LOVING THE MADMAN

Caught in the Dark

We found a shadowed corner outside, under a large oak tree whose branches hid us quite well. It was private enough for making out.

Hugh’s lips pressed to mine again, and I let him kiss me.

He wasn’t a bad kisser; he was hot, and his hands knew exactly where to go.

But no matter how hard I tried to concentrate, my brain wouldn't cooperate.

I wasn’t thinking about Hugh or the kiss.

I was thinking about him.

Hugh’s mouth found the sensitive spot along my neck, snapping me back to the moment, and I tried to force Troy out of my head, leaning into the warmth of Hugh, letting him kiss and lick all over me.

“You okay?” he asked against my skin, pausing when he noticed my distraction. “You seem… far away.”

“Mm, I’m fine,” I lied, brushing his hair back. “I want this.”

I slid my hand down, caressing his hardness through his jeans.

He bit his lip, aroused by the action, and pulled me in for another rough kiss.

His fingers unbuttoned my shorts, slipping inside my panties when a sudden movement snagged both our attention.

We looked in the direction of the

A figure slowly emerged from the dark, and I didn't even need to squint to know who it was.

I'd recognize that stance and lethal energy anywhere.

Hugh scowled, stepping forward in irritation. “Hey, man, what’s your problem? Ever heard of privacy?”

I said nothing, looking at Troy.

“Get away from her,” he said. His voice sounded tight with anger.

“What the hell?” I snapped before Hugh could reply. “No. He’s not going anywhere.”

Hugh glanced at me, confused. “You… know this guy?”

“Yes. He’s an ass,” I said bitterly, my eyes never leaving Troy.

Troy didn’t even react to the insult. His attention shifted to Hugh again, and in that moment, the air seemed to grow full of danger.

Hugh swallowed, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

“We should… uh, maybe go back inside,” he muttered to me.

I glared at him. “No. We’re finishing what we started.”

Grabbing his arm, I tugged him toward a different path, but Troy stepped into our way, blocking every inch of escape. He and his annoying, broad shoulders

“Leave,” he ordered, speaking to Hugh.

“The hell I will,” Hugh shot back, though his voice expressed a hint of nervousness. “I’m not leaving her with you, creep. I don’t care if you’re a bodyguard…”

Troy’s gaze dropped to our joined hands, and the slow lift of his eyes back to Hugh was nothing but pure threat.

“I will not ask again,” he said through his teeth.

I knew what Troy was capable of... his potential for violence. And I didn't want to risk Hugh getting hurt or, worse, ending up dead like the other guy.

So after what felt like an eternity of us glaring at each other, I backed down first.

“Hugh,” I said quietly, touching his chest to get his attention. “I’ll be fine. Go wait for me inside.”

He hesitated, glaring at Troy one last time. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

He searched my eyes for a moment before nodding. “If there's any problem, call me, okay?”

I smiled gratefully, standing on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. “I will. Thank you.”

Reluctantly, he left.

As soon as he disappeared back into the building, I whirled around to face Troy, my own anger bubbling to the surface.

“You motherfu…”

“If you ever let another man put his hands on you again, Athena, I swear to the moon goddess…” Troy’s furious voice interrupted as he stormed toward me.

I stumbled back in fear.

“…I will f*****g kill him.” he finished.

The deadly promise sent goosebumps breaking out across my skin.

He loomed over me, seething, the muscles in his neck and shoulders tight with rage.

His jaw flexed, and his black eyes were full of danger as his voice darkened more than it already was. “And I’ll make sure you watch.”

I was unable to move, shocked at how possessive and feral he was.

I'd gotten a hint before at the annual pack gala, but then, this reaction was something else entirely… primal.

I was supposed to flee. It was a glaring warning sign, but instead of running, my body responded with want. Or rather, need.

Blatant need.

Troy’s eyes moved over me, lingering where Hugh’s hands and lips had been, and his teeth gritted even harder.

“Do you enjoy pushing me, Princess?” He growled, tipping my chin up.

“Pushing you? Excuse me?” I shook myself free, not believing my ears.

Anger fired through the fog of my tipsy state, giving me a boldness I probably shouldn’t have felt.

“I threw myself at your feet, and you turned me away. You made it perfectly clear you didn’t want me!” My voice shook with frustration. “So what the f**k do you want, Troy Ryder?!"

The silence that followed was so deafening, I could hear my pulse thrumming.

The tension between us only grew tighter and tighter.

“I asked you a question, Ryder. What the f**k do you want?!”

His black eyes bored into mine, cold and full of desire at the same time. He didn’t move for a second, letting the question linger between us.

“What I want…” he said finally, the rough texture of his voice doing things to me. “Is you… And if I can’t have you… no one else f*****g will.”

Before I could respond, I found myself pinned against the rough bark of the oak tree.

The fly of my shorts was still open—I'd forgotten to zip up after the interruption—and my breath grew ragged when his hand slid into my shorts, past my panties.

“Is this what you wanted him to do to you?” His voice was raspy as his fingers found my c**t, rubbing it with agonizing slowness.

A gasp left my lips as a wave of pleasure crashed over me.

My head fell back against the tree, feeling lightheaded from the rush of shame and need. I leaned up, eager to kiss him, but he caught my chin, holding me still.

“No,” he growled. “You don’t earn my mouth yet.”

Then a thick finger slid inside me, and another moan escaped my throat before I could suppress it.

My walls clenched around him on instinct, tightening around the intrusion, only to relax as he began to thrust in slow strokes.

Troy’s jaw was still clenched, the crease of anger still between his brows as he leaned closing. “You’re not for anyone else to f*****g touch but me,” he whispered harshly against my ear.

I whimpered, my nails digging into the flesh of his arms, my vision going hazy with the maddening pleasure and the intensity of him.

“You’re mine,” he repeated, thrusting deeper. “Whenever I decide.”

“This,” he murmured, taking my earlobe between his teeth and biting gently as he pushed in another finger, “is mine. No one else touches you here. Ever.”

I’d already started to see stars, close to climaxing when he pulled his fingers free.

Panting, shaking, and still ignominiously aroused, I lifted my gaze to question him.

Troy stared down at me with a cold, unapologetic expression, completely in control while I felt myself losing my mind. Slowly he brought his fingers to his lips and licked them clean, the move provocative.

“This is your final warning, Athena,” he said, his tone serious. “Don’t f*****g test me.”

Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark, leaving me aching, angry… and yearning for him more than I’d ever dare admit aloud.