Broken but not lost

Chapter 10, BRIAR

He stares at me for a second too long, glaring.

"Make you..." he whispers. More to himself than to me.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" I raise a brow.

"Do you think before you act or do you not have a conscience in that thick skull of yours?" He mocks, only slightly struggling against me.

I shrug. "My conscience... that little voice in my head? Oh, there's more than one. I just choose not to listen."

He chuckles deeply. "Of course there is and of course you don't."

I bite my lip. I decide to make him struggle a little by adjusting myself, rubbing against his lower region. He groans and closes his eyes.

"Stop that, Briar..." he bites the inside of his cheek.

"Hm, I don't think I will." I hum. "You bruised me, hit me in the back of my head, kicked me—"

"Pinned you?" He teases, reminding me that he's beat me three times.

I hum. "Another reason for me to keep you here. Another reason not to listen to you." Another reason to tease you, I think.

I once again adjust myself and he growls.

"Oh, come on. You secretly like this. You would've flipped yourself over and pinned me by now if you didn't, am I right? You know how, you know you could. Why haven't you?" I smirk.

He inhales deeply, staring directly into my eyes. "You're just giving me more reason to hate you, you know that?"

I lean down, putting my lips close to his, making him break eye contact to look. "If you hated me that much, I'd be dead, wouldn't I?"

Without giving me time to react, he smashes his lips against mine. I let out a small cry of surprise, but I don't pull away.

I want to.

I should.

But I can't. He kisses me deeply, snaking his tongue into my mouth every now and then making me moan in shock.

Stop it, Briar. Stop it, now.

I loosen my hold on his wrists and bring my hands to his dark hair. I've never kissed someone like this before. I've never kissed anyone, period.

Fuck, he was a good kisser.

He drags his hands down my waist, resting them on my hips. He carefully pushes himself up, flipping us over so I'm under him.

Shit.

He takes my hands from his hair and pins them above my head, making me stretch farther than I can. He breaks the kiss.

"It was much easier to trick you into letting me do that than I thought." He grins.

I stare at him, breathless from the kiss and the strain he's putting on my body from holding my hands so high.

"Fuck you." I breathe.

"Now, that's not very nice, love." He stretches my arms further up, making me whimper and my side ache.

"I think you've learned I'm well past being nice to you." I spit.

He hums. Staring at me, he notices that I'm still breathless and struggling against his hold. His eyebrows furrow. "Was that your first kiss?"

I can't let him see my cheeks turn red or my ears go pink, but I can't look away without him knowing.

I can't answer either. He'll hear my voice shaking.