Surviving Shane: Volume One (3 page)

She had no time to check the closet when she heard feet in the hallway. Mia ran back to the bathroom and scooped up the curling rod, wrapping the cord around the handle as she hurried back into the bedroom. She stood near the door as he slipped inside, shielding the curling iron with her body as she held it at an angle to avoid burning herself. Mia waited until he closed the door and started to turn before she moved toward him.

He faced her as she reached him, looking at her with a scowl. “You didn’t prepare yourself.”

Mia didn’t speak. As he reached for her, she thrust the curling iron upward, pressing the barrel against his neck as fully as possible.

His eyes widened, and he jerked. Shane’s hand was tight around her neck when he grabbed her, lifting her off her feet with a little shake. The curling iron fell to the floor, and she knew it had been a stupid weapon.

While trying to suck in air through her obstructed windpipe, she also admitted to herself she had known it wouldn’t be effective, but it made a statement. She wasn’t going to surrender easily, no matter what threats or persuasion he used.

“You little bitch.” He shook her again before lowering her so that her toes brushed the floor. His hand loosened a bit, allowing her oxygen, but he didn’t release her as he thrust her before him. Her toes skimmed the hardwood floor as he shoved her into the bathroom.

Mia tried to kick him when he lifted her into the shower stall, but missed. With another curse, he tossed her none too gently against the marble wall. She cried out with pain at the impact and didn’t have a chance to reorient herself before water rained down on her. She was vaguely aware of Shane pressing buttons on a panel just outside the shower before steam and jets of water obscured her vision.

She pushed wet strands of hair off her face and squinted to see her tormentor. Mia whimpered at the sight of him unbuttoning the purple silk shirt he’d worn. His pants joined the garment a moment later, and she turned her head, driven to search for a weapon and to avoid the sight of his body.

What she had glimpsed told her he was powerfully built, with thick arms, a narrow waist, and a flat stomach, including the requisite six-pack men like that always seemed to have. In an attempt to clear her vision, she shook her head and fumbled on the shelf behind her, wanting to laugh and cry simultaneously when her frantic searching yielded a bottle of conditioner and a bar of soap that smelled like oranges in the steam.

He moved with deliberate intent, and she could no longer avoid looking at him when he entered the shower. Unlike her, he was fully undressed, and she pressed her back to the wall as he neared. Tears welled in her eyes, and she let them fall, knowing the shower stream would hide them. Otherwise, she wouldn’t allow the weakness.

“Take off your dress.”

Mia shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as though she could meld the material to her body by sheer force of will. “Stay away from me, you sick fuck.”

His stalking pace didn’t increase, but he made it clear he wouldn’t be deterred as he closed the distance between them. She flinched when he slapped his palms against the wall on either side of her head, but didn’t look away from his hot gaze. Letting every ounce of loathing and contempt she felt show in her eyes, Mia lifted her knee and viciously aimed for his testicles.

He actually laughed as he blocked the motion with one of his powerful thighs. “You’re like a wet kitten, baby. All claws and wet fur. You just need some petting.”

“Fuck you.” Mia pressed her hands against his chest as he swallowed the last of the space between them. Shock wanted to lead her thoughts to analyzing how she had ended up in this situation, but she forced away the impulse, knowing she had to focus.

“Certainly.” He brushed his lips against her cheek. “Do you want to take off the dress, or should I tear it off you?”

She refused to answer, but fought with all her strength when he grabbed her, holding her securely with one arm and his legs as he stripped the sodden garment from her body. Mia screamed her outrage when he ripped off her bra, the elastic digging into her skin.

“What a nice surprise. I thought you had little breasts, but these are more than a handful.” He grasped one and rubbed her nipple as he spoke.

Mia hated the way the pert bud beaded under his touch, but pushed aside the physical reaction to renew her attempts at escape when he tugged at her underwear. “No. Let go of me, you bastard.”

Hitting out blindly, the back of her hand connected with the sharp angle of his cheekbone, and they both grunted with pain. She hit him again in almost the same spot before he grasped her hair and pulled her head back. Mia shivered at the rage and lust in his expression right before he backhanded her. Stars exploded behind her eyes, and she slumped to the floor of the shower.

Shane was on her in seconds, pushing her onto all fours and pulling off her panties. His hands were rough in her hair when he yanked free the pins, spilling the dark mass around both of them. Mia tried to push it out of her way, but he had her pressed so tightly against the marble floor that she couldn’t move.

She still tried to squirm away when he caressed her hip. “Stop that.” Her voice was weaker than she’d hoped it to be, but it soared to sharp-edged hysteria when he inserted his hand between her thighs to shove them open. “No, no, no.”

“Yes, baby.” His fingers violated her tight flesh, spreading her without regard for her comfort or pleasure. “You need to learn who is in charge.”

Mia tried to crawl forward when he pressed his body close to hers, crying out with fear when the head of his erection poked her buttocks. “Stop this. You have no right.”

“I have every right.” The head slipped into her folds, and he held her still with increased pressure. “You are mine, and the sooner you accept that, the better this will be for you.”

Mia cried out when he penetrated her, ripping through her in a red rush of pain that made her gray out. When she became alert again, she was aware of him thrusting in and out of her, as though with the intent to hurt as much as possible. If that was his goal, the sadistic bastard was accomplishing it, and though she hated herself for it, she began sobbing.

She couldn’t move, so she focused on enduring. Mia pressed her palms into the tile beneath her, trying to ignore the pain he inflicted as he took her without any concerns but his own release. His animalistic grunting turned her stomach, and she dry-heaved as he came inside her with a release of warmth that seemed to mark her.

After he pulled out, Shane lifted her effortlessly to sit on the marble. Mia didn’t look at him, and she didn’t fight as he washed her hair and lathered her with the sweet-smelling bar of soap.

Finally, the water shut off, but she didn’t move. Mia heard him grunt with annoyance as he lifted her to her feet and carried her out of the shower. The bathmat was thick under her bare feet, and she concentrated on the sensation in an attempt to block out the way he was drying her body with a soft towel.

She shuddered when he rubbed the white towel between her legs, abrading the sore flesh, but still didn’t look at him. Mia couldn’t look at herself in the mirror either. She just wanted this to be over.

Shane made a strange sound and thrust the towel toward her face. “Were you a virgin?”

Mia stared at the splotch of blood on the towel and nodded dully. She hadn’t met anyone she wanted to share her body with, but she regretted that now. How she wished she had screwed the first guy to show interest. Shuddering again, she decided not the first guy, because he was a disgusting piece of filth.

Much like the sadistic fuck kneeling on the tile in front of her. Rage exploded through her, and she hit him as hard as she could. Pain exploded through her hand, but she ignored that as he sprawled backward on his ass, looking surprised and perhaps pained from the fist. Mia made a run for the doorway, but barely got a couple of feet before he grabbed her ankle and jerked her into his arms. Her elbow hit the floor hard, and tears blurred her vision, but she blinked them away.

“Stop fighting.”

She glared at him. “Never.” That was a lesson she had never learned, and he wouldn’t be the one to teach it to her.

With a long sigh, Shane got to his feet before bending to lift her up. Once on her feet, he herded her toward the sink. Mia watched as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet for antibiotic cream and bandages. When he thrust the tube at her, she stared at it with confusion. “What—”

He pointed to the long burn on his neck. “See to it.”

She blinked. “Are you kidding me?” Mia flicked aside the antibiotic cream, and it landed in the sink.

Shane grasped the back of her head, his fingers squeezing her neck as he shoved her face toward the drain. “You did it, so you fix it.”

Clamping her mouth shut to bite back the question of how he planned to fix stealing her virginity so painfully, she picked up the tube. When he released her, she whirled to face him, trying to ignore the fact they were both naked. She squeezed a gob on her hand and pressed it into the cut, giving him a cold smile when he hissed.

Her fingers shook a bit as she unwrapped the bandages, requiring two to cover the spot. After smoothing on the second one, she dropped her hands and pressed back against the vanity in an attempt to put some space between them. “There.”

“Kiss it.”

Mia blinked. “Huh?”

He put his arm around her waist to pull her back into his arms. “Kiss the boo-boo, baby.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re nuts.”

He smiled slightly. “My mother always kissed the ouchies after she put on the band-aid.”

“I’m not your mother.”

Shane grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing just hard enough to hurt. “No, you aren’t, but you’re still going to kiss it all better.” He said it mockingly.

Mia swallowed, knowing this was some idiotic power game he was playing with her, but not sure how to get out of it. Did she really want him to hurt her again for something so minor? Was she losing the war by surrendering this small battle? Of course not.

Making no attempt to hide her reluctance, she stretched on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against the bandages before looking up at him. “Happy now?”

“Not even close.”

Before she could struggle, he wound his hand in her hair to hold her head immobilized for his kiss. She clamped her mouth shut and glared at him as his lips descended on hers. Her scalp burned when he tightened his grasp on her hair, but she refused to yield.

His body practically vibrated with his frustration right before he bit her lower lip hard enough to make her yelp. His tongue traced the outside contours of her lips, but he didn’t penetrate her mouth. “If you even think about biting me, you’ll be sorry.”

Mia fought internally, trying to decide if she should bite him anyway as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She grazed her teeth against him, more as an experiment than a commitment to biting him, and cried out when he pulled her hair so hard pain radiated throughout her head.

“Behave.” And then he kissed her again, deepening the kiss with confidence, as though he had vanquished her.

Mia wanted to show him differently, to prove to him and herself that no man was going to conquer her, but she froze. She wanted to believe it was because she was afraid of losing hair the next time he pulled, but her innate honesty wouldn’t allow her to lie. His soft and coaxing kiss blew her away, filling her with a mix of conflicting sensations and emotions.

Desire pulsed through her, even as repulsion chased it for supremacy. Her body ached for him as he swept his tongue through her mouth with demanding strokes, while her mind screamed at the violation and insisted on asserting her autonomy.

She almost considered it a win that she had managed not to externally react at all when he lifted his head. Mia tried to keep her gaze impassive as he cradled her face between his hands to kiss her again. He nibbled and licked, causing her lips to soften involuntarily. Eyes closed tightly, she tried to resist the onslaught as long as she could. He battered at her barriers with tenderness until she issued a small whimper.

Shane looked satisfied with that small sign of surrender when he lifted his head. “Good girl.”

She glared at him, making a production of wiping her mouth, though the damage was done. He had won that skirmish.

“Let’s get you to bed.” The tone was gentle, but the look was lascivious.

Mia dragged her feet and struggled against his hold as he pulled her forward. Finally, with a curse of annoyance, Shane lifted her into his arms and strode into the bedroom.

She grunted when he tossed her onto the bed, desperately struggling to escape when he dropped down atop her, straddling her stomach. He held her wrists, and it took her a moment to realize he was forcing one back against the headboard.

Panic rose inside her like a sharp blade, and she renewed her thrashing as he pushed one the wrist into a leather cuff lined with fleece. “No. Let me go, you bastard.”

Shane ignored her demands and protests as he fastened the cuff before subduing her enough to secure her other wrist. Mia tugged at the restraints forcefully, determined to escape. “Untie me, you disgusting Christian Grey wannabe.”

Shane’s lips twitched. “I’m hardly a Mr. Grey, honey. There’s no Red Room of Pain anywhere in the house.” He licked his lips. “We could add one if it pleases you though.”