Page 44 of In Darkness We Claim

Her breathy moans and little gasps whenever my finger hits her deep are like music to my ears, and once I’ve stretched her a little, I waste no time adding another.

“Good girl,” I tell her as she takes my second finger, letting out a little whimper.

As soon as the words leave my lips, her cunt flutters around my fingers, and I’m sure she gets even wetter. So my girl has a praise kink, I think to myself, smiling at the knowledge.

“You’re so fucking tight, Harper. Can you feel me stretching you, getting you ready for me?” My voice is deep and gravelly, showing just how affected I am by this gorgeous girl.

“Oh, shit.” The word falls from her lips like a sinful prayer as she drops her head back, closing her eyes. I have to fight to hold back my smirk at her using a curse word, albeit a mild one.

I speed up, thrusting my fingers into her as I press on her clit with my thumb, loving the way she rocks her hips as best she can, taking everything I’m giving her.

“You are taking my fingers so well, sweetheart. You cunt feels so fucking good.”

She opens her eyes, and they grow wide and hooded, darkening as I curl my fingers inside her, hitting the spot I’ve been searching for.

“Oh, God. P-Please,” Harper whimpers, rocking against my hand.

I lean over and capture her earlobe between my teeth, nibbling just enough to make her gasp, before releasing it to whisper into her ear, making sure not to slow my thrusts. “If you want to call out anyone’s name, sweetheart, it better be mine.”

“Lawson.” A shit-eating grin breaks out on my face when she says my name like a prayer. “I’m… I’m… Oh, shit… Lawson.”

Her movements become as frantic as her attempts to find the words, her brain clearly scrambled from all the overwhelming sensations I’m forcing on her body right now. But despite the way her cunt flutters around me, I can tell she’s not letting go enough to finish, which is fine—I can spend all night dragging it out of her.

“Please don’t stop,” she begs.

As much as I fucking hate doing it, I ignore her words and pull my fingers from her pussy. Harper lets out a frustrated groan as she glares at me, pulling in some much needed air.

“Why did you…” She sounds both angry and confused, flush spreading across her cheeks as she drops her gaze.

She doesn’t know how much I want to devour her, or that I have a plan I need to stick to, so she sees this as a rejection. I reach over and hook my finger under her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze.

“I have so much I want to do to you, but we have time. It won’t be long until I make you come. Every orgasm you have belongs to me. You will need to ask me to come, and you won’t be allowed to unless you have my permission. Do you understand?”

Despite looking a little shocked by my words, like the good girl she is, Harper nods, still trying to catch her breath. “Will it…when you?” she mutters, her words coming out fractured.

I hazard a guess as to what she’s asking. “Do you mean, will it hurt when I fuck you?”

She nods. “Yes.”

I move my hand to her cheek, my heart stuttering when she leans into my touch, as if she’s seeking comfort from me. I swipe my thumb over her freckles, in an uncharacteristically soft gesture, which we both know won’t last.

“I’ll do you this one favour, sweetheart. For your first time, I’ll go easy on you. It will still hurt, but I’ll make sure it’s good for you. I’ll be gentle until you like it.”

Her brow furrows as she narrows her eyes at me. “Why would you do that?” She looks suspicious, and she has every reason to be. I’m not known for being kind or gentle, and my reputation for fucking women and leaving them is well-earned.

But with Harper, it’s different. I have all year to do whatever I want with her, to use her in whatever twisted way my brain can think of. The least I can do is make her first time good.

My smirk turns wicked as I stare at Harper, giving her the answer I’m sure she doesn’t want to hear. “There will be times when I’m claiming you, when I’m punishing you, and it will hurt. There will be times when you will wish you had never agreed to be my Prize. During those times, I want you to remember that I’m capable of giving you everything you need, even if you don’t know what that is.”

Her nose wrinkles, and she looks even more confused than before. “But not romance,” she adds, pointing out the one thing we both know I’m not capable of giving her.

I shake my head, ignoring the flash of sadness in her beautiful blue eyes. “Women think they want hearts and flowers, Disney-style romance, but that’s child’s play. That’s a fantasy that the prince, the good guy, is the one you should be with. In reality, it’s the villain that will own you, crave you, obsess over you to the point of madness. Surely having that is better than romance.”

I don’t give her a chance to respond to that. I pick her up off the counter and keep a hold on her hips until she finds her footing. She looks up at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes, and I once again have to ignore the strange fluttering in my chest.

“Get freshened up. Do whatever you need to do, then come to bed. I’m done waiting. I’m claiming all of you—now.”

I’m ashamed to admit that I hide out in the bathroom for far longer than I should. But to give Lawson his due, he doesn’t rush me like I expect him to. Instead, he waits in the bedroom while I pace around the ensuite, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do to prepare myself for losing my virginity.