Strings and Schemes

Chapter 24

"You like testing me?"

"Maybe."

His grip tightens, his body shifting beneath mine just enough to remind me exactly what kind of game we're playing. He trails his nose along the curve of my neck, inhaling like he's trying to commit every inch of me to memory.

"You can push all you want, jaan," he murmurs, lips brushing against my pulse. "But don't forget," His teeth graze the sensitive spot beneath my ear. "I push back."

I exhale sharply, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. He doesn't even give me a chance to respond before he moves, flipping us effortlessly so that I'm pressed into the mattress, his weight heavy over mine. His knee slots between my thighs, applying just enough pressure to make me gasp.

"You want to talk about wanting someone else?" he mutters, eyes dark as they roam over me. "Tell me, Raina" He drags his hand up my thigh, slow and deliberate. "Who else makes you feel like this?"

I don't answer. I can't.

Not when his fingers slip beneath the waistband of my sweats, pushing them down just enough to give him access. His knuckles brush against me, barely there, teasing, like he wants me to beg for it.

"Hmm?" he hums, watching me closely.

I swallow hard, my hips instinctively rolling against his hand, chasing more.

"Say it," he urges, pressing a single, devastatingly slow stroke over me.

A sharp breath leaves me. My mind racing at the very game he's playing with me, I want to fight him, want to not give him the power and control. But another part of me, folds like a chair.

"No one."

"No one, what?"

I glare at him, my pride hanging by a very fragile thread that is on the verge of snapping.

He smirks. "Use your words, baby."

I hate how good he is at this. Hate how easily he unravels me.

"No one makes me feel like this," I admit, barely above a whisper. Feeling the shift of power.

The satisfaction that flickers across his face is downright sinful.

"That's right," he murmurs, pressing a kiss just below my ear. "And I need you to remember that."

Before I can process, his fingers slip lower, pressing into me, filling me, stretching me just enough to steal the breath from my lungs.

He takes his time with me, pressing into my most sensitive parts with conviction. He curls his finger just perfectly so, pulling moans from the depths of me.

I arch into him, my hands flying to his shoulders, anchoring myself as his movements stay slow, torturous, deliberate.

"Zayn"

"I've got you, Jaan," he whispers, his lips brushing against my temple.

He sets a rhythm, one that has me gasping into his mouth as he kisses me, his free hand tilting my chin up, making sure I don't look anywhere but at him. His eyes are dark, full of something deep and knowing, and I feel it.

Feel everything.

He's not just touching me—he's making a point. A point I'll not soon forget.

When he finally, finally pushes me over the edge, his name is the only thing I remember how to say.

"Good answer," I whisper after the moment has passed. He laughs, then watches me for a long moment before finally speaking again.

"I'm not scared of this, Raina. You are."