Rise and Fall - eBook

Lies, deceit, betrayal—everything has changed from the life I had.

From the life I knew. I lost my team. I lost my livelihood. I never thought it could come to this.

I vowed to protect her.

I failed.

But it’s not over yet.

The Agency made a mistake when they decided to take my life. Now I was free, and a man who answers to no one is a man who should be feared. I’m fueled by revenge, seeking justice for her, for me, and for the innocent lives I unknowingly destroyed.

Lily drew me from the shadows. She burned so brightly. She made me see clearly and filled me with warmth. But her flame was smothered, and she was cast into the darkness.

I won’t let that be her end. I need retribution. I will take nothing less. 

They may have won the battle, but I’m about to start a war.

KACE

The crunch of gravel fills the air as I watch a dark car move down the long path and pull to a stop. The breeze whips at my hair and clothing, the shelter of the trees that surround the small cabin doing nothing to protect me.

I take a step forward, my hand unconsciously moving to my chest to rub at the spot where the bullets had impacted my body. I’m still in a lot of pain, but all it does is fuel my anger and my need for retribution.

Ambling down the few small steps of the porch and onto the rough ground, I make my way slowly toward the car, the person inside still yet to climb out. I don’t have time to waste. This is what I’ve been waiting for. My patience is running thin, and with every passing day, I’ve become more restless, more agitated as I try to control the vengeance that burns deep inside me.

Another ache forms in my chest, this one not one of physical pain but emotional—mental. It’s a feeling of guilt and regret, knowing that I was the one to drag Lily into this massive fucking mess which, in the end, has completely destroyed her. This is all my fault, and I desperately need to make it right.

My stomach churns with unease and resentment as I watch Luca step out from the driver’s seat. His eyes meet mine instantly, and both of us freeze. I’m twitchy and irritated, two feelings that aren’t uncommon for me to have when I’m in the presence of my cocky, smart mouthed best friend. But this is different.

He clears his throat, cutting through the sparking atmosphere between us. “So, are we gonna run through a field of daisies and French kiss like two lost lovers, or should we get this over with, and you just punch me in the face?”

I wiggle my fingers as they hang at my side, trying to hold myself back. “Well, that would just be you getting off easy, now wouldn’t it? Maybe I’ll just shoot you in the chest… twice.”

Luca visibly cringes as he slams the car door shut and walks over, but relief soon floods his face. He heaves in a long breath before he spits out, “Fuck, man.” His arms stretch out, and he moves in to hug me, but this time I can’t restrain my body any longer. I pull back my arm and throw my fist directly at his face.

Luca’s fast, but he doesn’t even bother to try and move or deflect the harsh blow. It connects with his cheekbone, throwing his face to the side and causing him to stumble backward. His hand reaches up to cup his cheek, and he grits his teeth through the pain.

“Okay,” he mumbles awkwardly. “I deserved tha—”

He lets out a loud “oomph” as my fist connects again, this time with his stomach, making him double over and groan loudly. I shake out my hand, feeling only slightly better as I finally allow some of the malice inside me flow out.

“Now you’re acting like a dick!” he wheezes in protest, holding one hand up in surrender as he cradles his body with the other.

I scoff. “God, you’re right. I’m turning into you.”

Luca flinches as he throws his arms up in the air dramatically. “You say that like it’s a bad thing?”

Flicking my head to the house, Luca follows silently as we climb the worn steps onto the porch and sit down on two weathered old wooden chairs that look like they’ve been made with old fence posts and railings. They’re uncomfortable and seriously beaten down, often creaking loudly under the weight of a person, but they’re also surprisingly solid.

Silence settles around us as I look at the man who, for years, has been my sidekick, the one person who knows me better than anyone else in the entire world. And now, along with all that, he’s become something more.

He’s my replacement.

“Fuck,” Luca huffs as he eyes me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I lean forward, bracing my elbows on my knees and cupping my hands together, letting my head hang down. “Guess that’s thanks to you… a few seconds difference, and it could have so easily gone the other way.”

I stared into the eyes of my best friend, his gun aimed directly at my forehead, almost brushing against my skin. “Put it down, Luca,” I snapped but continued to remain still. His eyes were hard, dark, and unemotional, but it was the slight tremor in his hand that told me he was still with me, that this wasn’t over yet.

“Luca, stop! Please,” Lily pled. “This is enough!”

We continued to stare each other down, unmoving even, as the rest of my team filed into the house, moving around us as we formed a stalemate just inside the foyer.

“You gonna shoot me?” I huffed.

Luca’s jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth together. “No.”

Raising my hand, I smacked his hand away. “Then put the damn gun down, you idiot, you’re scaring her.”

“She should be scared,” he roared, stepping forward and into my face. I held my ground as I watched him overcome with emotion and anger. “Do you know what the hell is going on, Kace? The whole Agency has been turned upside down. They’re hunting for you two, and I’m telling you now, the plan is not capture and detain. No, your mother wants your damn head on a fucking platter!”

I grabbed his shoulders, my fingers digging into the thick material of his vest. “We’ll figure this shit out, but for us to do that, I need you not to lose your fucking head.” Luca’s chest rose and fell in short, sharp breaths, his nostrils flaring like an angry bull. “Listen, learn, keep it together for fuck’s sake because I can’t do this without you. You hear me?”

He took a moment before nodding his head sharply. “I fucking hear you.”

“Good, ‘cause shit’s about to get serious.”

Lily ran to my side as I led them to the living room, gripping my shirt in her hands as she wrapped her arms around my waist and stared defiantly at my men.

“It’s okay,” I told her softly, looking down and cupping her face in my hand, drawing her eyes to mine and hoping she saw the strength inside them that she needed.

“Did you actually kill him?” Axel asked as he leaned against one of the walls, folding his arms across his chest, ready to get down to business. His face was covered in bruises after our altercation in the mall, but there was no malice in his eyes.

I owed him an apology.

I owed the whole team an apology.

But right then, there were bigger problems to deal with.

I just had to hope they would still be willing to hear me out.

“Yeah,” I answered, lifting my chin, knowing that the news of Mark’s death would have shocked the entire Agency. “And when I get hold of Camilla, she’s going to pay, too, for what she did to my father.”

“Woah there… what the hell are you talking about?” Luca interjected with his eyes wide.

Lily’s hand slipped into mine, and she squeezed it hard, a small but strong show of support while I retold the people around us just what Mark Luthendale had told me.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Noah said in awe, brushing his fingers through his short hair and shaking his head. “How does this shit happen? Your dad, he was…”

Silence sat stale in the room as they all contemplated the same things I had over the last few hours. My dad, he was everything The Agency stood for. He was strong, confident, and compassionate. He believed in fighting for what was right and protecting people who he didn’t know, who he had no ties to whatsoever because that was what was right. He put his life on the line and didn’t care who stood against him or how powerful the enemy was. Dad believed that no matter the odds, we had to fight anyway to make a difference in the world.

No one questioned or told me I had it wrong, and that this couldn’t happen.

When I spoke, they listened because they knew me. They knew that my dad was my hero, and theirs too.

“I feel sick,” Tanner spat in disgust, snapping us all from our daze. “How long has this been going on? This is not what I signed up for!”

“None of us signed up to be part of a terrorist organization,” Blair snorted. “That’s what we fight against. Yet, here we are, all of us wondering just how many people we’ve hurt doing those assholes’ dirty work.”

I could tell my whole team was upset and distressed. We’d spent a long time fighting through hell, believing we had a purpose, and we were making a difference. Now everything we’d done didn’t just weigh heavily on our shoulders, it was sinking it, pulling us into a place we never thought existed.

“We have to fix this,” Axel said sternly.

“We’re going to fix it,” I agreed. “Camilla isn’t going to get away with what she’s done. I’ll make damn sure of it.”

“No, you won’t,” Luca stated. I whipped my head in his direction ready to argue my point but was interrupted.

“They’re on us,” Noah snapped, staring down at his phone. “They’ve just sent an alert out with our location. We have less than four minutes before reinforcements get here.”

Luca’s hands instantly went to his vest, unzipping it and dragging it off his shoulders. “Put this on!”

“What the—”

“Just do it!” he yelled.

“Trust me, damn it! If you want Lily to live, you need to take her and get the fuck out of here.”

“This is my fight,” I argued, gripping the Kevlar vest in my hands. “Camilla needs to be brought to justice.”

Luca stormed forward, slamming his palms into my chest. “And what about Lily? You want to risk her life just so you can get some kind of payback? You gonna sit aside as they storm in here and drag her away kicking and fucking screaming just because you can’t put your anger aside and let us… the people who have stood beside you for years and had your back… take this one and make it right for you?”

Turning to look at Lily, her eyes were wide with fear. She licked her dry lips—it would have been erotic if it weren’t for the situation we’d found ourselves in. “You do what you have to do to make this right, Kace.”

Fuck.

My girl, trying to be strong, trying to tell me she’d practically go through hell and stare death in the eye if that was what I needed to do.

No, this wasn’t just about me anymore.

I promised her that I would protect her and keep her safe. Losing her would mean losing a part of myself, like cutting off a limb. I’m in love with this woman, and it was because of Lily that I’d been able to finally see clearly. She was my future, and I needed to do whatever I could to not jeopardize that future.

I’d already fucked with her life. I had dragged her down with me, and now I needed to make it right, even if that meant stepping aside for now.

With a heavy growl, I pulled my shirt off, glad it was baggy enough to hide the vest underneath it.

“I hope you have a plan,” I snapped at Luca, who finally flashed me a grin.

“Nope, but we’ll make it up as we go.” He turned to Lily. “I have to be an asshole, so you need to play along.”

Lily huffed and raised an eyebrow. “Something new and different for you?”

“Less than thirty seconds,” Noah warned us, my team stealing their bodies, their faces turning out any kind of emotion. Luca pulled his gun out once again, his fingers wrapping around the butt.

“You better keep me in the fucking loop,” I told Luca seriously.

“It’s over,” he answered harshly.

I caught Lily shuffling nervously out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to go to her, to comfort her, to tell her this was going to be okay. But I knew that for now, I needed to trust Luca.

“This is still my team,” I growled.

“Not anymore.”

While trying to take a deep breath, the ache in my chest grows more prominent as I remember the events of that night. “How’s the team doing?”

Luca laughs. “Dealing. Considering their leader just died.” He shakes his head. “They’re ready to get this shit sorted, man. They’re on edge waiting for Camilla to give us orders regarding another assignment, not knowing what the next one will entail. Maybe she’ll have us killing newborn babies, telling us they are suicide bombers.”

It was a joke, but I was beginning to realize just how ruthless the woman I once called Mom really was.

Lily’s completely innocent in all this, but because Camilla couldn’t afford to have me distracted, she would rather kill an innocent, beautiful woman like Lily than to have that disruption in our team.

We are the best they have.

We got shit done, and we got it done fast.

Lily was in the way of Camilla’s plans, so her first reaction was to eliminate her.

A shudder runs through me thinking about what would have happened if I’d listened to Camilla and not trusted my instincts, which told me Lily was just a pawn in a bigger game. I could have killed her. I could have taken her life, and just the thought of that makes me feel fucking sick.

“What did she say?” I ask through tight lips, not sure if I even want to know the answer.

Luca looks at me through narrowed eyes, knowing exactly who I’m talking about, but obviously gauging whether or not he wants to answer.

“She said nothing.”

I raise my eyebrows, wondering if he’s trying to ease the blow, or whether Camilla really is just that damn cold.

His head bobs up and down. “I walked into her office, and the body cam video from one of The Agency boys was playing. She watched me shoot you, over and over. There was no sign of remorse, no sign of any regret. Nothing. Blank, cold eyes stared at the screen, Kace.”

A dark laugh falls from my lips, but all I really feel is numb.

Thankfully, he saves me from the depths of hell that I can feel myself slowly sinking back into by asking, “How’s Lily doing?”

Instead, guilt strikes at my heart. How is she doing? She’s been through hell and back again, and she would have never been in this position if I’d just done what I should have and stayed the hell away from her.

But I can’t. It is impossible.

She’s everything I never thought I needed. I realize now that we were all heading down a dark path of destruction. Following orders and never questioning motives had become the norm. We put our trust in people who should have never been given the power they had been handed, and we were all puppets on a string.

Until I saw Lily and how bright and innocent she was, I was content with living in the darkness and letting it consume my soul. She made me want something better, not just for me, but for my team. We want to do good, we want to help people, but this is not the road we need to take to achieve that.

I know her life has been turned upside down, and she’s been thrown into a shit-storm that never should have touched her. But it is what it is. And now we need to work on making it right. The last few days have been hard.

Essentially, Lily and Kace are dead.

By now, her parents will know. Her family and friends will all be grieving for her, mourning her loss and wishing they could hold her one last time. While we know this is not permanent—simply a means to an end—they don’t, and the pain they’re currently feeling will be very real.

I know that is what’s affecting her the most. Her kind heart can’t deal with the fact that she could ease their pain so easily. The Agency will lie about our deaths to cover their own asses, so I take comfort in the fact that they won’t know the hell she’s had to endure the last two weeks just to survive.

“She’s sore, she’s hurt… physically and mentally. The doctor we had come in said she dislocated her kneecap. I guess falling from a second story building will do that to you.” I sit back, the seat under me creaking and shifting under my weight. “I’m not sure she realizes just how long this could take.”

“None of us do, but the Board has already been called in.” I sit a little straighter hearing those words. “They need to decide who’s going to take Mark’s place as head. A vote won’t be far away.”

Calling in the Board is a rare occurrence but an important one. It’s made up of five long-standing members and retired agents who hold power over the entire Agency. It’s those agents who decide who rules and who has power, and with Mark out of the game, I know exactly who will be their next option.

As if Luca has read my mind, he reaches over and slaps me on the shoulder. “She’s not going to win.”

I hang my head, feeling almost defeated. “How did this happen?”

Luca doesn’t answer, and I look up at him, seeing the regret and empathy in his eyes. Luca is a joker, he does it when he feels uncomfortable or in bad situations, but right now, he is my best friend. And he can feel my pain.

“How did I not see this? How did I not see her for what she really is? She’s my fucking mom.”

“You know better than anyone the more practice you have, the easier it is to put on that mask and pretend to be something you’re not.” Luca’s words do little to comfort me.

I should have known.

This woman raised me—she tucked me in at night, she cuddled me when I was sick, she taught me how to fight and how to be one of the best agents out there.

“We’ll get her, man. You gotta trust me.”

I force back the emotions swirling in my gut, telling me to get off my ass and do something or hurt someone. “You know you’re not taking my team, right?” I smirk.

Luca rolls his eyes. “You’re fucking dead. Therefore, the team is dead until your resurrection.” Laughter bursts unexpectedly from his mouth. “Holy shit, does that make you Jesus?”

I try to hide the smile on my face but raise my middle finger at him. “You’re an idiot.”

“But you missed me, right?” He wiggles his eyebrows, but I just shake my head.

I did miss him. I hated knowing that they were hunting me down, not understanding why I was doing what I was doing. I knew they were feeling the same as I was confused, angry, desperate—but we were back now.

They heard me, and once again, they have my back.

And with them at my back, nothing’s impossible.

LILY

Groaning loudly, I roll over, trying desperately to ease the aches in my body. But it seems that no matter which way I lay or roll, they’re still there. A sharp reminder of sorts, I guess, that there’s no escape.

My head feels hazy like I’m stuck in a thick fog. I’m not entirely sure if it’s due to my nap or because of the painkillers I’m on. They’re the only thing that’s getting me through from day to day. They allow me to relax, take a deep breath, and for just a brief moment, I feel at ease.

It’s no way to live, I’m well aware.

But I’m alive, and I guess that’s something to be grateful for.

Noises coming from outside have me sitting at attention. I blink quickly, trying to clear my vision and look around. Swinging my legs over the edge of the sofa causes me to whimper, pain shooting up my leg and buzzing through my spine. My heart begins to race as I hear two very distinct male voices flowing through the small crack in the front door. We’ve been alone in the cabin for almost two weeks, and I’ve become accustomed to the silence. It’s almost deafening at times, allowing me too much time with my thoughts.

Kace has been quiet too. I know he’s on edge, his muscles feel like they’re constantly tight as if he’s preparing for a fight at any moment. It makes me nervous to watch him looking so lost like the world is revolving around him, and he can’t control it anymore. Kace is always so poised, but now he’s rattled, and all I can do is tell him that things will be okay, that we will get through this.

But the truth is, I have no idea.

The voices interrupt my thoughts again, and my skin prickles, sending a wave of goosebumps up my arms and stirring an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Dead people should not worry this much.

I scold myself for being so paranoid as I realize one of the voices belongs to Kace, his tone is soft and calm. Rolling my shoulders, I shuffle my body to the edge of the sofa, taking a deep breath as I push off. I have to fight through the pain as I hobble toward the door, the need to investigate who’s outside becoming too much for my curious mind. My body feels heavy, lethargic. Every small movement sends vibrations through me.

Luca’s sarcastic laugh greets me as I pull on the door handle, and I roll my eyes as I step outside. An instant chill hits my skin, and a slow shiver starts at my toes working its way through my body. My arms go around my waist, hugging myself tightly as though I may freeze and then shatter into a million tiny pieces and float away on the breeze.

Winter seems to have come sooner this year.

I’ve never been a fan.

Kace’s stern face flicks up as he catches my movement. “Will you sit down!”

I limp out, flicking my wrist dismissively. “I’m fine.” I’m not.

When I get within reaching distance, he grabs me, hooking his arms around my body and lifting me into his lap. The old chair shifts under our weight but holds firm.

“Well, you look pretty good for a dead woman,” Luca says, eyeing me with a small smile.

“Pretty sure dead people don’t feel this much pain,” I point out, nodding at my bandaged knee, but inside I feel like the words mean something completely different. I know my brave persona is faltering, but so far, I’ve managed to distract Kace enough so that he doesn’t notice.

The pain in my head is very real, but it’s not caused by any physical injury.

“That will happen when you jump from the second story of a building,” Kace says, his hand brushing my thigh softly, causing my body to melt against him.

Luca gives me a thumbs up and a wonky grin. “That scream was on point, though.”

I cough. “Yeah, because I got scared. Ended up Tanner had to push me ‘cause I wouldn’t jump.”

Luca laughs, but Kace tightens his hold on my body, his grip is bordering on almost painful.

“I better get going,” Luca announces as he stands up, pulling his coat tighter around his body. “I’ll start the rotation of visits as of today. We don’t want queen bitch, Camilla, to catch us slipping.” His comment brings the first chuckle to my mouth in a long time.

Kace picks me up as he stands, then places me back on the seat. “This is still my team—”

Luca chuckles and pats Kace on the shoulder, lowering his voice like he’s talking to a small child. “It’s okay, Kace. Let it go.” In a blink, Kace grabs Luca’s arm, using it to twist his body into position as he pushes it up his back.

“Ouch… ouch… ouch…” he cries out in both pain and laughter as Kace directs him down the stairs.

Kace looks over his shoulder at me with a smile and a wink, and my body warms. He has his best friend back. Luca may be a pain in the ass a lot of the time with his inability to take shit seriously, but Kace knows, without a doubt, that Luca has his back. Even if he were walking through fire, Luca wold be there right beside him cooking marshmallows.

There are no lengths he won’t go to, to support Kace, and sometimes Kace needs that.

But maybe so do I.

Tears spring to my eyes as I think about how much I miss Molly and just what she must be going through right now, thinking that I’m gone forever. Kace still has his team, the people who will do whatever it takes to make sure he comes out the other side of this whole ordeal unscathed.

I’ve lost everyone.

I mentally scold myself for simply thinking those thoughts. They aren’t true. I haven’t lost everyone, I have Kace. I decided back in that house that I’ll stand by his side, come hell or high water, and it seems like both are creeping up on us.

I’m going to hold on because this is bigger than me, and I know what could happen if we fail, and Camilla gets away with all the pain and destruction she’s caused. There will only be more to come. A shiver shoots up my spine at the thought of what the future might hold.

I watch as Luca hands Kace a white file with a bright red border. I can clearly see TOP SECRET in bold red letters separated with slashes and the words ‘Boxed Flower.’ I sit a little taller, my heart thumping in my chest as I look at classified information for the first time. Suddenly, I can’t wait for Luca to leave, the need to know what’ in that file almost too much to bear. Is it something that will help us?

Kace waves as Luca pulls away. He turns and stomps back toward me, but just as I think he’s about to sit down, he bends and lifts my body into his arms, his lips tickling my neck as he carries me bridal style back inside the house. I sigh contently. Having him this close and in my arms is enough to soothe my aching soul, even if only for a moment. His strong body, his muscles, his hard and defined features all bring me calm. Kace is a strong man, in more ways than just physically. He’s a good person, his heart tainted with pain but not enough to destroy the purity he holds inside it.

Kace places me on the sofa with a soft kiss to my pouting lips before continuing into the kitchen and slipping the folder into a drawer.

My brows crease in a mixture of confusion and annoyance. “Seriously?”

He doesn’t even bother to look at me as he answers, “It’s not for you to worry about, Lily.”

“We’re in this together, Kace. You need to be honest with me if this is going to work, and I’m going to stay somewhat sane,” I throw back, folding my arms across my chest, acting like a tantrum-throwing toddler.

He makes his way around the counter and crouches down in front of me. “The less pressure on you, the better as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want you to become stressed out.”

I sit forward bringing my face close to his. “You’re stressing me out by keeping things from me.”

He cradles my face in his hands, his eyes sparkling blue, staring into mine with a look that I know will never get old. “I promise we will talk about it later,” he whispers softly, brushing my messy hair back from my face. “Okay?”

It’s a strange feeling to know that words seem pointless when you can feel someone’s emotions so intensely, almost as though they’re a physical being reaching and drawing you in. His promises are more than just words.

“Okay,” I reply, confident that he isn’t trying to keep me out.

“Good, because I have much better plans for you right now.” His smirk stirs excitement in my belly as he sweeps me gently into his arms and carries me to the bedroom.

“You’re incorrigible,” I laugh as he transfers me through the small bedroom of the cabin and gently tosses me onto the bed.

He’s been so gentle with me since the shit hit the fan. With my injuries, I know he’s fearful of hurting me more than he already has, but it’s frustrating. My need for him hasn’t lessened any since I got hurt, if anything, it’s grown beyond any measure I could have imagined.

I watch, trying not to lick my lips as he drags his T-shirt over his head and drops it onto the floor beside him.

My sudden need to rid my body of my shorts has me squirming uncomfortably.

Kace’s body is something of utter magnificence. Even since we’ve been hidden away in this middle-of nowhere cabin, even with the injuries he sustained himself, he’s managed to get up every day and work out. You’d expect that people who’ve suffered the stress we have would have cowered away, slipped into some kind of depression, but not Kace. No, it only makes him want to work harder and get stronger.

I, on the other hand, have done the opposite.

I’ve pulled away from him, allowing the pains in my body to overtake my mind. I know it can’t be fun to be around me, yet he’d never say.

His pants drop to the floor, and I take in a sharp breath. It’ll never get old, seeing him standing there, hard and ready, knowing it’s me that he wants, me that he craves to get lost inside. This plain girl, who had up until recently lived her life day by day, appeased by the simple things that comforted me—working with animals and an unhealthy Netflix obsession.

He kneels at the end of the bed, and my legs unconsciously fall to the sides, waiting to accommodate his body, dying to feel it wrapped around me, aching for him.

He smirks, his fingers trailing up my bare leg until he reaches the waistband of my shorts, and with one swift tug, he pulls them down to my knees, my panties along with them. I’m bare, the cool air inside the room hitting the wetness that already covers my pussy and sending a sharp chill up my spine.

He becomes gentler as he helps to move them down over my leg, his soft hands taking away the pain that I was expecting to hit me.

When they’re disposed of and tossed over his shoulder, he dips his head. I brace myself, expecting him to take advantage of the position I’m in, but instead, his lips press against the skin on my lower belly.

I sigh, the brush of his unshaven face in contrast with his soft, succulent lips causing me to relax into the bed. It will never get old, the way he looks after me like I’m so precious and delicate, but there comes a time when I just want to scream at him to fuck me so hard that I lose my damn mind.

I know he’s holding back as he moves my shirt further up my body, his lips following the trail of naked skin until he bunches it up over my chest. Then he moves to my bra, pulling down the cups and exposing my breasts. My nipples instantly harden, and he doesn’t miss a beat. He grabs them both in his hands, squeezing as he lowers his mouth to one nipple.

His tongue swirls around it, flicking over it a few times before he turns his head, doing the same to the other. I throw my head back and press my chest forward, encouraging him to take more.

I need more.

“I ever tell you these are the perfect fucking size for my hands?” he mutters as his tongue and mouth drive me into a state of complete and utter desperation.

“Once or twice,” I tell him as I lift my hips, trying my best to tempt him. Even the pain that shoots through my leg seems to become unimportant, the slut inside me ignoring it as I continue to squirm underneath him.

He groans, lifting himself onto his knees and moving his lips up toward my neck as he positions himself above me. “I fucking love you,” he growls, his teeth nipping at the skin underneath my ear.

“Do you always need to use fuck in that sent—”

He thrusts inside me, and I cry out as he bottoms out.

“You were saying?” Kace chuckles as he withdrawals before doing the same thing again.

My eyes drift closed, and I wrap my arms around his shoulders, anchoring myself to his body.

“Nothing,” I whisper, my voice raspy and low. He pounds inside me again, this time twisting his hips, so he hits a different angle. “Fuck!”

“Hypocrite,” he hisses, the tone of his voice telling me he’s just as overcome by pleasure as I am.

His lips tickle my jaw-line as his thrusts become steadier.

In… gasp.

Out… holy shit.

Screw it. “Fuck me… hard.”

He stills at my words, pulling his face back. I open my eyes to see him staring down at me, his body still, but his eyes are telling me everything I need to know. He wants the same thing—to screw us both to the point where nothing else matters, to the point where we can’t breathe.

“I’ll hurt you,” he says softly.

I groan and lift my legs, wrapping them around his waist and digging my heels into his rock-hard ass, pushing him further inside me. My knee cries out in pain, the position pulling at the muscles.

“Lily,” he says, trying to be stern, but I can see the pure need in his eyes.

“I’m not gonna move my damn legs until you do.”

“Jesus Christ,” he huffs. “Grab on to the fucking headboard. This was meant to be romantic.”

I lift my arms, latching onto the slats of the wooden headboard while staring him in the eyes. “Romance later… make me come.”

A deep growl leaves his throat as I lower my legs back to the bed and dig my heels into the soft mattress. He braces himself over me, and his eyes light up with lust. “As you wish.”

The build-up is slow, but the intensity is nothing like I’ve experienced before. It’s like someone has lit my body on fire from the inside, and the warmth is spreading outward.

Kace dips his head and latches onto my nipple with his teeth, and I scream out. Just that small touch is almost enough to detonate my body and send me flying into space.

Deep, hard thrusts, one after another, my body slowly moves up the bed. I try to hold myself in place, but the power he’s throwing behind them is no match for me as my body begins to surrender to my climax.

“Kace!” I moan, feeling like my whole body is now alight.

His mouth claims mine, stealing all the air from my lungs for himself.

My orgasm tears through my body like wildfire, and with another twist of his hips, the base of his cock grinds against my clit, and another rush consumes me.

“Dammit,” he curses, his lips grazing mine as we both gasp for air. “Lily.”

His hips stall inside me, and he tosses his head back, his eyes rolling back into his head. I release the headboard and press my hands against his chest. I notice he has a light sheen of sweat across his body as I slide my hands down over his clenched abdominal muscles, loving the feeling of his cock pulsing inside me. He quivers under my touch as I grip his hips and hold him in place.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he hisses, pressing his forehead against mine.

“Don’t tell me you saw the pearly gates when you came.” I giggle, still lulling on a pleasant high.

“More like I felt the fires of hell swallowing me whole.” He grins as he runs his nose down the side of my face.

“Guess I better get some sunscreen then, because if that’s where you’re heading… I’ll be right there with you.”