Chapter 17

KESTER.

She had seen it all. My little secret. I've been gathering and preserving them for years now, and all it took to discover them was her curiosity. She never lets things be. And now, she'll face the full brunt of the beast she had just unleashed.

"Kes...Kester..." I could hardly hear her voice over the wild rush of blood pumping in my veins.

I took slow steps forward, but she backed away until her heels collided with the bed behind her, and she fell into a sitting position on the bed.

She was a trembling mess on the bed, her wide, tear-glazed eyes locked on mine like prey caught in the gaze of a predator. Her lips quivered as though she wanted to speak but couldn't find the courage.

Her cute little face was wet with tears, and her eyes were swollen and red.

"Why did you come into my room, Kasmine?" I asked, doing all I could to calm the raging storm in me.

She froze immediately, her small hands clutching the hem of her tank top, wringing it nervously. Her tank top. Her skimpy shorts. Clothes I had told her not to wear, and yet here she was, in the same outfits that always made my cock rage.

She didn't know that I had asked her to stop wearing them for her safety... To keep her safe from me.

She backed away instinctively, retreating until her slim frame pressed against the headboard. The sight stirred something dark and sinful in me.

I leaned forward, also climbing into the bed, slowly making my way toward her. Her scent hit me—a mix of something sweet, like vanilla, mingled with the heat of fear. It drove me further into the abyss of my rage.

"I… I didn't mean to find—"

"What you found," I interrupted, my lips curling into a bitter sneer, "should never have been discovered. It was not for you, Kasmine."

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kester. I didn't mean to invade your privacy—"

"Privacy?" I leaned further, letting out a cold, humorless laugh. The bed creaked beneath my weight as I leaned forward, planting a hand on either side of her. "You've seen what I've been hiding. So tell me… how does it feel? To know you've been watched, adored, and… wanted?"

My gaze raked over her trembling form, taking in the way her chest heaved, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

The thin tank top clung to her like a second skin, the straps slipping off one shoulder. Those damn shorts—so short they barely covered anything—left the curve of her thighs exposed. She'd always dressed like this, always pushed my limits despite my warnings.

And now, here she was, looking like a fallen angel in my bed, staring up at me with those tear-filled eyes.

I shouldn't have been looking. But I couldn't stop.

"You never listen," I said, my voice dropping lower. "I told you not to wear those," I gestured toward her shorts, my eyes narrowing. "I told you not to test me. But you always do, don't you, Kasmine? Always pushing, always curious. And now look where it's brought you."

Her lips parted as if to speak, but I silenced her with a sharp look.

"You've crossed a line," I continued, my tone icy.

Her back pressed harder into the headboard, her body curling in on itself, as if she could somehow escape me.

"Do you know what happens when someone crosses a line like this?" I asked, my tone deceptively calm. "When they open a door that was never meant to be opened?"

"There's a consequence for every action, Kasmine. You've pried into a part of me that was never yours to know. And now, everything changes."

"Kester, please… I swear. Not a word about this to anyone. I promise. Just... let me go," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Her plea barely registered. Her trembling voice, her wide, tear-streaked eyes—everything about her fed into the storm raging inside me. I didn't think. I couldn't. The careful restraint I'd forced on myself for years snapped.

In one swift motion, I moved, closing the space between us and claiming her lips.

The moment our mouths met, it was like a dam had burst. Every dark, forbidden feeling I'd buried surged to the surface, wild and uncontrollable. The kiss wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It was hunger and madness wrapped in one.

Her lips were warm, soft, and trembling beneath mine. I felt her gasp against me, a small sound of surprise that only spurred me further. My hands, which had been braced against the bed, moved instinctively. One tangled into her hair, angling her face so I could kiss her deeper, harder, taking what I'd been denying myself for far too long.

She tasted like everything I'd ever wanted and everything I knew I shouldn't have. Sweet, intoxicating, and utterly addictive.

A low growl rumbled in my chest as I pressed closer, desperate to erase the distance between us. The thin material of her tank top brushed against my chest, and I felt the heat of her skin even through the layers of fabric separating us. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

Her small hands came up to my chest, attempting to push me off, but fuck! It only spurred me further.

It was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

She whimpered as I stole her breath away. The hunger in me was enough to consume us both.

"Fuck, Mine. I've been dying to have this moment," I growled, my voice coming out huskier and hungrier than intended.

I kissed her like I was drowning, and she was the only air I'd ever have. My teeth grazed her lower lip, and I swallowed her soft gasp, the sound sending a jolt of pure heat through me.

But as much as I wanted to lose myself in her, there was a part of me that had better plans for what our first sex should be like.

Fuck, yes. I will fuck her. I will own her. I will make her mine. There was no negotiation.

I pulled back, my breathing ragged, my hands still buried in her hair. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks flushed.

"What have you done to me, Kasmine?" I rasped, my voice hoarse with unrestrained need.

My thumb brushed against her jaw, trailing along the line of her neck. Her pulse fluttered beneath my touch, rapid and unsteady. "You've crossed a line," I murmured, my gaze dropping to her lips again. "And now, there's no going back."

Her lips parted, her voice barely a whisper as she almost choked on her sobs. "Kester…"

I leaned in, letting my forehead rest against hers. For a moment, I closed my eyes, inhaling the scent of her—vanilla and something uniquely hers. "You were mine the moment you came into my life... But the moment you walked into this room, pried into my privacy, and saw the things you shouldn't have seen?" I said softly, my voice tinged with a dark possessiveness I couldn't hide. "There's no escaping me anymore."

"I don't want this, Kester," she whispered, her voice barely audible against her thick sobs. "Please. This is not right. I beg of you." She cried.

I leaned back slightly, "You don't have to want it, Kasmine. You don't have to feel anything for me. But you need to understand something."

My hand slid to her chin, gently turning her face back to mine. "You've stepped into a world you can't walk away from. You've opened a door that can't be closed. You're mine now, Kasmine. Whether you like it or not."