Page 72 of Hellebore

Her hips roll against my mouth as her voice breaks through the music. “Oh God⁠—”

I drape her leg over my shoulder, opening her wider. My tongue moves in steady strokes, licking and sucking while I slide one thick finger inside her. She’s scorching. Slick. Her walls clench hard around me as I curl my finger against that sensitive spot.

“Drystan, I’m going to come,” she whimpers.

“Then come,” I growl against her. “Come for me, Briar.”

I add a second finger, stretching her slowly. The moment I stroke that spot again, her body locks up. A raw cry tears from her throat. Her thighs shake around my head as she comes hard, nails raking down my shoulder. I keep my mouth on her through every pulse, drinking her in.

When the waves finally ease, I pull back slightly and look up at her. Her face is flushed deep red, lips parted and swollen, eyes still closed.

“Briar. Look at me.”

She takes a shaky breath and opens her eyes. The raw vulnerability there nearly snaps the last of my restraint.

“Good girl,” I say, voice rough, as I rise to my feet. My cock strains painfully against my jeans. Firelight flickers across her naked skin, tracing every rapid rise and fall of her chest. I tower over her, fists clenched at my sides, fighting the urge to take her immediately.

I bend down, lift her into my arms, and carry her the few steps to the thick black rug in front of the fireplace. She feels small and fever-hot against me. I lower her gently onto the rug as the fire crackles beside us.

I turn to the mantel and pluck a hellebore bloom from the dark vase. The deep purple petals look nearly black in the low light. Kneeling between her spread thighs, I loom over her once more.

Her eyes widen when she sees the flower in my hand.

I bring the bloom close, hovering it just above her chest. The soft petals brush the warm air over her hardened nipples. Her breasts rise and fall faster. Goosebumps ripple across her skin.

“My mother taught me about hellebores when I was young,” I murmur, voice low. I trail the flower slowly down her body, letting it hover over her stomach, then lower, just above her cunt. “How they protect what matters most.”

I drag the bloom upward again, the petals dancing inches from her skin. Her nipples tighten and a shiver runs through her.

“I planted hundreds behind the mansion. My way of keeping other men away from you.”

Her thighs tense. I see the fear and arousal warring in her eyes. Her breathing turns ragged, and fresh wetness glistens between her legs even as her body stiffens.

“What—” Her voice shakes, her eyes wide open. “What do you mean?”

“No other man will ever touch you, Briar.” I lower the flower until the cool petals barely graze her inner thigh.

She whimpers. Her hips twitch upward, chasing what I refuse to give. The conflict makes her flush deeper. Her hands fist into the rug at her sides.

I move the hellebore higher, circling one tight nipple without making full contact. Her back arches, and a broken sound slips from her throat.

“Drystan…” she breathes.

I lean over her, still holding the flower between us. My voice drops to a whisper. “You feel it, don’t you? How completely you belong to me.”

Her body betrays her—chest heaving, pupils blown wide with a mix of dread and desperate hunger.

I push to my feet and stare down at her, spread open on the black rug. The sight fractures something deep in my chest. I toss the hellebore into the fireplace and the petals curl and blacken in the flames.

My hands drop to my jeans. I rip the belt open, yank the zipper down, and shove them down. My cock springs free, heavy and aching, the steel piercings catching the firelight. I wrap my fist around the thick length and stroke slowly, eyes locked on hers.

“It’s going to hurt,” I warn, voice raw. “But you’ll take every inch.”

I drop to my knees between her spread thighs and pull them wide. I drag the pierced head of my cock along her soaked slit, rubbing over her swollen clit until she whimpers. Then I press forward, just enough for the first piercing to breach her.

“Now count them as I sink into you,” I say. “If you stop, I pull out and start over. Understand?”

“You’re insane,” she breathes, eyes fixed on my cock.