Free Stolen Fate by S. Nelson

a bet?” When I try to scramble away from him, he catches my leg and pulls me down the length of the bed, closer to where he stands. Then, with one knee on the mattress, he pushes himself so he’s able to straddle my waist. My pink camisole rides up a bit in the struggle, barely preserving my full breasts from his view. My nipples are erect and he knows as much when his fingers glide over the tips of them.
    “I will never give in to you. I will never consent to this. So if you want to rape me for real, then go right ahead. I’ve had worse than you happen to me, Drayden.” I say this with mixed emotions. It’s true. Worse things have happened to me in my young life, but I survived it all. And I will survive this.
    I will survive him.
    My words stop him. He stills in his movements, in his claiming of my body. He doesn’t get off me, but instead looks down into my face with a mix of confusion, lust and pity. I buck beneath him. I don’t need anyone’s pity. It’s the one thing which fueled my desire to do what I thought needed to be done in life. I can take care of myself; have been doing it my whole life. And I’m not about to stop now because I’m strangely attracted to my latest target. Yes, he turned the tables on me, pulling some unexpected moves, but nonetheless, I won’t be anyone’s plaything any more. Emotionally or physically. I call the shots. I decide my fate. No one else.
    When my body stops moving beneath him, when I stop fighting for him to release me, he takes that as his opening. He leans down so his chest is touching my own. He looks me in the eye one more time before laying his lips on top of mine. For as intoxicated as he is, his kiss is gentle. It’s sweet. The liquor on his breath is surrounding me, but I’m not as turned off by it as I should be.
    While I’m in the middle of a silent war with myself, Drayden’s hands glide up my body, coming to rest on the sides of my breasts again, teasing me with his feather-like touches. When he presses harder into my flesh, he gets the reaction he’s hoping for. I gasp and in doing so allow him entrance to my mouth. His tongue explores me, greedy to taste me, to feel my warmth. I reciprocate his need and growing desire. Ours is a kiss meant for a couple who knows each other, who are involved in an intimate relationship. Not two people who are thrown together because of greed and deceptiveness.
    “Why couldn’t you’ve been real, baby? Why did you have to do this to me? Make me feel something after so long only to have it ripped away in a heartbeat?” He’s babbling, confusing me with every word. At first, I think he’s talking directly to me, but there are parts I think are meant for someone else. “Did I pass your little test?” he asks. But in the very next second, he switches his pleas, begging for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean it, any of it. Please, give me a chance to take it back. Please.”
    “What are you talking about, Drayden?” I yank his hair, pulling his lips away from me so I can look into his eyes and see if he’s even here with me. He isn’t. His look is glazed over and he continues to mumble incoherently.
    “Please, forgive me.” He leans down and kisses me again, but this time it’s a bit more aggressive. When I try to push him off me, he jerks my hands up and pins them above my head, continuing his assault on my bruised lips.
    “Drayden!” I scream as loud as I can. I have to get his attention back on me, back in the present. If he’s drifting off someplace in the past, then I won’t be able to reach him or reason with him.
    He looks down at me, shaking his head as if he’s thrown back into a very confusing situation. Staring down at me, watching me struggle underneath him is enough to get him to stop whatever he’s planning. He must be even more drunk than either one of us realizes. He releases his hold on me and gets off the bed, leaving me both relieved and frustrated.
    I’m not sure