Chapter 4 ARGUMENT

CIARA

I yawned as I opened my eyes slowly and discovered him beside me on the bed; no wonder I remained warm inspite of the heavy storm that refused to stop. I tried to stand but he pulled my back to himself; his hard on digging into my back side as he spooned me so I pushed harder and he grunted "Good morning Ciara."

I scoffed. "Why are you here Mat? What if someone had walked in?"

"The storm is pretty bad so no one can come in but even if they do I'd handle it."

I exhaled slowly. "You are engaged to someone else; you should stay away from me."

"I know you are still mad at me but we need to discuss this. Why chose to have an abortion?"

"Why did you chose to swap my pills without my consent? How was my IUD removed without me knowing? You are a very known figure who got very engaged to Maggie; you need to forget about anything we had and move on with your life like I did mine."

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating as the rain outside intensified leaving the atmosphere tensed.

"I thought I was down with a flu or something but imagine my shock when they told me I was pregnant. You are the most selfish man I've ever met in my life Mathew. You want a wife and a mistress but I'm not playing your game with you."

The rain stopped, leaving the world gray and washed clean. I stood, staring at the window.

I turned to look at him, my eyes void of the softness they had held on "You cornered me everywhere...."

"Because you were avoiding me," he snapped, stepping closer to the window. "You pushed me away, Ciara. I thought you wanted this."

"Did you ever stop to think maybe I wanted you but not what you wanted to make me?"

I tightened my robe "I need to go home, Matthew. I can't be here with you looking at me like I'm a mistake."

I started to walk past him, but he didn't move.

"Did you love me at all?" he asked, the question tearing at his throat.

I paused, my hand on the doorknob. I looked back at him, and for a second, the anger cracked, revealing the hurt beneath. "I loved you enough to die for you, Matthew. That's the problem. I loved you more than you were ever willing to love me and only a manipulative jerk like you would bring up love right now."

The door clicked shut as I walked away from him.

He found me at the garden an hour later, ignoring the pouring rain as I pulled weeds from the soil. I looked like a wild creature, soaked to the bone, my hair plastered to her face.

"You're crazy," he called out to me, approaching through the mud.

I didn't look up. "Go away, Matthew."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, walking right up to me. He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to turn to him. "You're shivering."

"I'm fine." I tried to shrug him off, but he held on, my grip tight enough to bruise.

"You didn't eventually go through with the abortion," he stated. It wasn't a question.

My eyes went wide, then narrowed into slits. "You don't know that. I handled the procedure."

"I know you're pregnant," he said, leaning in until our noses were almost touching. "I know you better than you know yourself. Your body is fighting to protect something, Ciara. You're fertile, you're weak, and you're carrying my child."

"I'm not a vessel for your legacy, Matthew!" I shoved me hard, the force surprising him enough that he stumbled back. "Get out of my life. Just get out."

I pushed past him, but he caught my wrist, spinning me around and pinning me against the rough bark of an old oak tree. The rain soaked through our clothes instantly, our chests pressed together, skin slick and hot.

"Don't do this," he growled, his mouth hovering over hers. "I'm not letting you walk away from me, Ciara. I'm going to make you remember exactly what it felt like to be with me."

"Then prove it and leave me the hell alone" I screamed, water dripping from her chin.

That was all the invitation he needed. He didn't waste another second. He kissed me, hard and desperate, claiming my mouth with a ferocity that bordered on violence. His tongue thrust deep, demanding access, tasting the rain and the sweetness of her that he had been starving for. My hands clenched in his wet hair, pulling him closer, my breath hitching in a moan that escaped into the storm.

One hand moved to the back of my neck, holding me in place, while the other tore at the sash of my robe, letting the fabric fall open. The cold air hit my skin, but his body was a furnace against me.

"Matthew," I gasped against his lips. "We're outside."

"So what?" he nipped at my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. "The whole world can see us. The whole world can watch me take what's mine."

He lifted me effortlessly, her legs wrapping instinctively around my waist. He buried my face in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent and lowered me onto the soft, wet grass of the garden. He covered my body with his, weight pinning me to the earth, his erection already hard and aching, pressing demandingly against my thigh.

"Look at me, Ciara," he commanded, his voice dropping to a rough growl.

I opened her eyes, dark with desire, water pooling in her lashes. I reached down, my fingers trembling as I unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it open to reveal his chest. I ran my hands over his skin, my touch electric, making him shudder.

"You think you can just walk away?" he whispered, his lips brushing against my earlobe, biting down gently. "You think you can carry my child and then just choose to leave? No. You belong to me. Your body, your mind, your child."

"I hate you," I breathed, my nails digging into his back as he ground his hips against me, letting me feel exactly how much I affected me.

"I know," he groaned, aligning himself with my heat. "But you're mine, Ciara. And I'm going to make you scream my name until you believe it."

He thrust into me in one fluid motion, sheath enveloping me instantly, hot and tight and perfect. I cried out, my back arching off the ground, my fingers digging into his shoulders as he began to move. The rain continued to fall, washing over us, blurring the edges of the world until there was only the friction of our bodies, the slick heat of our skin, and the thunder of our hearts beating in sync.

He fucked me with a wild, desperate rhythm, each stroke harder and deeper than the last. He wanted to mark me, to leave his sign on my skin, to remind me that no matter where I went, he was the one who knew my body best. My legs wrapped tighter around his waist, pulling him in deeper, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

"Mathew..." I moaned, my head falling back against the wet grass. "Please... don't stop."

"Never," he growled, reaching between us to rub my clit with his thumb as he pistoned into me. "I'm never letting you go."

I arched my back, my walls clamping down around me, milking him for everything he had. My eyes rolled back, my mouth open in a silent scream as I shattered, my body convulsing around his. The feeling was blinding, pushing him over the edge as he roared my name, emptying himself into me with a guttural cry.

He collapsed on top of me, both of us breathless and spent, the rain cooling our overheated skin. He held me close, burying his face in my neck, listening to the thunderous thumping of my heart. He didn't care about the mud, the wet clothes, or the public display. "You're mine, Ciara," he whispered against my skin. "Always."

I didn't answer, but I didn't pull away either. He turned my head to look at him, a small, broken smile touching my lips. "You're absolutely insane Matthew."

"I'm your man," I corrected, kissing her forehead. "And I'm not letting you leave this garden until you agree to forgive me."

I laughed softly, a sound that seemed too light for the storm raging inside me. "You think a fuck is going to fix everything, don't you?"

"It fixed something," he said, nuzzling my neck. "It fixed you and it's going to keep fixing us. Now get up. We need to clean up before Calista comes looking for us."

I groaned but moved, my legs trembling as I stood. He helped me up, his arms around my waist, keeping me steady. We were a mess, a tangled mess of limbs and wet clothes, but he didn't care.

As we walked back to the house, he cleared his throat "Some Paps got their hands on your medical records, it's how I discovered you never went through with the abortion. I've handled them."

"Are you fucking kidding me Matthew? So...I don't even get any privacy?" I scoffed and as he's about to respond, the moment we stepped into the house, we found Maggie, his fiancée waiting inside.

She stared at us for a while then walked up and kissed him on his lips as he quickly pushed her aside "Hi babe."