Chapter 5 · First inch lands

He tore the rest of my shirt and pinned me. I trembled. Pride refused. Then he slid inside on the first breath and claimed the withheld inch.
"Look at me. Don't you dare run from this." He thrust harder, deeper, snapping hips, again and again, until the rhythm broke. My mind said no. My body said yes. I came around him. He finished inside me and marked me.
Then he clipped the worse rider to the ledger. On beat 1 I felt the rivet at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 1 out loud even as my breath hit the rivet. On beat 2 I felt the latch at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 2 out loud even as my breath hit the latch. On beat 3 I felt the hinge at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 3 out loud even as my breath hit the hinge. On beat 4 I felt the grate at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 4 out loud even as my breath hit the grate. On beat 5 I felt the bunk at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 5 out loud even as my breath hit the bunk. On beat 6 I felt the tray at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 6 out loud even as my breath hit the tray. On beat 7 I felt the cuff at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 7 out loud even as my breath hit the cuff. On beat 8 I felt the vent at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 8 out loud even as my breath hit the vent. On beat 9 I felt the pipe at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 9 out loud even as my breath hit the pipe. On beat 10 I felt the rail at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 10 out loud even as my breath hit the rail. On beat 11 I felt the bolt at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 11 out loud even as my breath hit the bolt. On beat 12 I felt the weld at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 12 out loud even as my breath hit the weld. On beat 13 I felt the seam at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 13 out loud even as my breath hit the seam. On beat 14 I felt the mask at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 14 out loud even as my breath hit the mask. On beat 15 I felt the badge at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 15 out loud even as my breath hit the badge. On beat 16 I felt the ledger at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 16 out loud even as my breath hit the ledger. On beat 17 I felt the inhaler at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 17 out loud even as my breath hit the inhaler. On beat 18 I felt the hatch at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 18 out loud even as my breath hit the hatch. On beat 19 I felt the collar at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 19 out loud even as my breath hit the collar. On beat 20 I felt the zipper at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 20 out loud even as my breath hit the zipper. On beat 21 I felt the canine at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 21 out loud even as my breath hit the canine. On beat 22 I felt the gland at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 22 out loud even as my breath hit the gland. On beat 23 I felt the stubble at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 23 out loud even as my breath hit the stubble. On beat 24 I felt the wrist at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 24 out loud even as my breath hit the wrist. On beat 25 I felt the throat at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 25 out loud even as my breath hit the throat. On beat 26 I felt the hip at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 26 out loud even as my breath hit the hip. On beat 27 I felt the knee at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 27 out loud even as my breath hit the knee. On beat 28 I felt the shin at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 28 out loud even as my breath hit the shin. On beat 29 I felt the palm at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 29 out loud even as my breath hit the palm. On beat 30 I felt the knuckle at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 30 out loud even as my breath hit the knuckle. On beat 31 I felt the pulse at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 31 out loud even as my breath hit the pulse. On beat 32 I felt the breath at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 32 out loud even as my breath hit the breath. On beat 33 I felt the fog at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 33 out loud even as my breath hit the fog. On beat 34 I felt the rust at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 34 out loud even as my breath hit the rust. On beat 35 I felt the salt at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 35 out loud even as my breath hit the salt. On beat 36 I felt the iron at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 36 out loud even as my breath hit the iron. On beat 37 I felt the diesel at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 37 out loud even as my breath hit the diesel. On beat 38 I felt the river at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 38 out loud even as my breath hit the river. On beat 39 I felt the silt at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 39 out loud even as my breath hit the silt. On beat 40 I felt the lock-pin at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 40 out loud even as my breath hit the lock-pin. On beat 41 I felt the override at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 41 out loud even as my breath hit the override. On beat 42 I felt the siren-glass at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed.
Pride refused to count 42 out loud even as my breath hit the siren-glass. On beat 43 I felt the tablet at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 43 out loud even as my breath hit the tablet. On beat 44 I felt the rim at the panic-room bunk change temperature while his weight stayed. Pride refused to count 44 out loud even as my breath hit the rim.