Stolen Melody Read online

  He turned on the water and let it run down his hair and body for a little longer while he debated his next move. Beast turned the shower off and toweled himself dry. He put on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt before confronting Melody. Not for the first time, he wondered if she’d finally wised up and decided to leave him.

  She wasn’t his prisoner. Melody knew where he left his truck keys, his wallet, his spare cash, and his fake identities. Beast had opened the floorboards in his bedroom to grab some spare cash one night and saw she’d been watching him the entire time.

  The smell of freshly cooked bacon reached his nose as he left the bathroom. Stunned, he padded to the living room and finally the kitchen to find Melody behind the stove. Seeing him, she flashed him an uncertain smile.

  “Hungry?” she signed.

  “I can eat.” Was cooking him breakfast a sign of making peace? Beast wasn’t mad at her, not really. The way she exited reminded him of a frightened prey animal and he didn’t like seeing her hurt. Vulnerable.

  He joined her in the kitchen. There was a fresh pot of coffee brewing. He poured them both cups. She touched his shoulder and pointed to the dining table.

  “Sit down.”

  “You don’t need help?”

  She pointed to the table again. His woman didn’t need to tell him twice. Beast grabbed their cups and sat. His woman? Why did Beast call her that when she wasn’t anything to him? Yet. He grabbed his phone from where he’d left it in the living room, sat back down, and checked his emails.

  More job offers but nothing that interested him. Beast liked to bury himself in work. He lived and breathed violence. It was an odd feeling not to want to kill anyone, not when he had such a beautiful distraction living in his home.

  In front of him, Melody placed a plate heaped with eggs, toast, and bacon, as well as one to the chair next to his. Beast set his phone down and grabbed a fork. She took a big bite of her eggs. Was she sending him some kind of reassurance she hadn’t poisoned the food?

  No. Beast was probably thinking too much. He scooped up some eggs on toast and ate it, along with a piece of bacon. They ate in silence for a little while until Beast finished everything off the plate. Melody ate in small, polite bites. Beast was mesmerized, watching her.

  “No one’s ever made me a home-cooked meal before,” he signed. “Thank you.”

  She widened her eyes. “My pleasure. No one? Not even your parents?”

  He clenched his fork so hard, he dropped it on the plate. Beast didn’t share details of his past, his personal life with anyone else. He worked alone and chose to live in complete isolation from civilization when he wasn’t on a job for a reason. People were complicated. Hateful.

  She patted his knuckles. He jerked his head toward her.

  “Sorry for asking.”

  Beast decided to share a piece of his soul with her. She couldn’t speak. He trusted her with his secrets. “I don’t have memories of my mother. She died giving birth to me. I had an older brother but my old man beat him to death.”

  She studied him for a few moments, perhaps gauging whether he told the truth or not. “Where is your father now?”

  “Dead. Buried in the backyard.”

  Chapter Five

  Mel took a deep breath. Why didn’t Beast’s revelation frighten her? She knew what kind of man she’d been living with over the past three days. Beast was unlike anyone she met. She might’ve woven in and out of consciousness when he carried her out of that warehouse but she’d never forget the trail of bodies he’d left behind.

  Chekhov’s men deserved to die. She felt foolish for doubting him, even for a moment. Beast’s father wasn’t a good man. She was certain of it, but she had to ask.

  “Did he deserve it?” she signed.

  “Yes.” Beast appeared thoughtful. Mel was still touching his left knuckle. He hadn’t pulled away from her touch. “I hit him in the back of the head with a shovel when I was eighteen. After he shot my brother, I knew he’d come for me, too.”

  “So it was self-defense?”

  Beast pulled his hand away and stood up, beginning to clear the plates. She hesitantly stood up, wondering if she’d asked another wrong question. She grabbed their empty coffee cups and followed him to the kitchen. Beast placed the plates on the sink. Mel did the same with the cups.

  He faced her, reached out, and brushed his inked knuckle over her cheek. “I killed him to survive but I’ve wished so many times I took my time making him suffer.”

  She flinched. He meant every word. She could see it in the way the lines around his eyes tightened. Beast formed his lips to a thin line. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close so her breasts pressed up against his chest. Beast lowered his head to her ear, his breath warm.

  “I’m not good,” he whispered. She knew it hurt him to talk, but he did it anyway.

  She gave his chest a push but he didn’t budge. “Stop trying to scare me,” she signed.

  He released her and turned his back on her, and that scared her a little. She ran in front of him to get his attention.

  “We’re not done. Don’t walk away when the conversation’s getting tough.” Mel gasped as he edged her toward the closest wall and pinned her body with his own. She could smell the soap and cologne he used. She pressed one hand over his heart, pleased he didn’t push her away.

  “I can take you right here and no one would hear you scream for help. No one’s coming for you.”

  Beast did it again, trying to scare her off.

  “You could have,” she signed. “But you didn’t. You took care of me.”

  Beast laughed, the sound harsh to her ears, reeking a little of despair. “I wanted you to heal, prepare you for what’s coming. I don’t want a broken doll.”

  Mel let out a breath. His words stung, but she knew he didn’t mean it. For some incomprehensible reason, he wanted to make her believe he was a monster. A beast.

  Fear gripped her heart. Excitement raced down her spine and made her shudder in anticipation as she remembered Beast in the shower, stroking his cock. He’d been thinking about her, she could tell. She’d only known him for three days. They were still strangers, but she believed he’d never harm her.

  “I can handle you.” She signed those words carefully, making sure he understood.

  Beast blinked, looked down at her. There it was again. Ravenous hunger. Mel didn’t think she could love her body again but right now, she was wet for him. Her nipples tightened to points. Mel regretted not joining him in the shower earlier. She’d been too confused, terrified of the emotions brewing inside of her like a storm.

  Mel thought it was wrong to want a man, to crave Beast out of need and desperation, but it was more than that. He didn’t just save her. He made her feel again and right now, she wanted him to claim her, to take her and erase all those awful memories stuck in her head. Replace them with new ones.

  She lifted her face and stole another kiss from him. His body felt like a furnace against her, so hot, it burned her too. She wrapped her arms behind his neck, pleased he ran his big hands down her body slowly, carefully. Beast slipped his fingers down the hem of her loose shirt, his touch proprietary.

  He thrust his tongue down her throat and her mind went blank again. She mounted him like a tree, wrapping her legs around his waist, confident he wouldn’t drop her. Beast settled one arm around her waist and rested the other on her bare bottom.

  Beast slid his hand lower, down her inner thigh, and cupped her pussy. Mel moaned, breaking away from the kiss as he played with her pink, slick folds.

  He carried her away from the wall and back to the bedroom with complete ease, as if she didn’t weigh a single thing. Beast deposited her on the bed and grabbed hold of her shirt. One jerk and the fabric ripped, fluttered right onto the sheets. He tossed it away and simply watched her for a few moments. It wasn’t creepy. Mel didn’t have the urge to cover herself up or run. She felt appreciated. Desired for who she was, not because she was just
a hole he wanted to fuck.

  Mel never thought she’d be able to find a man who looked at her the way he did. She scooted up the bed and parted her thighs, blushing a little. Mel didn’t know what in the world she was doing but she felt brazen. Powerful. It was a heady feeling because for most of her life she felt the exact opposite.

  Trapped. Prey.

  Beast crawled on top of her, keeping his hands on either side of her head. He didn’t mount her, not right away. He took her mouth again and plundered it like an animal. He left a trail of hot kisses and tiny bites down the side of her neck, her collarbones. Mel clenched at the sheets above her, purring when he took one of her nipples into her mouth and sucked hard at it.

  She groaned when he bit down, leaving a perfect imprint of his teeth there. Beast did her right breast as well before moving to her ribs, her belly. Mel had gained a little bit of weight during the short time she was here. He always made sure she was fed, although she still didn’t like how she looked when she glimpsed the mirror.

  Beast certainly didn’t seem to find anything wrong with her body. He worshipped her like a goddess. He parted her legs, buried his face between her legs, and then blew at her cunt. She whimpered as he thrust his tongue into her pussy.

  God. The things this man could do with his tongue and teeth. It completely blew her mind away. He licked, sucked, and teased. He flicked his tongue over and over her clit and pushed two fingers into her wet hole. Mel let out a cry as her mind hazed over. She orgasmed, her entire body shuddering as her mind flew to a good place.

  Beast pulled himself up and gave her a slow, tender kiss on the mouth. He looked right into her eyes and said one word. “Mine.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. Mel spent the last three days trying to figure out what she wanted to do next. She didn’t want to go back to her old life. That much was certain. She had slaved away in a diner, juggling two jobs sometimes just to pay her bills and keep her apartment.

  She’d felt invisible her entire life, content to remain in the background, but she’d caught Cheklov’s notice. He stole her away and it didn’t matter to anyone else. Mel felt so small, so insignificant. It didn’t matter to anyone if she disappeared right off the streets but Beast cared. He saw her.

  “I want to take you from behind,” Beast signed at her.

  Mel liked that he told her. She went on all fours, lowered her shoulders into the sheets, and rested her burning cheek there. Beast grabbed something from one of the drawers next to the bed. A condom. She watched him unzip his pants and take them off, along with his underwear. She widened her eyes. Beast’s cock was long, thick, and meaty. Impressive, just like his name.

  He must’ve known she was watching him because he signed, “Scared?”

  “No. I still want you.”

  Beast let out that sexy growl that only made her wetter. He tore open the condom’s wrapper and sheathed it over his cock. The mattress dipped. Beast got behind her again. He gave her ass cheek a pinch, making her chuckle.

  Her heart thudded as he gripped her hips and nudged his cock into her pussy. Beast penetrated her, his entry slow and steady. Mel could hear him gritting his teeth. He went easy. Beast didn’t want to hurt her and that said plenty. Finally, he was balls deep inside her.

  She breathed in and out. Beast didn’t move right away. She became aware of his massive girth buried deep in her, owning her in ways Cheklov and his men were never able to. He began to rut her, quick strokes at first before he fucked her faster, harder. Mel soon forgot about the initial pain. With every thrust, he made her feel good. To Cheklov, she was only an object, but Beast focused on her pleasure.

  He managed to lure out something she’d buried deep inside her when Cheklov took her, her real self maybe. Her soul.

  Sweat coated her body. The pressure inside her continued to build. Her nipples were hard, sore from where he bit her earlier, but she decided she didn’t mind wearing his marks on her. He changed the angle of his thrusts and hit her special spot.

  Mel arched her back, crying out as he kept aiming for her G-spot. She shredded the sheets as Beast pounded relentlessly in and out of her. With each push, he made sure to hit her clit. Her vision blurred. The room fell away from her line of sight. The next time he sheathed his cock inside her, Mel’s mind splintered. She soared twenty thousand feet in the air, without a care. She slumped onto the bed while he hammered in and out of her a few more times before he let out a guttural sound.

  Beast pulled out of her. She remained where she was, basking in the glow of post-orgasm sex. He disposed of the condom and slid right next to her. She inched close to him and liked how he threw a possessive arm over her body and simply held her.

  Mel hadn’t experienced anything like that before. She closed her eyes. She’d never felt so contented, so satiated before. Mel didn’t even think sex could be like this. Before Cheklov, she’d dated, had sex a few times, but it always felt empty. Meaningless.

  She turned in Beast’s arms. He loosened his grip. Now facing him, she touched the stubble on his cheek and jaw. He’d shaved his beard for her and that made her curve her lips upward.

  “Pretty smile. Pretty girl,” he whispered.

  He waited patiently as she traced the fierce lines of black ink on his shoulder blade. He had a lion with its jaws and fangs inked there, a dragon that coiled around his ribs and stomach, and the scars underneath them all. There was so much more to explore and discover. Mel wanted to commit every secret and curious inch of his body to memory.

  Beast closed his hands on her fingers, stopping her from her task. He lifted them to his mouth and kissed them. Mel let out a shaky breath. She hadn’t figured out the next step she wanted to take. Mel still had one foot left in the past. The future seemed uncertain, but for now, all that mattered was the present.

  Chapter Six

  Beast’s phone vibrated under his pillow. Not an alarm. He didn’t set one for today. He groaned, opening his eyes only to remember he wasn’t alone. Beast inhaled the scent of Melody’s shampoo. She borrowed his, but it smelled nice on her. Different. Beast made a mental note to buy some things she’d need. Shampoo and other toiletries, clothes. Woman things.

  His phone did it again. He growled. Very few of his contacts would dare bother him when he wasn’t on a job. Not wanting to wake Melody, he pried himself away from her. He was loath to do it. Beast could stay in bed all day and watch her sleep. Then he’d slowly slide his dick into her pussy to wake her. He could already imagine Melody blinking those huge azure eyes open and making a surprised gasp as he buried his cock to own her all over again.

  Beast peeled himself from the bed and grabbed his phone. He silently walked out of the room. He looked at his phone. Multiple messages from a client, asking him if he could do a last-minute job.

  He blew out a breath and peeked through the doorway. From this angle, he could glimpse hints of her creamy limbs peeking from his dark-blue covers and her golden hair fanned out against his pillows. Hair he wanted to spear his fingers through over and over again. Admire the souvenirs he left on her skin the night before.

  How would Melody react, seeing the bruises on her body? Appalled? Frightened?

  He promised himself he’d wait for her to heal but he was only human. How could resist her?

  It should be criminal how much he wanted her. Beast had his fill of her the night before but his hunger was far from sated. All he wanted to was tell his client ‘fuck you’ and crawl back into bed with her. A beast and a fallen angel. What a strange couple they’d make. She came to him broken but Beast knew she was strong enough to move past this.

  Unlike him, salvation was still within reach for Melody. Once he got rid of her demons, of Cheklov, she could try to live a normal life. She’d be better off without a monster like him.

  Beast gritted his teeth. She’d made breakfast for him. He’d never forget that.

  Melody opened her eyes, still looking groggy. She sat up straight, clutched at the sheets, and looked around h
is room, gaze darting back and forth. She seemed confused. He wondered if her mind was back in that dark warehouse again.

  Beast entered the room and hesitated when she backed into the headboard at the sound of his footsteps. He went to her, gripped her shoulders. She let out a hiss and tried to punch him but he dodged her fists. Beast lifted her chin with his fingers, forcing her to look at him.

  Melody’s breathing turned even. She gripped his forearm and looked right into his eyes.

  “It’s you,” she signed. “I thought I was back there.”

  Beast slid into the bed, gathering her close to him. She laid her head on his lap while he ran his fingers through her long hair and worked out the tangles. She trembled on his lap for a little while but calmed down eventually. Beast bet the skin on Melody’s back used to be smooth but now, it was littered with faded scars. Old cigarette burns.

  Seeing her like this pissed him off. Beast wanted to break something. Kill someone. Too bad Cheklov wasn’t within easy reach yet. That fucker was paranoid about security. Beast needed to plan carefully. Waking right into Cheklov’s family home and wringing his neck might sound tempting but Cheklov’s men would gun him down before he could even set foot into his residence.

  Melody turned so she could look up at him.

  “Better?” he signed.

  She reached for his hand, clasped it tight, and nodded. Melody raised herself from his lap, then looked at his cock, a silent question in her eyes. Beast shook his head, angrier than ever as she closed one hand over his shaft and began to stroke him. He groaned, too weak to push her away. Her small fingers felt too good. At this rate, he’d come just from this alone. Worse, he’d turn her on her back, part her legs, and start rutting her like an animal.