I’m positive it’s spinning out of control. No, I’m the one spinning high above the clouds, suspended in the unrelenting pleasure of his mouth and fingers. I haven’t begun to come down when he tangles a fist in my hair.

“I’d give anything to be inside of you right now.”

“You said you’d make me bleed.” I meet the fierce need in his eyes. “Why wait until my birthday?”

“That isn’t the plan anymore.”

“It’s not?”

“No.” A triumphant smile tugs at his lips. “You’re going to bleed for me on our wedding night.”

“What are you talking abou⁠—?”

Flipping me over, he silences me, mid-word. “On your knees. Tuck them under you.”

Even as I’m panting in shock, my body does his bidding. I rest my shoulders on the mattress, ass in the air, and wonder what he’ll do next. A drawer squeaks open, and I twist my head to watch him in the dim light.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you the only way I’m allowed.” He uncaps a bottle I’m all too familiar with and pours some of the slick fluid into his palm.

“But—”

“No buts, Novalee.” He applies the lube before crawling onto the bed behind me. “Marrying you is back on the table, and I’m not blowing it this time.”

I don’t have time to process the revelation. He’s already dragging the head of his lubed cock through my wetness, sparking me to life all over again. His slick digits probe my back hole, an uncomfortable yet arousing way of preparing me for him. One finger, then two, easing in and out with a measured rhythm, coaxing me open until I’m groaning from the stretch.

I try to relax and match his rhythm, but tension flares as I brace for more. Then, with a low grunt, he pushes into my ass, and despite the preparation, it’s an abrupt intrusion that’s far more painful than I remember.

“It’s too much!”

“Relax, my sweet girl. Breathe through it. Let your body take me in.” Liam’s voice has never been so gravelly or strained. Holding my wrists to the mattress, he drives himself deeper.

“Fuck, that’s good.” His voice roughens as he shudders through the sensation. “Do you feel that? You’re taking me so well.”

I bite my lip to stifle a whimper and try not to bear down, but the burn is relentless. “It hurts.”

“I know it does, but you have to get through the pain to find the pleasure. So feel the pain, hate it with all your soul, but know it’s necessary.” His gruff words brush my nape. “Give in and accept it.”

As he continues to open me up, his thrusts quick and urgent, I can’t help but understand the double meaning of his words.

“I can’t accept it.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I can’t!”