by Dark, Raven
Damn. Archer would never forgive her for this, and she couldn’t blame him. Gwen pulled her suede jacket tighter around herself. Much as she’d wanted to see Archer compete, now she only wished she could go home and forget this night had ever happened.
What would he do when he saw her after the competition? She closed her eyes, letting out a long breath.
Forgive me, Archer.
Archer stalked toward the changing rooms, the huge Grand Champion trophy in one hand, duffle in the other. Ace had congratulated him and left moments ago, and just as well. He was the last one Archer wanted to talk to right now.
First place in all categories. He still couldn’t believe it. He’d gone through Forms, Weapons, and then Sparring, one after the other. The fighting category had pitted him against six guys, some of the best fighters he’d ever seen. He should have been thrilled. Instead, he seethed.
Sweat still slicking his face from the fight, blood still hot from the victory, he wove through the crowds, looking for any sign of Gwen. He shook his head. Oh, when he found her.
Shortly after she’d left his side, it had sunk in why. She’d ducked. She’d seen Ace and turned tail.
Sensei Nakamura and Ace had started talking to him, neither having any idea anything was amiss. Caught off guard by her bailing on him, Archer had simply went on with the tournament without a word about Gwen. Why, he didn’t know. It served her right if he told her brother all of it.
Archer stormed into the changing room, ignoring the wide-eye looks from a couple of competitors leaving. He couldn’t see her now. Not until he calmed down, regained control.
The adrenaline of the fight still pumped through him and he almost tore his gi jacket off. How dare she leave him in the middle of a date as if he were some source of shame. He couldn’t stand for that. Still. Going to her when he was still this revved up…
The urge to punish her made his cock turn to a rod of iron. He wanted to drag her to the back of the stadium. Shove her into the wall; rip off her panties and fuck her senseless. Ride her hard, up the ass. No plug, no warmth or gentleness, just hot, hard, mean fucking. Reminding her she belonged to him, and everyone else, including her brother, could lick balls.
Fuck. Control yourself, idiot. She’s still new. No need to traumatize her.
True, since that night he’d taken her in her office for being late, they’d gradually worked her way toward readiness for something a lot larger than that tiny plug. Letting her know, in no uncertain terms that when she was ready for him to take her that way, he wouldn’t go easy.
He shook his head, growling softly. Gwen wanted him mean. If he saw her now, she’d get her wish. All the work they’d done, training her to stand up for herself, gone. She’d thrown it all aside, and for what?
He snatched up his soap. Over the years he’d seen her with her family, how they treated her. He’d be lying if he said they made life easy on her. But he’d also seen the way her father and Ace protected her. They wouldn’t admit it, but they loved her, and they would never hurt her. There was no reason to hide her relationship with him.
Archer resisted the urge to curse, finishing with his shower. His cock stayed alarmingly hard, but he wouldn’t give himself release. He’d save that job for Gwen. After what she’d done, it was the least she could do for him.
An image of him pushing her to her knees and making her suck him long and hard to release filled his thoughts, and his mouth pulled into a wolfish grin. Once dressed, he left the changing room and marched toward the lot. He was supposed to go to the party, but he wasn’t in the mood to celebrate now. He’d talk to his sensei later.
Outside in the lot, he lifted the trophy, looking at it, all mahogany and gold.A magnificent prize, yet holding it left a hollow feeling in his chest. His woman wasn’t there to share his victory with him. The knowledge of that reduced the trophy to a hunk of metal, meaningless.
Possessiveness roared through him, mingling with dark need. Screw her brother, her family. He wouldn’t let her destroy what they had out of fear. She didn’t think she was worth fighting for, but he did, and he’d be damned if he’d let her walk away.
Gwen stood beside his car, arms folded around herself. She looked cold, sad. Protective sympathy pricked at him. She knew what was coming. He couldn’t feel sorry for her now. Not after this.
Archer stalked across the lot toward her.
“Gwen.”
Archer’s growled voice snapped her out of her spinning thoughts. She took in the hardened look on his face, the tension in his frame. Shit, He’s pissed.
“Archer…”
His mouth turned down in a dark scowl. Somehow, even making his way between the cars, his long strides managed to look dangerous, predatory. Shoulders tight, he stopped at the back of the car, eyes locked on her.
Deadly silence.
“Archer, I…” She couldn’t get the words out. Couldn’t think straight.
“I won, you know.” His voice was soft, too calm.
Christ. It would have been easier if he’d shouted. Awareness of what this must feel like to him settled on her and her eyes watered.
“I know.” She couldn’t get her voice above a rasp. “I saw.” She looked at the huge trophy in his hand, the gold glinting the night. “Grand champion,” she murmured. Pride mixed with her sadness. Pride that felt somehow hollow and painful.
She hadn’t paid nearly enough attention to anything to do with karate while growing up, but after hearing Ace talk about how much he wanted to win Grand Champuon every year, she knew how prestigious Archer’s winning this was. It was a huge deal.
“Did you now? I wonder how you saw it from out here?” He took out his car keys and jerked open the trunk. Threw his duffle in and tossed the trophy in after. The heavy prize landed in the trunk with a dull thump.
She sighed. He thought she’d slinked out here and stood here the whole time, without even watching his victory? She crossed the space between them.
“No. I was in there. I saw the whole thing. You were magnificent. I only came out here when it was over. I just couldn’t…” She twisted her hands.
“Say it.” His voice was quiet, dark. “Tell me, Gwen. Tell me you couldn’t stand to have your brother see me with you.”
Her face paled. “Oh, god, Archer, no. You think I’m embarrassed by you? It’s not like that.”
Some of the tension left his frame. “Then what is it?”
Gwen licked her lips. “Does he know?”
“What?”
“Did you tell Ace? About us?” She hated the dread that filled her at the thought.
Archer’s jaw tightened. He made a low noise in his throat and headed for the driver’s side door. “Get in the fucking car, Gwen.”
Wow, was he ever pissed. She’d never seen him like this. It cut deep knowing she’d brought it on.
“Archer, I need to know. Did you tell him?”
Having just opened the door, he stopped and glared at her. Then a slow, livid sort of smile crawled across his face. Archer slammed the door shut so hard the car shook. He prowled around the back of the car toward her. Gwen stepped back instinctively.
“What if I did?” His voice was a soft, deadly rasp. She’d never heard him sound like that.
Archer advanced, she stepped back. His eyes glittered black in the night, narrowing when he noticed her retreat. His smile turned mean. Her pussy clenched, imagining what he wanted to do to her.
She swallowed again. Drawing a deep breath.
“Answer me.” He closed in, and she veered away from the car. He circled her. “What if I told him, Gwen? What if I marched myself over to your father’s house now and told them all you’re my woman? Huh?”
Her chest heaved. She looked away. God, it hadn’t been this hard to meet his eyes in a long time. At least he hadn’t told Ace.
“I…I’d deserve it. What I did was terrible. Look, I don’t blame you for being angry. But with my family it’s complicated…”
“Angr
y?” He scoffed. “Damnit, Gwen. All the progress you made. I thought you were stronger than this, I thought what we had was worth fighting for.”
Had. She gulped, her heart plummeting.
He shook his head, turning away. “Just get in the damn car.”
“Archer, wait.” The thought that she was losing him clawed at her. “You’re right. I should fight for us. Archer, you mean more to me than you can imagine. My whole life has changed because of you. You make me a better person. Someone I want to be. I want to be with you.”
“Could have fooled me. How hard would it have been just to tell him? To stand there, at my side, and tell him the truth.”
She pushed out a sigh. “You just don’t get it.”
“You’re right, I don’t. Your brother isn’t some vicious brute. Why are you so afraid?”
She spun away, putting her back to him. “You don’t see how they are. They’re never as bad when you’re there. I just…I just wasn’t prepared to deal with explaining us. I saw Ace there, and I didn’t know what to do. I panicked. I’m sorry.”
He sighed. “It’s like I said before, you let your family control you too much.”
“I know.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “I wanted this night to be ours.”
She closed her eyes. “I know.” Her voice came out tiny.
“I wouldn’t be half as angry if not for one thing. We just had this conversation. You were the one who said it. We don’t turn tail. When things get tough, we talk it out.”
“I know.”
“And what did you do? The first hint of a problem, you run.” He shook his head. “I will not be treated that way. Like some dirty little secret that you’re only with when its easy for you.”
He stalked forward, forcing her to back-peddle until her back hit the passenger door of the car and she jumped. The danger, the menace in him radiated like a dark shadow. Her blood raced, hot and fierce.
“Look,” she said, “if you don’t want to see me again, I get it. But I’d rather just leave now. It’ll make it easier on both of us.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Just slink off instead of having to face it. Face your brother.” His brows winged down, dark slashes. “Face me.”
Jesus, he was hot when he was pissed. Her muscles tightened. “Archer…”
He pinned her to the car with his frame, cutting her off. When she tried to shove him off, he grabbed her wrists.
“Archer, let’s just talk about this.”
He shoved her hands down to her sides, against the side of the car. “No. Shut it and listen to me.”
Gwen’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Anger bolted through her while her pussy ached for his aggression.
“You’re not escaping this. You fucked up, big time. No more easy ways out for you. We had a deal. No running. You ran. You pay the price.”
The implications of his words sank in as a low burning started in her belly. The length of his cock jutted against her stomach, hard and steel-like through his pants.
“Archer, you can’t be serious. I…”
“What day is it, Gwen”
She closed her eyes. She knew what he was asking.
Archer put the crook of one finger under her chin, making her look at him. “I asked you a question, sub.”
Sub. He never called her that. For an instant, she thought of calling off the game. Except she couldn’t. A sense of rightness settled on her at the thought of submitting to his discipline for her actions tonight. She’d messed up. Besides, the tournament was over. He was within his rights according to the rules.
She swallowed. He wouldn’t make this easy on her. But she wouldn’t back out on him again. Not now. She made herself keep her eyes on his and swallowed. “It’s Friday. Sir.”
“What’s your safeword?”
She lowered her eyes. Some obstinate part of her wanted to fight saying it, to regain her anger with him. “Red, Sir.”
His fingers cupped her jaw. “And what happens to you when you fuck up?”
Her gaze darted around the lot, as best it could with his hand holding her jaw in place. Most of the cars had left, the lot nearly emptied out, but the odd vehicle still stood here or there, people lingering to talk. Was Ace still there somewhere? No one was close enough to notice them unless they looked, but still.
“Sir, can we not have this argument here? There are people still around.”
“I don’t care. You have no issue with public scenes, you said so on your sheets. Answer me.”
“Archer.”
“If you don’t answer me, there’ll be worse consequences.” He released her jaw and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, a hard, possessive swipe. “What happens to you when you fuck up?”
Her ass tightened in anticipation. She could barely breathe. “Sir, just.” Her brain struggled for an excuse. “You don’t have any lube.”
He snorted. Reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small white tube that glinted in the moonlight.
Fuck.
“I’ve been carrying this around every day since that night in your office. Don’t want to be caught unprepared.”
“You fucker.”
He took her chin, forcing her head back. “What did you call me?”
“We can go home first. I’ll take whatever you do to me, but…”
“Excuse me. You don’t decide how, or where, or when you get it. I do.”
Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. Wild, raw heat licked through her, eating at her clit.
Archer released her, but stepped back only enough to allow her to move. “Turn around.”
Gwen’s eyes widened. Holy fucking hell, he wouldn’t. Pure lust raced through her, wild and violent. She straightened her shoulders, hardly able to believe her own words. “The hell I will. Take me home.”
“Pardon me?”
When she didn’t move, he grabbed her elbow and spun her around. He pinned her against the car again, pressing himself against her back. She writhed and he buried a chuckle in the side of her neck.
“You know how hard it makes me when you fight, right?”
“Jesus Christ, Archer, here? You have to be kidding.” She tried to make her voice sound angry, but it came out breathy. Molten fire filled her veins. People’s voices drifted across the lot. Her heartbeat filled her head and her knees weakened.
Pressed against the car, her breasts flattened to the window. He pinned one hand behind her back, his other palm pushing her cheek to the cold steel.
“You give me one reason. Give me a reason why I shouldn’t fuck your sweet little ass right here.”
The words sent the muscles in her ass clenching madly. She twisted in his grip. “Please…”
“What?” It dripped warning.
“Sir. There are people here. And it’s cold.” Voices in the near distance drifted across the lot. A thrill raced down her spine.
“You think I give a shit if people see?” He licked her ear, a single hot caress that gave the cold air an extra bite. He ground his hardness into her.
Gwen bit her lip to keep from groaning, from bending over right there.
One of his hands fisted her hair, pulling hard while the other released her arm and clapped her ass hard enough to startle her.
“If I want to rip your panties off and fuck your ass right here, I will, and you’ll damn well take it.”
Archer shoved the flimsy skirt of her dress up to her waist. The cold air kissed her bare legs for an instant before he pushed her feet apart. People’s voices drifted closer. Gwen closed her eyes, her breathing harsh in her ears. He was going to take her, right here, now.
Hard, nasty, mean.
Hot.
Well, she’d wanted to see his dark side.
22
Dark Possession
Archer’s hands seemed to be everywhere. She’d thought he’d drop his pants and pound her right then, but no such luck. Right. He liked to drag things out. The bastard.
One of hi
s huge hands fisted her hair while his other held her dress at her waist.
“You gonna cooperate?” A gruff rasp in her ear. Hell if she didn’t love the dangerous threat in it that harkened back to their only ravishment scene.
Someone walked by their car. Her heart thudded, knees almost folding on her.
“Yes. Just do it.” She’d be damned if she’d call him “Sir” or be submissive when he’d turned their argument in his favor. It unsettled her, how easy it was to stand up to him.
Archer yanked her head back. “Pardon, sub?”
When she only groaned, he shoved her hips into the side of the car, his body pinning hers like a steel wall of muscle. His big fists gripped the back of her panties, ripping them down, exposing her ass.
Damn it all. Gwen squirmed against him and panted. The cold air licked at her ass cheeks for a moment until he ran his hand over one, warming the skin.
Then his hand came down hard on the same cheek. She whimpered. The sting licked hot between her legs.
“I said are you gonna cooperate?”
“Yes.”
Another hard slap on her other cheek. “Yes, what?”
She gritted her teeth against a scream. Someone was talking close by. “Yes, Sir, damn it.”
“You want to mouth off, you get it harder.” He took her hands, splaying them on the side of the car. “Hands stay here, no pulling away. Your hips don’t move. Keep quiet. Wouldn’t want these nice people knowing what I’m doing to you. Got it?”
“Yes.”
A stinging slap to her ass.
“Sir.”
“You want me to be nice, you stay still.”
She twisted like she was trying to get out of his hold.
“Oh, is that how it is?”
She bit her lip around a grin.
“That’s just fine, sweet thing, I like it better rough anyways.” Archer’s hand seized the back of the bodice of her dress and tore it open, shoving the front down to her waist. Her breasts fell free and the cold air kissed them hard.
“Fucking hell, Archer.” She gripped the car, every part of her begging for him.
