A kiss for Ree

Chapter 30..

....

The silence in the car was suffocating.
A thick, angry air settled between us, made heavier by the sound of our breathing. My fingers clenched in my lap as I tried to calm the fury still rising in my chest.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the dance. How peaceful it felt, until Ludwig had stormed in and ripped me away.

His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “What did I tell you about that guy?” he growled, barely restraining the fury in his voice.

I stared straight ahead, jaw tight. “You never said I couldn’t dance with anyone.”

“You knew what I meant.”

“You’re free to do whatever you want. Dance with whoever you want. So it's not difficult for me."

“That wasn’t dancing, Ree. He had his hands all over you.”

“So did the girl you danced with,” I fired back.

“I don’t even know who she was.”

“But you still agreed. You said everything had to be perfect—was that part of it too?”

“F\*\*k!” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, making me flinch. “Stop twisting everything. You're with me. Me. And I don’t like anyone touching what’s mine. Do you understand me? I don’t want to see that red-haired bastard near you ever again.”

I barked out a bitter laugh, staring at him now. “I’m not a possession, Ludwig. You don’t get to own me.”

He swerved the car to a violent stop on the side of the road. My seatbelt was the only reason my forehead didn’t crash into the dashboard.

“What the hell—” I gasped, turning just in time to see him unclick his seatbelt.

“Ludwig, what are you—”

In a swift, almost violent motion, he lunged. My seat snapped backward with a harsh click, flattening as he climbed over me. My seatbelt was yanked away, and before I could even scream, he was on me.

I froze. My first instinct was fear. I covered my face, bracing for a hit, expecting him to hit me like My dad or Aunty Gold.

But he didn’t strike me. Instead, he pried my hands off my face and pinned it over my forehead, his knee parted my thighs as he settled between my legs, caging me in place.

“Ludwig—” My voice broke on a scream.

His face dipped to my ear, his breath hot, deliberate. “I could do anything I want with you right now,” he murmured, the edge of danger in his tone making my skin erupt in goosebumps. “And no one would stop me.”

I gasped sharply, my body trembling as his presence overwhelmed me. I tried to wriggle free, but it only made his grip tighten.

“You belong to me now.”

Then his mouth crashed into mine forcefully. I turned my head but he followed, deepening the kiss as my lips parted on a breath. His tongue invaded, tangling with mine.

I could barely think, barely breathe. My chest heaved, my limbs thrashing against his strength, I couldn't scream.

His hand roamed the length of my left thigh, squeezed, pressed, then pulled me into him. I jolted at the sensation, an involuntary moan breaking into his kiss as he wrapped his arm around my back to steady me.

He rocked against me, and I whimpered into his mouth.

“You’re mine, Ree. Get that in your head and don't play messy with me next time, or else...” he growled into my lips.