LOGINEllias"William," I choked out, my hands flying back to brace myself against the mattress as he leaned closer. "Get off me." He reached out, his massive hand clamping around my ankle tightly. With one effortless pull, he dragged me back down the mattress until I was pinned beneath his shadow once more. “You wanted to play the brat? Fine. I'm going to treat you like one."He shifted his weight above me then flipped me over onto my stomach, pinning my lower back down with the flat of his forearm. The sheer weight of him made it impossible to breathe, let alone fight back."William, stop! Let me up!" I yelled, my face buried in the mattress, my fingers clawing uselessly at the sheets."Quiet," he ordered.He pulled me firmly across his lap as he sat on the edge of my bed. The position was entirely humiliating, leaving me completely exposed and helpless. I was panting, my heart hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against my ribs, the skin of my bare back flushing hot against the cool ai
ElliasFinding the match wasn't hard.Julian, a guy I shared one of my classes with. He’d been staring at me in the student lounge for about three months.All it took was a single seat next to him and a casual comment about being bored at home on a Tuesday night.By eight o'clock, his sleek silver sedan pulled into our driveway. I was waiting by the front window, watching the headlights cut across the dark lawn. Mother was at a spa resort two towns over.William’s car was parked in its usual spot. He was home."Nice place," Julian said as I opened the front door, his eyes scanning the place. He slid a hand around my waist, pulling me to him with a strong grip. "Thanks," I murmured, my eyes instantly darting toward the dark hallway leading to William’s study. The door was cracked open, a faint sliver of light spilling onto the hardwood floor.Yep, he was there."My parents are out of town," I said, raising my voice, making sure it carried down the corridor. "Come on upstairs."Julian g
ElliasLeon stared at me, the lingering amusement draining from his face until his expression was completely blank. "You're out of your mind.""I'm strategic," I corrected, leaning back against and crossing my legs. A rush of pure adrenaline was already replacing the exhaustion from the mountain. "Think about it, Leon.He watches me. He pushes. He wants to see me break. Let’s see how he reacts when I bring someone home and smash his controlling little world right in his face.""And what happens when he tells your mother?" Leon asked, his voice dripping with skepticism."He won't," I said, my voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "If he catches me, he’ll try to handle it himself. He’ll try to punish me, or lecture me, or whatever twisted thing he does. And the second he oversteps,the second he puts his hands on me where he shouldn't,I have him. I can blow his whole life up."Leon rubbed his temples, letting out a long, heavy breath. "You are playing a dangerous game, Eli. Using sex as bai
Ellias"And we didn't even talk!" I whined, flopping back onto the bed in Leon’s room. i was taking him through my eventful interactions with my step fathe in the woods.Leon chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. He closed his textbook,the one he’d been pretending to read for the last twenty minutes, and set it on the coffee table. "That's tough.""You think?" I forced myself up into a sitting position, my muscles still aching from that brutal mountain trail."I'm just saying... it sounds like your stepfather wants to be more of a daddy."My stomach twisted violently at his words, a hot wave of friction rushing straight up my spine. I let out an unsteady breath, my eyes locking onto his as I searched for words to counter him. But the memories of the last few days replayed in my mind like a loop of film I couldn't stop. William in the kitchen. William on the trail. William pulling down my hoodie to feel the frantic, terrified beat of my pulse. He was a commanding, demanding asshole."He lov
Elliasmother had changed out of her heavy hiking gear and into a thick, oversized knit cardigan, which she was wrapping tightly around herself as if she were freezing to death. Her face was entirely drained of color, her skin looking almost translucent under the fading canopy of the pines.William stood up seamlessly, his relaxed posture vanishing in an instant. He stepped into his place right beside her, wrapping a heavy arm around her waist and pulling her close against his side. "Are you okay, darling?"She nodded rapidly, but her whole body was trembling, her hands clutching at his flannel shirt like a lifeline. "We need to leave. Now! We can leave everything here if we have to, but we need to leave. Elias, get your things. William, please, the keys."My own exhaustion vanished, replaced by a cold spike of dread. I forced myself to my feet, my sore thighs protesting violently from the brutal climb. "Mom? What's wrong? What did you see?"The moment I spoke, her eyes locked onto me
ElliasWilliam’s voice was a low vibration against my skin. His gloved hand rested right against the base of my throat, his thumb pressing lightly over my pulse. I knew he could feel it. My heart was slamming violently against my ribs from a toxic mix of pure exhaustion, terror, and that sickening, addictive heat I couldn't seem to shake.I pressed my back harder into the granite wall, my hands bunching into fists inside my pockets until my nails bit into my palms."I'l be okay," I choked out, staring directly into his cold, unreadable eyes. I forced every ounce of spite I had left into my voice, even though my lungs were burning for air.William didn’t pull away. If anything, he leaned a fraction closer, his broad chest nearly pinning me to the stone. He looked at me patiently and seemingly amused.My breath hitched as his thumb stroked up my jawline, the rough leather of his glove sending a violent shiver straight down my spine. "William! Elias! Look at this view!"My mother's voice
Elias Dinner was ‘splendid’ as mother put it. She went on about how great it is for us to be together and even suggested a movie,which I was to search for. “Let's go hunting tomorrow.” My heart stops at Williams random suggestion. I lift my eyes to his but his back was turned to the kitchen.
William VanceI stood in the kitchen, preparing a simple dinner. Claire had retreated to her room hours ago, claiming a migraine, leaving the silence of the house to be filled by the distant, rhythmic lap of the water against the dock. The stairs groaned. I didn't need to look up to know it was hi
Elias ThorneI was halfway through a bowl of cereal, scrolling through a text from Leo about his stalking, when my mother drifted into the kitchen looking suspiciously bright-eyed. Behind her was William, already dressed in a charcoal sweater, looking as unreadable as ever "We’re going to the lak
WilliamThe house at 3:00 AM was deadly quiet.I sat in the kitchen, the marble island cold beneath my palms. I hadn't turned on the lights; the ambient glow of the city through the breakfast nook windows provided enough visibility to see the amber liquid in my glass.Arthur Vane.The name felt lik







