Once You're Mine (Possessing Her)

by Morgan Bridges

I run my gaze over every inch of Calista, drinking in her presence like a man dying of thirst. It’s been too long since I’ve had her look at me. Since I’ve heard her voice. If I could survive on those things alone, I’d never want for anything else.

When it comes to this woman, I’m fucked. Beyond fucked.

It’s fortunate that she sought me out. I’m not sure how much longer I would’ve waited before kidnapping her.

I want to be truthful. And I will… to an extent. She can’t know the depth of my obsession until I understand it first and have everything under control. When I’m certain she won’t run from me. Not that it would stop me from chasing her. And keeping her.

She has no idea that I would give her the millions of dollars I own if it meant getting to know everything about her. Very few people know about the wealth I amassed after investing the money I made from my career as an attorney. The only reason I continue to do this job is because it provides me satisfaction when meting out justice. Not as much as killing the guilty with my bare hands. But we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good.

“I have to know,” Hayden says, his tone more forceful. “Who put their fucking hands on you? I want a name.”

“You are safe. Nothing will hurt you.” His voice carries a confidence that rings true within me. It battles my need to hide from him. To conceal the filthy and damaged parts of me. “I’ve got you, Callie. You’re safe with me. I’ll never let anything hurt you. Anyone who tries will suffer. Now, breathe in and out slowly through your mouth.”

I bring my index finger to his chin, following the minor cleft there, then drag my fingertip along his nose and his bottom lip. It’s just as soft as I thought. Maybe even more so. With regret, I let my hand fall away. Only for Hayden to snatch it in his and bring it to his mouth. “Don’t stop,” he whispers, his lips brushing my skin. “I need more.”

“All right, you caffeine-dependent losers, get in here and get your fix.”

The world is full of darkness, so why not try to be the light in someone’s day?

Vulnerability is hard to deal with, let alone exposing it to another.

“Here’s your order. I hope you get run over by a bus on your way out.”

Most men are stupid, but not all of them are idiots. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.”

Calista: *orders another motherfucking drink* Hayden: That better be a glass of motherfucking water. I don’t want you throwing up in my car when I take you home.

When I nod, giving Levi my permission, I’m doing it without thinking of Hayden. Only for him to appear just behind Levi as he lowers his head to kiss me. Hayden’s gaze meets mine, the blue within no longer ice. His eyes are a pair of blue flames, the hottest temperature, burning with an unholy wrath that feels like a wave of heat sweeping over my flushed skin. It sears me, rendering me ash that’s helpless against any type of force. Right now, that’s Hayden. He slaps a hand on Levi’s shoulder and yanks him away from me. My mouth drops open, and my arms fall to my sides as I watch Hayden confront Levi like an enraged husband. Even though he’s never even kissed me—and certainly never asked to.

“Is this the brother you were talking about?” Levi asks me. “I can see why you think he’s an overbearing prick.” Hayden quirks a brow while looking at me and I flinch. “Brother?” he repeats. The attorney clicks his tongue in admonishment. “Miss Green, I thought you were above lying.” Then he turns to Levi. “If I’m her brother, then the things I want to do to her are beyond incestuous.” “I told you!” Harper hisses in my ear, clutching my arm.

“I warned you,” he says to me. If he touches you, what I did last time will seem like a joke in comparison.

“You’re so beautiful when you beg,” Hayden says.

He reaches for the other cuff link, and I swallow the ball of nerves gathered in my throat. “As much as I enjoy witnessing that, I need you to understand that I mean what I say.”

She will surrender to me. In all ways and in all things. Or I will control her through her secrets. Once I learn them.

I barely smile, let alone laugh. Although I did when I killed her father. I doubt she’d appreciate that. The joke’s on me. He was innocent.

Calista: K. Hayden: That type of response is beneath your intelligence, Miss Green. Calista: If she were here with me, I’d redden her ass for that.

Her underwear stained with my cum—like I want her skin to be—goes back into my pocket where they belong for now. Until the next time, at least.

I let instinct take over and continue sweeping my mouth over his, light and coaxing. Silently begging him to kiss me back. Even going as far as teasing him with little flicks of my tongue along the seam of his lips. For a breathless moment, he remains motionless. Then a low groan rumbles at the back of his throat, and his arms encircle me, crushing me against his chest. He immediately takes control of the kiss. And me.

His mouth ravages mine, our lips and tongues colliding in a battle for dominance. He’s already won, but this is a show of strength. And of need. Every breath, every touch heightens the denied and reckless longing I’ve been fighting. He deepens the kiss, and his fingers dig into my skin, branding me inch by inch. Second by second. His hands trace my curves through my dress before finding bare skin along my back, leaving a scorching path that continues down the backs of my thighs. I’m lost in him.

“I’ve already made it clear that I don’t share.” When I swing back to look at him, his gaze is locked on Levi. “She’s mine.”

“If you hurt her,” Harper says, poking his chest, “I’ll kill you.” He gives her a curt nod. “Understood.” “Harper, don’t say things you don’t mean,” I say, my gaze darting back and forth to confirm no one overheard her. “She meant it.” When I blink up at Hayden, he stares back, certainty etched into his features. “I’ve seen the eyes of a killer, and she is very serious.” Harper grins maniacally. “Yes, I do. Remember that, Bennett.”

He carries me effortlessly across the sidewalk and stops in front of a trash can. “Take them off and throw them away.” “I’m sure they can be repaired.” When he shakes his head, I bite my bottom lip. “They’re the only pair I own. I can’t just get rid of them.”

“I’ll replace them ten times over. Throw those shoes away before I lose what little patience I have left. If I would’ve known another man bought them for you, I would’ve burned them long before now.”

“This might come as a shock, but not everything in my life is about you.” “I wish I could say the same.”

Tell me the reasons why I should run from you, the reasons I should hide my heart.

“I want to possess more than your secrets, Callie. I want to possess you.” My lips part on a gasp while my heart ricochets within my rib cage, making my chest ache. “What does that even mean? You can’t just own someone.” “I beg to differ.”

I can’t let him kiss me, let alone touch me. It would only take one time, one moment of being completely under his control, and I’d never be free of him.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t come after you?”

The side of his mouth lifts in a smirk. “I admire your spirit, but you want this as much as I do. Your body knows it, even if your mind refuses to accept it.” He leans in closer, his breath fanning across my lips.

“You belong to me, Callie. You have since the first time I saw you. I knew it then, and I’m telling you now, you’re mine.”

“There’s no escaping this. I know. I’ve tried.” He inhales deeply, pressing his body into me so forcefully that I can feel his heart beat. It’s racing just as much as mine, if not more. “Once you accept this thing between us, you’ll never leave.” I inwardly shrink as defeat washes over me like a cold wind. He’s right. I knew this when I ran. If I ever take the chance and explore this attraction with Hayden, I know deep down that it’d be the death of me. I’d lose myself in him to the point that I’d no longer exist. That is what truly scares me.

He claims my mouth in a kiss that’s gentle. It’s completely opposite to the dark violence rolling off of him. It stuns me, and I stand there, eyes closed and unmoving. But not unwilling.

His lips move over mine with such tenderness that I melt into him within seconds. Despite his hold on my wrists, he uses his other hand to caress my face while his tongue moves over my lips, coaxing rather than demanding a response from me.

“Open for me, Callie. I’m dying to taste you again. I need to know if you’re as sweet as I remember, or if I imagined everythin...

I want him to lose control. Just like I have. “Please, baby,” I say with a voice I don’t recognize. It’s sultry yet aching. For him. Hayden’s lips crash against mine with a ferocity that steals my breath. There’s no doubt or hesitation now. I kiss him back with everything that I have, telling him that I want him just as badly, giving him permission to lead me wherever he wants. And he takes it.

“You’re so fucking tight. I’m going to wreck this pretty pussy.”

“Now that I’ve caught you, I intend to keep you, Callie.”

“You belong with me. To me.” He brings his face so close to mine that the tips of our noses brush one another. “You can fight it all you want, but we both know it’s pointless. What’s happening between us is inevitable, and I’ll do everything within my power to get you to accept it.”

Knowing bits of his childhood, it’s possible Hayden isn’t familiar with how to function in a healthy relationship. Especially one that involves heightened emotions such as desire, jealousy, and uncertainty.

“You think I’m angry about the interior of my car?” he asks. I shrug. “It’s the only reason I can come up with.” “What about the fact that I don’t want you to experience pain in any capacity unless it’s the pain of my cock driving into your cunt? What about the idea that you’re hurt because you’re so fucking scared of me that you don’t realize I would kill someone to keep you safe? Fuck my car. I want your blood on it, my cock, and anywhere else that’d mark me as yours.”

There are too many lies between us for me to continue adding to them. I’m done with that.”

“I need to know every second of every day that you’re safe.” He shrugs. “If that means planting a chip in you or tracking your cell phone, I’ll do it.”

“Do you hear yourself? You sound insane.” “If I’m crazy, it’s because of you.” As if he slapped me, I jerk back. “Me?” “Yes, you.”

he stares at me like I’m his reason for living. “Because you’re in my blood, Callie. Underneath my skin. No matter how hard I try, I can’t cut you out without killing myself in the process.”