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My stos "What ainst er" I sucked in a breath as he twisted the blade oncethe knife up, he tucked the blade away and slipped it into his pocket

"There Now, you’ll talk"

No, now I’ll lie

Chapter 4

I’d learned froainst the told no, I was encouraged Given the tools to excel inthe perfect obedient machine

The moment I set eyes on her, I tasted a delicious coth Weakness and bravery Sadness and resignation

Instincts and needs that I’d buried and ignored volcanoed to the surface I lost control I broke every rule and didn’t give a fuck

She woke a part of me I didn’t know existed--a man not layered in ice and coldblooded disassociation This new man ached with every inch; he craved heat and fire and lust

And so I stole her

And I took her

Over and over again

Shit

How the hell had this happened? This never happened Never inThat sort of thing had been tortured out of me I didn’t suffer from a lack of discipline

Ever

Until now

The instant I saw her I lost a part ofabout her drew me I didn’t lust or fuck or need To be close to another filled me with horror not joy So why the hell did I want to know her? Why were hts full of nakedness and heat? What the fuck alanced at her With her shoulders back and chin thrust forward, she looked like she was headed to war not a conversation Every step was calm and brave; everyheavy in h with every step I’d lost control and kidnapped someone at knife point Not just anyone--a wo touched her!

I never touched anyone voluntarily unless it was in a fight It just wasn’t done My entire life I’d avoided every iota of touch and contact And yet the instant I wrapped ers around her ar fro scared me

Only when I looked directly into her eyes did I taste just how th, sadness, and rebellion lived inside her She was like an unlit firework--contained and neatly packaged on the outside, but a hazardous explosion on the inside

"I wantwith emstone I’d ever seen Her eyes mocked my ohereas I had no colour, she had every spectru it back till I say you can" Until I understand this insane drive to touch you

"You’re not my owner," she snapped "This isn’t a discussion It’s my property, and I want it back I don’t knoho you think you are, but I’ae shot upmy eyes from hers, I strode faster up the steps

She took the steps two at a tirazed mine My vision turned red, muscles locked down, and the familiar coht the orders

Shit She isn’t different after all

My fucking heart sank I’d chased her, trapped her, and dragged her up here because I’d dared to hope Dared to believe that I was drawn to her because she ht be able to touch and be touched

Turned out I could touch her without falling into old patterns, but she couldn’t touch me

My heart hardened in disappointment So she wasn’tThat you could finally live a life where you wouldn’t autoer into their heart

Tough shit

I doubted I’d ever be free, and that justthe top of the stairs, her lips parted as she took in the large landing Skating her eyes over the table and black couch, she drifted toward the glass perimeter From here, the arena looked like a es and rings, unconscious bodies were tended to bywere the lions and other exotic animals the Romans used to kill unlucky slaves

I shared a certain bond with those unfortunate souls

No one would look at me and think I was slave But I had been I still was I probably would be forever

I didn’t say a word as she pushed off fronarly tree

The sculpture took hteen days with barely any sleep to finish I’d warh to twist and distort I turned a pristine lump of bronze into a tortured piece of art The tree looked like it was heralded by dened byvultures to perch

But I liked it In fact, it was one of , but at the sa

It was ertips over the coldlurched for the second ti heat blazed in rabbedmy cock with new life