He held me close, our bodies still locked together, as he carried me to the kitchen. He placed me on the counter as his eyes roamed the counters. A seductive smirk formed on his lips.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

He walked to the counter. “Like what?”

The water ran, and he rinsed the butternut squash sitting on the counter. He turned to me, holding it in one hand with a bottle of olive oil in the other.

“You plan on cooking me dinner?”

“After I put this squash to full use.”

He placed the squash on the island in the middle of the kitchen, holding the olive oil in one hand. Gripping me by the throat, he dragged me toward him. His eyes flashed on my mouth before his lips were on mine. His kiss was aggressive, passionate, and all-consuming. It was a kiss given by a man who was drowning. A kiss given by a man obsessed.

“I’m going to fuck that asshole, Princess,” he whispered against my lips. “You trust me?”

My breaths came in jagged waves, intoxicated by his presence. I nodded.

“Use your words, Princess. Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” I whimpered.

With the force of his fingers on my throat, Elis turned me, pushing my head onto the marble island. His breath was hot on my ear as he softly kissed his way down my back to the top of my buttocks.

“What are you doing, Elis?”

“Open your mouth, Princess.”

My lips parted for him, and he inserted three fingers into my mouth. He moved slowly at first before increasing his rhythm until I gagged.

“You talk too much, Devlynn. Next time, I’m going to have to shove your panties in your mouth to keep you quiet. Open up your ass for me. Spread those cheeks nice and wide so Daddy can get a better look at his property.”

Without hesitation, my hands moved to my ass, and I did as I was told. Submitting to Elis was so natural as if that was what I was made for. His tactics were depraved, but I knew this man wouldn’t hurt me. I knew that even with our fucked up past, he’d lay his life down before he let anything happen to me.

Elis Brooks loved me. It might not be the love people read about in fairy tales because it was darker, deeper, and seeped into the bloodstream, contaminating the heart and mind in turbulent ways. But at the end of the day, it was love in its purest form. It was visceral and demanding. Volatile and all-consuming.