Arranged_An Array Novel

by Hazel Grace

  Garrett released me and raked his hands through his dark hair as he paced the room.

  “Avie, I don’t know how much more clear I can be with everyone. I’m not going to marry that vulture of a woman.”

  I took a deep breath because I knew the outcome if he refused. And it wasn’t something I had fully accepted myself. He would be the sacrificial lamb.

  “Then Hara gets married off to Femme Fatale knows who,” I added.

  Garrett stopped in his tracks and looked at me. “Who told you that?”

  “Hara.”

  He mumbled something I couldn’t make out and rubbed his forehead. His shoulders were tense as he fisted his other hand along his side. I understood the frustration; the uncontrollable emotion of hopelessness when you were forced into something with no option.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to my sister,” he finally said, his back to me. I took a step near him, wanting to comfort him but not crowd him.

  “I know. You are a noble and selfless man,” I replied softly. “She is lucky to have you.”

  He turned to face me, defeat lingering on his face. But just as quickly as I saw it, it faded.

  “I want to be selfish. We both deserve it.” He took a step toward me until we were face to face. “When do we fight back, Ava? When do we take our lives and demand to make them our own? Nothing will happen to Hara, I’ll make sure of it. Even if I have to hide her in a damn cave for a while. And for me”—he brushed his hand against my cheek—“I want to see what cosmic plans Femme Fatale has in store for us.”

  His sentiments made me speechless. My heart tugged in my chest, telling me to jump and take this chance; that I might not be offered another one. I lived my life in hesitation, always wondering what else fate would throw at me. But Garrett, he may be the light at the end of the horizon that I’d been chasing.

  Gripping the back of his neck, I brought his head down, crushing my lips to his, silently agreeing with him. I swallowed Garrett’s soft groan as he trailed his hands down my sides, electrifying every nerve in my body. The bustling of the help outside the room faded, my accelerated heartbeat filling my ears along with Garrett’s harsh breathing. Feeling lightheaded, I fisted his shirt, squeezing it to keep my balance. Strong hands held me to him, my breasts crushing against his chest.

  The tips of our tongues found each other, and I felt Garrett’s fingers press firmer through my dress, our heated bodies melting together in a wistful kiss. I felt like Peitho, wanting to take his soul and make it mine.

  Forever.

  Garrett shifted his lips from mine. “I can’t,” he murmured, panting against my forehead. “Tell me to stop.” His heavy breath brushed my skin. My own breathing matched his, ragged and violent.

  “Garr,” I said between breaths.

  His eyes engulfed mine. “Yes?”

  “Don’t stop.”

  He looked down at me, his features tight. “Are you sure? I can’t seem to keep a rational head around you.”

  I nodded, and he reached for my hand. Desire burned in the irises of his eyes. “You set the pace,” he said.

  Lacing my fingers through his hair, I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. The wetness of his lips from our prior kiss had me craving more. More kisses, more of Garrett’s groans, harsh breaths, and the blaze of heat streaming through my veins.

  Trailing my hand down his chest and over his abdomen, I reached his hardness. He groaned, and I bit his bottom lip, sucking on it lightly before releasing it.

  “Do I dare ask where you learned that?” he choked out.

  I chuckled against his lips. “You aren’t the first person I’ve kissed, remember?”

  “Who the hell kissed you like—” I rubbed his thickness, applying pressure. His breathing hitched, as I worked his pants button. “Avie…”

  His voice was a warning that I ignored. I lightly ran my tongue across his lower lip, and a carnal groan escaped his lips.

  Cascading down his legs, I pulled his pants down, releasing his impressively large shaft. Pausing, I swallowed my hesitation and placed my mouth on the tip of his manhood. I sucked, slowly and gently at first.

  “Shit, Avie.” As he placed his hand on my head, I used my tongue to explore, tasting him. Taking him deeper, his legs began to tense, as he moaned.

  “You don’t have to do all this,” he panted.

  I smiled up at him. “I just want to please you.”

  “Fuck.” He lifted me up by my shoulders and kissed me hard, then pulled up his pants. “You already please me, my darling. Just being with you pleases me.” Lacing his fingers with mine, he trudged through the room.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Taking you to one of our rooms.”

  “This room is fine.”

  “I don’t want our first encounter to be in a damp parlor,” he countered, his breathing still coming out in huffs.

  “But Garr—”

  “Shut up, Avie.”

  He pressed something on the wall, and a secret door popped open, creaking loudly at being disturbed. I swore I knew every secret tunnel in this place.

  Obviously not.

  Torches lit the tunnel, which told me they were still being used. Garrett eased through them, guiding ahead of me, his fingers still fastened with mine. After a few moments, he nudged a brick with his shoulder, opening another door.

  Entering a dimly-lit room, I realized it was his. A small fire charred above a few logs; the smell of leather wafted through the room. My eyes searched the maroon walls, naked of any pictures or paintings. A large pine dresser stood by his terrace window, then my gaze fell on his massive bed.

  I swallowed, all my courage fading away.

  His hand wrapped around my waist, as though he was afraid I was going to bolt back through the tunnels. My body was pulled against his, soft flesh to hard muscle. His closeness eased my nerves, as though my body found its safe place with him.

  Brushing my hair back gently, he gazed at me. “Are you okay?” I nodded. “Because when you get quiet, it scares me.”

  I chuckled, and he pressed a light kiss to my forehead. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me to the fireplace.

  The fire only held the heat of a candle compared to the warmth I felt around Garrett. As he leaned down to pick up more firewood, I yanked at his hand. The simple task of making sure a fire was lit for me sweltered my heart.

  “I don’t think we’ll need that,” I muttered. He pressed his chest against mine, moving a piece of hair off my forehead. I couldn’t breathe smoothly—the nervousness and excitement of it all made my heart race.

  “Come away with me,” he whispered softly. He trailed his finger down my cheek, brushing my bottom lip and sailing down my neck.

  “Where?”

  He shrugged. “Anywhere but here. Away from my father, the assassins. I’ll protect you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I know you always would, Garr, but what about George and—”

  He wrapped his free hand around my waist and pulled me against his body, nuzzling his head into my neck. “He’ll be fine.”

  His lips tickled my skin, my body subconsciously leaning toward him, urging him to kiss my neck. As he nibbled on the sensitive flesh just below my ear, I sighed, relaxing against him.

  “You know I worry about people I care about,” I replied.

  He licked my neck with the tip of his tongue, sending a chill down my spine. “I know, Peitho.”

  Open mouthed, he kissed my skin, assaulting it slowly over and over again, until a moan left my mouth. His hand held the back of my head hostage, but I wouldn’t be trying to escape. My core throbbed, and I clasped my legs together, which made it worse.

  “The only thing I want you to be thinking about is me,” he uttered, his lips never leaving my skin. “I want to dominate your senses, like you have mine, until you can’t stand it. I want to erase every bad memory you’ve ever had.”

  An animalistic urge came over me to have him do ju
st that; to devour my past and experience a new future with him.

  “Shirt, off,” I demanded. He took a small step back, wearing an insatiable grin.

  “As you command, Peitho.” He pulled his shirt over his head, and I gawked at his tan skin, his muscular arms. How was it possible to look bigger without clothes?

  I wanted to touch the sun-kissed skin, but between nervousness and the need to drag my hands down his chest, I started to feel overwhelmed with mixed emotions. My fingers hovered over his chest, right above his heart, hesitating as I tried to force my brain to shut off and just let me live in the moment. He clasped my hand and guided it there. My palm heated from his skin, his heart thudding in his chest.

  “Do you feel what you do to me?” he asked. “You make everything go wild.”

  If he only knew what he was doing to me right now too; I didn’t even know what was happening with myself. I’d never felt such a strong need to be with another human being. The way my body beckoned for his, even when I was pissed. His kisses made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the universe.

  And Garrett was the only one I wanted to feel this way with.

  I wanted to tell him, but my vulnerability wasn’t something I could give away.

  I removed one of my black-laced sleeves off my shoulders. Maybe if I could show him, it’d be good enough.

  For now.

  His eyes followed my movements as I slipped off the other and he cupped my face. “We don’t have to do this, Avie. I don’t want to force you into something you’re not sure of.”

  “I want to,” I replied. “I want it to be with you.”

  He closed the distance between us. “If we do this, I’m never letting you go. Do you understand me?” I nodded. “You better think about it long and hard because no one else will have you after this.”

  I held his gaze. “Promise?”

  His mouth collided with mine then, as he lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked in some direction and while I thought he was going to take me to his bed, suddenly, my back hit a wall. His tongue assaulted mine as both his hands squeezed my bottom in a silent need. I ran my hand through his hair, breathing him in; a new life that beckoned to be taken and enjoyed.

  If every moment with Garrett felt like this, I didn’t want to go back to my current life.

  I explored his chest with my free hand, feeling the course hairs through my fingers, his flat stomach rippled with muscles. He groaned as my hand continued to travel down, stopping just above his manhood, and his fingers massaged my buttock. Undoing his pants button, he yanked them down and kicked them off, holding me tightly. One of his hands slid around to my thigh, caressing the inside of it. Wetness pooled between my legs as he tortured my flesh slowly.

  Gliding further, I found what I was looking for; his manhood, rock-hard and ready, and my mouth watered. I wanted to feel it against my mouth again, to listen to Garrett’s moans. It was erotic and stimulating, hearing him in the throes of passion.

  His cock twitched as I ran my palm up and down the length of it. Sliding me down the wall, Garrett ripped the front of my dress. My own moans sounded against his lips as he continued the soft sensations he was shooting through my body. His kisses became more frantic and so did my fingers on his cock. I groaned, and he lowered his head to kiss my neck, ravishing it, like it would be the last thing he’d ever taste.

  “I’m going to take you to my bed, Avie, and make you scream my name,” he said, sucking and tasting my flesh.

  “No, right here,” I protested. “I want to be different. We aren’t normal people, Garr.”

  He chuckled. “All right, my darling. Right here.” He pulled at my panties, and I helped him move them down to my knees, ripping the lace. “Now look what you’ve done,” he teased.

  I smiled. “I hope this isn’t the last time we rip a pair of my garments.”

  He shook his head. “We’ll be needing to get you a new wardrobe soon.” Cupping my bottom, he raised me up, my legs wrapping around his waist again.

  He guided his hardness to my core, and I tensed. He continued to rub my clit, strumming it like an instrument, and my body began to relax. The back of my head rested along the wall as I arched into him, the shocks of pleasure pulsing through my core and body.

  “Hmmm…shit,” I sighed, digging my fingers into his shoulders. My eyes began to roll to the back of my head, as he hit the same spot that sent waves of heat through my body.

  “You look stunning like this,” he announced, keeping the perfect amount of pressure and movement on me. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, urging him to fill me. “I want the first time you come to be on my cock.”

  Fuck.

  Those words made me feel like I was going to shatter in a million pieces. Biting my bottom lip, I reveled in the sensation of tingles he was giving me.

  He urged his cock closer to my entrance, as I tried to relax my body for him. He grunted softly, my dampness coating the tip of his erection. He pressed his forehead to mine, our air mingling.

  “I’m going to try and do this slow,” he said, inching himself into me.

  “I trust you.”

  He pushed deeper inside, tearing at muscles until he hit my maidenhead. He rocked slowly, adjusting himself to fit me. I kissed his stubbled cheek, urging him to continue. Rocking my hips against him, I thrusted, strands of pain and irritation coming along with it.

  His body became more urgent as he began to drive deeper. A jolt of pain pierced me, and I tightened my grip on his shoulders. He froze and held me close.

  “I’m sorry,” he gritted out. “I lost control, and—”

  “Don’t tell me that was it,” I taunted, my voice ragged.

  “Far from it.” He beamed, slowly moving deeper, and then I felt a pain mixed with pleasure. The need to be taken overtook my senses. I wanted to belong to him; every inch, and every nerve, in my body. I started to rock against him, taking as much as I could. Garrett’s hands pressed firmly on my back and butt as he took the silent cue that I was ready.

  His whole cock filled me, and it was indescribable. The world was still in that moment; nothing else mattered, no problems lingered.

  It was just the two of us.

  Garrett

  Chapter 30

  The woman of my dreams was pushed up against me on my bedroom wall. If this was a dream, I’d kill the person who woke me up. Ava’s red hair cascaded around her shoulders as she writhed in the pleasure I was giving to her. And there would never be another man who would get the gratification of this. I already decided that Ava was mine. After tonight, I’d never be able to free myself from her. She was my addiction, and I didn’t want to be cured of it.

  I strove to take my time, to make this moment something that she daydreamed about in the future, to take her to my bed and lavish every inch of her body with my mouth and tongue.

  But not my Avie.

  She wanted things differently, and she was far from any woman I’d ever been with. She wanted her first time to be different than every maiden who had been taken before.

  I visualized Ava as my wife. The thought didn’t scare me as much anymore. She’d be fully mine—body and soul—and I wanted both. Forever.

  “I hope your dazing has something to do with me and not anything else,” Ava whispered, her green eyes filled with lust.

  “All my dazing is about you,” I admitted. I quickened my pace, my cock filling her. Her breathing quickened as her legs widened for me as I thrusted everything I had in her. Seeing her like this was something I wanted every day. The way she looked at me, like she couldn’t be with anyone else, flipped something in me.

  Ava moaned deeply, her eyes closed, and I reached down to play with her clit. I was going to finish any moment, and I wanted her to come with me. On me. I wanted to ride this high together.

  “Garr…” she whimpered. “I’m going to…oh goodness…Garr.”

  “Let go, my love. I want to feel you finish on me.” She
opened her eyes and looked at me. I continued to torment her clit as her pussy squeezed me like a vice, and she groaned loudly, her fingers digging into my flesh. I pulled out of her quickly, my seed spilling out onto the floor.

  I slowly set her down, still holding her weight. She rested her cheek on my chest, her warm mouth pressing a kiss there.

  “That was wonderful,” she muttered, and I kissed the top of her head. It was more than that. The strong urge to let her know how strongly I felt for her overwhelmed me. I’d never felt this type of need for a woman before. It scared the shit out of me.

  Wrapping my arm around her, I led her over to the fireplace to sit on the sofa while I cleaned up. A twinge of fear escaped me when I turned around to her looking into the fire, deep in thought. I hoped she didn’t regret this. I didn’t know if my pride could handle it.

  Fuck, I didn’t know if my feelings could handle it.

  Walking over to her, I sat on the ground in front of her, wrapping my arm around her legs.

  “Are you having second thoughts?” I blurted.

  She looked at me with furrowed brows. “Are you?”

  I shook my head, gazing into her eyes. “I’d never regret anything with you.”

  “Then how could I, when that was the most magical thing imaginable,” she stated. She placed a hand on my arm.

  “You’ll only feel that with me. No one else will connect like that; it’s something rare.” I rubbed the back of her calf. “I only want to do that with you.”

  She leaned toward me and kissed me lightly, stirring my cock again. Her cheeks were flushed, red hair disheveled; she looked like a fallen goddess.

  “You better only want to do that with me, Cranfield,” she jeered, smiling.

  ∞∞∞

  “There are more attacks on the townspeople,” John briefed, as he threw a stack of papers on my desk; letters from my guards that I placed in the small town. “One of our men is dead, two are gravely injured.”

  “Son of a bitch,” I murmured, rubbing my forehead. I skimmed the reports. A band of about twenty men burned down more homes, raped six more women, and their livestock was slaughtered.