Watching Her: A Dark Romance (Keep Me Series Book 3)

by Angela Snyder

  "Catch me then," I whisper before I turn and tear off, running as fast as my legs will carry me. The sand is sharp against the soles of my tender feet, but I keep going, not willing to stop now that we've started this cat and mouse game.

  I can hear his heavy footsteps right behind me. He's gaining on me, but I pump my legs faster and faster.

  I can see the end of the beach nearing and the grassy lawn beyond right before the tarmac that houses planes and other methods of escape. Even though I don't have the skills I need to fly away and doubt that they just leave the keys to the vehicles in them for anyone to find…I still make that my destination.

  Perhaps I'm trying to prove a point to Jackson. That he doesn't control me. And that he'll lose me eventually no matter how much he wants to keep me here. Because we both know that this thing between us isn't permanent. Ultimately, I'll leave and go to find my sister.

  My feet sink into the plush, soft grass before they're running on air as Jax grabs me from behind, captures me in his arms and hauls my back against his chest. I fight him, grunting like a feral animal in my efforts to escape him.

  We fall to the ground in a tangled heap, each of us trying to get the upper hand. Eventually, though, he wins out with his brute strength. He pins me on my stomach to the ground. My dress is riding up my hips, and I can hear it tearing in several places as I struggle. I turn my face to the side, my ragged breaths blowing the blades of grass in a chaotic rhythm around my mouth.

  The first smack on my ass comes as a shock. Frankly, I didn't think Jax had it in him to hurt me. I thought he was soft. But I should have known better since I learned a long time ago to never trust my enemy.

  My left ass cheek is still smarting as he lands a hard smack to the right one. I cry out, struggling against his hold, but his large, strong hand is holding my arms twisted behind my back so tightly I swear he's going to leave bruises.

  "Is this what you wanted?" he asks through gritted teeth, panting above me.

  "Yes!" I scream at him.

  His hand comes down again and again in succession, attempting to beat the defiance out of me.

  "Have you had enough?" he snarls.

  "No," I spit at him, meeting his eyes with a glare. "Is that all you got? I could barely feel a thing."

  Narrowing his eyes at me, he growls low and deep in the back of his throat before he smacks my ass ten times harder than before.

  This time I do scream out, because, fuck, it hurts. He was holding back before, but now I've really asked for it. But none of this even compares to the torture and beatings I got from Pavel. This is foreplay considering what I'm accustomed to. Deep down I know that Jackson wouldn't really truly hurt me, and that makes me brave — braver than I've felt for a long time.

  After the fifth one, I'm crying out for mercy. "Stop, please stop!"

  "Enough?" he asks again.

  I nod, not wanting to voice the words as tears spring up in my eyes. Suddenly, he turns me over, his tall frame hovering over me, his lower body pinning me to the ground. His mouth is only a few inches from mine, and I can't help but stare at his full lips, which are parted as he breathes raggedly.

  If only he knew how wet his spanking made me. How fucking turned on I am. And how much I fucking want him right now. My hips move on their own as I grind myself against his thigh between my legs.

  "Katya," he says, and it sounds like a warning.

  But I'm not letting him back out now. We've come too damn far this time.

  My fingers snake up around his neck and rake through his thick, dark hair. And then I'm pulling him down towards me. He's hesitant at first, pulling back against my grip. But then I see the desire in his eyes, how much he wants me. And he eventually allows his lust to take over.

  His lips crash down on mine, swallowing my gasp of surprise. His lips are so soft, and I know I could spend the rest of the night feasting upon his mouth.

  Suddenly, he pulls back and stares down at me. "You drive me crazy," he admits vehemently.

  "You like it," I tell him.

  "Yes. Yes, I fucking do." And then his lips are on mine again, chasing my demons away.

  His large hand captures my wrists and pins them to the ground above my head. His other hand grips my thong and shoves it to the side. And when his fingers graze my wet slit, his eyes widen as he pulls back to look at me.

  He knows that his spanking turned me on beyond belief. I should be embarrassed, but I'm not. "Take me, Jax," I dare him.

  He reaches into his back pocket to retrieve a condom, and he tears open the wrapper with his teeth. Keeping his one hand secure on my wrists, he somehow manages to unbutton and unzip his jeans and slip his cock out.

  I swallow hard at the sight of his heavy cock hanging between his thick, muscular thighs. Even though I already had him in my mouth and knew how big he was, I'm starting to second-guess my decision to tell him to take me. My first instinct is that it's never going to fit, but I don't even have time to second-guess it, because he lines up the enormous head against my entrance and shoves inside of me in one, quick jerk, causing me to cry out.

  "Oh fuck!" I scream.

  He stays still once he's in me fully, and asks, "You okay?"

  He's asking me that now? I give him a shaky nod and cry out again when he begins to move.

  "Fuck you feel so good, Katya," he whispers in my ear.

  He begins a torturous rhythm that has me mewling like a damn cat in heat. Every time he thrusts back in, he hits something inside of me that is driving me up the wall. I can't stop the senseless words escaping my lips as he fucks me into oblivion. It feels incredible. I never thought it could feel this good.

  My walls begin contracting as I grow closer and closer to orgasm, squeezing him tighter and tighter, and I hear him grunting with pleasure. "Fuck," he groans.

  I reach the precipice in record speed, and I fall over it in double time. Crying out, I dig my nails into his hand and wrist and feel my toes curling as I experience the most mind-blowing orgasm I've ever had.

  Jackson keeps fucking me, drawing the pleasure out and making me a crying, sobbing mess by the time I'm done.

  I feel his tongue licking at my tears, and I open my eyes to see his handsome face above mine. His gorgeous gray eyes are half-lidded as he stares down at me.

  He lets go of my wrists, and I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer to me. I kiss him as his muscular arms begin to quiver around me. I swallow down his moans as he comes inside of me, his entire body quaking from pleasure.

  And when he's completely sated, he gently pulls out and collapses on the grass beside me.

  "Holy shit," he pants.

  "Yeah, holy shit," I agree, staring up at the bright stars littering the night sky.

  And when I feel his hand reach for mine and squeeze, I know that I'm in trouble. Because one time with Jackson will never be enough.

  I want to do that again…and again…and again…

  CHAPTER 25

  JACKSON

  I CAN COUNT on one hand the number of women I've actually had sex with…and that was while their husbands or boyfriends were in the same room.

  I've never shared that level of intimacy before like I did with Katya last night, and I'm still reeling from it the next morning.

  After our sex romp in the grass, we went our separate ways. But I can't seem to get the girl out of my mind, and I've never had that problem before. Usually all of my threesomes in the past have been a hit it and quit it kind of deal.

  Well, I hit it…but I most certainly don't want to quit it.

  And it scares the hell out of me.

  While I'm contemplating my intimacy issues and all that good shit, Wraith texts me to come downstairs. I'm sure he must have the news we've been waiting for about Katya's family. A few days ago, she asked me to find some information about them and confessed to me that, when Pavel took her, she left a younger sister behind.

  When she'd killed her husband, Katya's plan was to go back to Russia to
find her.

  But then I had intervened.

  Since it's mostly my fault she wasn't able to have a potential happy reunion, I took it upon myself to enlist Wraith for his help. I would have asked Lucien, but he's been so busy and stressed out over finding Adeline that I didn't want to burden him with anything else. He needs to focus on getting better, and adding more stress will only hinder his progress.

  After showering and getting dressed for the day, I join Wraith and Katya in the dining room. They're sitting around the large table. Wraith is stock-still, looking like he's made of stone while Katya's the exact opposite. Her knee bounces nervously in anticipation as she chews on her thumbnail.

  I just hope Wraith was able to garner some information through his contacts in Russia and able to come up with something concrete.

  After I take a seat, Wraith opens a manila folder and retrieves a couple of photographs. He pushes them towards Katya across the oak table.

  Katya greedily scoops them up and stares at them. "My mother and sister?" she questions with a gasp.

  Wraith nods in confirmation. "A few years ago."

  Katya's fingertips graze over the photos as tears fill her eyes. "Senga is so grown up. The last time I saw her…" She hesitates and closes her eyes for a moment before opening them up again. "She looks like a young woman now." A smile graces her beautiful face. "Wow, I can't believe it." With hopefulness dripping from her tone, she asks him, "Where are they now?"

  Wraith frowns at her question, and I brace myself for bad news. I just hope Katya is bracing herself as well. "They haven't been seen in over a year. Your father is gone as well. I'm not sure if they moved or if they were forced out. I couldn't get any more information other than the fact that they're missing."

  "Missing?" she chokes out. Crushing the photos to her chest, she stands and says, "I'm sorry. I just…I need a moment alone."

  And then she walks out of the room clutching the pictures in her trembling hands.

  Wraith and I exchange a look, and I can tell there's more to this story. "What did you not tell her?"

  "Her sister had a reputation in the town they lived in for being a criminal. She was a thief, ruthless."

  He slides a frame from a surveillance video of Senga towards me. It looks like she's robbing a grocery store at gunpoint.

  "She's not as innocent as she looks, but I don't want to burst Katya's bubble. Yet," he adds.

  I stare at the girl who looks like a younger version of Katya but with shorter hair. They're almost identical except for the age difference, of course. And she does look innocent. It's hard to believe the information that Wraith is telling me, but I wholeheartedly agree that we should keep the rest of it from Katya. She's dealing with the fact that her family is missing, perhaps even dead.

  I don't want to taint the perfect image she has of her sister. I want to let her hold onto the dream for just a little while longer.

  CHAPTER 26

  KATYA

  MY FAMILY IS missing.

  How is that even possible that they fell completely off the radar? Where did they go if they left our hometown in Russia where they built a life, a home?

  I stare at the picture of Senga, memorizing her beautiful face. She looks so much like me at that age, except she still has hope and life in her eyes. I felt dead even back then. Hell, I wanted to be dead. Death was better than the horrible life I was stuck in.

  She doesn't look broken, which can only mean one thing. My father didn't sell her like he did me.

  That was always my worst fear over the years — that she would suffer the same fate as me and that I wouldn't be there to help save her.

  Wiping away the tears on my cheeks, I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Jackson enters my room with a sad smile on his face. He looks exhausted, as usual. He's barely slept since we first arrived on this island. He's always taking care of something or someone — the house, the staff, Wraith, Lucien…me.

  He has no idea how truly amazing he is. He forgoes sleep, food, whatever just to make sure everyone else around him is happy. And he just does it automatically. He doesn't even think twice about it.

  I've never been around such a selfless human being.

  Patting the bed beside me, he hesitates only a moment before walking over and sinking down onto the soft mattress. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks, while tucking a piece of stray hair behind my ear.

  And that little gesture means the world to me, because it's exactly what I need right now. I need his kindness. I need him close to me. Over the past couple of weeks, Jax has wormed his way into that dark place in my chest that I kept so tightly locked up.

  He alone holds the key to my heart.

  And even though I know I'll only get hurt in the end, I decide to forget about the consequences for one night. I just want to get lost in him and forget about my family and the fact that they're missing and I may never see my sister again.

  Setting the pictures down on the nightstand, I tell him, "Take your shirt off and lie down on your stomach."

  He gives me a confused look before asking, "Why?"

  "I want to give you a massage."

  "I have to go check on Luc -."

  But I don't let him finish. I lean forward and hush him up with a kiss. Pulling back, I begin to unbutton his shirt and slip it off his broad shoulders. "You can check on him later. I just want to take care of you right now."

  "Well, I guess I can't argue with that," he tells me with a crooked grin.

  Once his shirt is off, he lays face down on the bed. His pants ride low on his hips, giving me just a hint of that muscular ass of his. I've never been attracted to a man this much before…or at all, for that matter.

  Pavel's evil ways turned me off towards all men. But I'm starting to make an exception for Jackson. Especially since he looks like he was carved out of marble by some master artist, a Greek god to be looked upon for eternity, perfect in every way.

  Straddling the back of his thighs, I begin to work his tight back muscles in my hands. "You're so tense," I tell him, stating the obvious. Jackson can appear to have a laid-back demeanor, but he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  Between taking care of Lucien, trying to run the house and get it back into the shape it once was in and trying to find the missing girl, Adeline, I'm surprised Jax has any time whatsoever for me.

  And it's not like I deserve his attention. I'm just an intruder, someone who popped up unexpectedly in his life…and at the worst time possible. But Jax never makes me feel that way. In fact, he makes me feel the exact opposite. He makes me feel wanted. And that's something I've never experienced before.

  I work his back muscles until he eventually begins to relax and loosen up. "How does that feel?" I whisper.

  He groans loudly in response, and it makes me smile.

  We haven't had sex since that night outside after our date, and I'm suddenly feeling very ravenous.

  I continue to rub his muscular back, enjoying the feel of him under me. I lean forward and nip at his ear before dragging my teeth down his neck. He shudders under me.

  "Turn over," I tell him as I climb off, giving him room to turn over onto his back. His muscular chest rises and falls rapidly as he stares up at me. And given the evidence of his arousal pressing up against his zipper, I would say the massage turned him on just as much as it did me.

  After unzipping and unbuttoning his pants, I grab the waistbands of his pants and boxer briefs and pull them down over his hips. His erection bobs free up towards his stomach, and my mouth practically waters at the sight. He's so long and thick and perfect.

  I take my nails and rake them gently up and down his muscular thighs as his cock jumps and grows even thicker between us.

  "I don't remember this part of the last massage I had. I think I got ripped off," he groans as I wrap my hand around his thick cock.

  I stroke him and watch as a bead of pre-cum surfaces on the tip. Running my tongue over the salty drop, I relish in the grow
l that escapes the back of his throat.

  Rocking back on my knees, I quickly strip out of my t-shirt and bra and pull my skirt up, revealing no panties underneath.

  "Naughty girl," he remarks, swallowing hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his strong throat.

  Straddling his hips, I run my wet slit up and down his rigid length, coating him in my arousal. I'm so wet for him.

  "Fuck, Katya," he moans. " Pants. Pocket. Condom," he says, reduced to one-word sentences.

  I reach into his pocket and pull out the gold foil wrapper. Tearing it open, I pull out the condom and slip it down over his erection.

  He lines himself up with my throbbing slit and impales me on his hard cock, filling me inch by glorious inch. I stare down at him, and the desire in his eyes makes my sex clench.

  "Ride me, Katya," Jax rasps out.

  With my velvety folds wrapped around his shaft, I rise up slowly and lower myself even slower. The desperate look on his face makes me shudder. I'm in control now, and I freaking love it.

  I continue to ride him slow, taking every inch of him and deliberately driving him insane.

  Not being able to take any more of my torturous rhythm, Jax grabs my hips in a bruising grip and pulls me down, burying himself until he's fully seated inside of me. He cries out in anguish.

  Then, he pulls me down towards him, keeping his hands locked around my waist. He pumps into me, establishing his own rhythm now and taking what he wants. His teeth scrape against my throat as he growls against my skin.

  "Kiss me," he demands.

  Our lips meet in a hot, demanding kiss as he pumps into me over and over again. He kisses me hungrily like he's starving for me. And maybe deep down we both are. I think we've both been starving for this kind of connection for a very long time.

  I meet him thrust for thrust, bouncing down as he pistons his hips upwards, and a rush of pleasure sweeps through me all the way down to my core.

  Jax slams me to him one final time, finally finding his release, and I fracture right along with him.