Page 199 of Sorrow & Strangers

I quirk a brow. “Don’t you like it?”

He growls again and steps around me. Pulling one of his shirts from a hanger, he returns and drapes it over my shoulders.

“No, I’m wearing this,” I say with a frown, trying to stop him from buttoning it up.

“You are mine,” he says, grabbing me again and fitting me to him. His abs press against my stomach, and my entire body thrums at the contact. “Seeing you dressed like this already drives me wild with desire. Do you want me to hurt someone?”

Yes.

The whispered word in my mind makes my darkness swirl. I fucking love this show of possession, and I know my panties are soaked, the lace pressing uncomfortably against the most sensitive parts of me, but also, fuck him.

“Let me be clear, Stranger,” I say. “I am my own person. I wear what I want.”

His shoulders tighten, and a muscle flexes in his jaw, his eyes flashing with anger. “So you’ll be fine if I go out shirtless?”

“I’m not shirtless.”

“Answer the question, little fae.”

I bristle because I can feel jealousy flicker to life within me. It’s something I never felt with Connor, never felt with anyone but the stranger, and I fucking hate it.

“No. I wouldn’t,” I say, giving him the gift of my truth. I know that at some point this has to end, and we will go back to the lies and secrets, so I want to enjoy this while I can. “But I am wearing a bralette. It isn’t the same.”

He slides his hand beneath his shirt, seeking the feel of my skin. His eyes are still flickering with anger, but I can tell he appreciated my truth, and he relaxes a little. “Am I being overbearing?”

“Yes.” There, another truth, asshole.

“I am not a possessive or jealous person,” he says, and I’m about to point out Exhibit A, B, and fucking C about how that isn’t true, when he continues. “Except when it comes to you.”

Do I relate another truth? A scary one?

“The only gaze I am interested in here is yours,” I say. Butterflies explode in my stomach as the nerves overtake me, but then he spanks me hard, my ass stinging from his palm, and another surge of desire plows through me.

“Good. I’ll try to keep it under control.”

“I’m starving,” I say, leaning against him to brush my lips along his jaw.

“Well then, we need to get you fed,” he says, nipping my lip lightly before pulling back. He smacks my ass before releasing me to get dressed.

He slides his hand into mine, and we leave his room. Every time anyone gets near us, his hand tightens on mine. His eyes are darting around, and he nearly snarls at everyone we pass. I pull him to a stop outside the dining room, and he blinks, looking at me.

“You’re about to break my hand.”

He blinks again and releases my hand. I stretch it out, trying to relieve the ache.

“Sorry,” he says, grimacing. “I’m trying.”

My lips twitch, and I nod as we walk into the dining room.

He moves in closer, and he cups my hip, brushing his thumb along my bare skin, making me shiver. “I’ll work on it.”

I press up onto my tiptoes, biting his cheek playfully. He growls at me, his eyes darkening by the second.

“Summer!” Alice’s voice pulls me from my haze of lust, and I turn my head to find her. She’s already at a table with Rafe, and I take the stranger’s hand again, guiding him to the table.

The stranger pulls my chair out for me again, and the moment he sits, servers set food before us. I take a sip of my coffee, but pause when an envelope appears beside the stranger’s plate. I watch as he picks it up and opens it immediately.

“So . . .” Alice says, pulling my attention away from him. “You two are late for breakfast.”