another sharp tug. "And God help me, I don't want to fucking leave."

Before I could untangle the meaning behind his words, he flipped me around so I was on my back.

He kept his hand on my throat, pressing me into the ground while he propped my leg on his shoulder. At this angle, he hit spots I didn't even know existed.

My nails dug into his skin, partly out of instinct and partly as payback for his mindfuckery. Satisfaction bloomed on my lips at his pained hiss when I raked them down his back.

In retaliation, he fucked me even harder until our groans and the furious slap of our bodies against each other were the only sounds in the dark space.

I deliberately clenched around him until Ethan let out a low hiss. Sweat beaded on his brow; tension lined his face and turned it into granite.

"Seems like I'm not the only one who needs to come," I taunted.

I clenched again, and his hiss morphed into a curse. "I was going to take it easy on you. But now..." He pressed harder against my throat until faint spots danced across my vision and the heat blazed hotter in my body. "We'll have to do it the hard way."

His next thrust was so savage I lost whatever breath I had left.

Nothing about what we were doing was sweet or sensual. It wasn't about emotional connection. It wasn't even about physical attraction, no matter how wet I was or how much he ruined me.

No, we fucked like it was our catharsis, a purge of everything dark and ugly that'd festered over the years.

There was a certain liberation in not giving a fuck what the other person thought about you. We could be the worst, most untamed versions of ourselves, and in a world where everyone tried to fit everything into neat little boxes, it was as exhilarating as it was painful.

But as good as it felt, my orgasm remained out of reach. Every time I grazed it, Ethan would slow down, drawing out our session of furious, exquisite torture.

"Beg me, Red." Ethan reached between us and stroked my clit, sending another sharp burst of pleasure through my body. "Tell me how much you need to come." He scraped his teeth against my neck and sucked hard. "How much you need me to make you come."

Normally, I would make a joke about self-esteem issues, but I was too gone to think clearly.

"No." My refusal sounded weak to my own ears. I was too desperate for relief. It was only a matter of time before I caved, but I sure as hell could put up a fight before I did.

"No?" Ethan eased his thrusts, and another scream of frustration welled in my throat..

Fucking sadistic asshole.

"I hate you," I moaned. I rolled my hips, seeking the friction I needed to no avail.

"I'm counting on it." His eyes glittered down at me. "Use your words, Red, or we'll be here all night."

Don't say it.

He slid into me with torturous slowness again.

I couldn't hold back my pathetic whimpers as he played with me, edging me over and over until I was about to lose my damn mind.

Don't say it, don't say it, dontsayit-

"Please." I choked out the word.

"Please what?"

"Please let me come." The words faded into a moan as Ethan increased his speed.

"You can do better than that." Sweat gleamed on his skin, and taut muscles corded his neck. Holding back tortured him as much as it did me, but I couldn't take much satisfaction from that when I was on the knife's edge of insanity.

An electric spike of sensation speared through me when he hit that spot.

"Ethan, please," I sobbed, not caring anymore. "I can't-I need-please..."

Me saying his name must've snapped something inside him, because he finally stopped teasing and started fucking me with full force again.

"You feel so fucking good," he growled. "You love my cock wrecking that tight little pussy, don't you?"

"Yes. "I gasped. "Yes, God, please. I'm going to...I'm...Oh God, oh fuck!"

I screamed as white-hot pleasure blazed through me. Every thought and memory incinerated, leaving only mind-numbing pleasure in their wake.

Ethan kept fucking me, and another orgasm chased the first one, followed by another. They rolled on and on, wringing me out until I was little more than a boneless heap on the floor.

After my third or fourth orgasm, Ethan finally came, and we lay there, our breaths heavy in the sudden quiet, before he pushed himself off me and tossed his condom in the nearby trashcan. I hadn't even noticed him put one on.

The lust-fueled fog cleared from my brain. I always made sure the guy used protection, even though I was on birth control. Thank God Ethan had, but the fact I hadn't even thought to ask...

Fuck.

I watched him dress in silence, the import of what we did hitting me.

I'd had sex with Ethan Hale. My best friend's brother and one of the people I despised most.

And not just any sex. Angry, toe-curling, brain-melting sex. Sex where I'd begged for more and came so hard I still felt the aftereffects.

Oh my God. My stomach lurched. What have I done?