“You shouldn’t want me near you!”
“Emery.” He pulled back enough to be able to cup my face with his hands. I looked into his eyes, tears falling. He meant every word. “You were only doing what Steven made you do. All of it. Every hit, every mark, every cut.Stevenwanted us to hate one another. He loathed the fact that we had something he could never have from you. He’s the one who made you try to kill me, because he knew how much it’d break you.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear it, even though I knew it was true.
“I’m a monster.”
“Not even close. You did what you had to do. You, my sweet, are anything but a monster. I will never hold it against you.”
“But—”
“I love you, Emery. With every beat of my heart. You are everything to me. I am so, so sorry.”
More tears fell. This time, from both of our eyes.
“We survived together. I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
“Ditto.”
Almost feather light, his lips pressed against mine. That was all I needed to push forward.
During our time with Steven, we hadn’t shared many sweet moments like this. If we happened to get caught, we’d both pay the price. The few times we had been willing to test it were almost magical. The time we had been caught? Not been so much.
That had been when we became pawns to be used for Steven’s hatred.
It was bad enough that Steven had taken my virginity, later on letting other men use me. But it had been worse when Steven chained me to a chair, then forced me to watch as he raped the man I had fallen in love with. Over and over.
I cried out against Enzo’s mouth, wishing with everything I could forget the horrors, forget the way anyone’s hands on me had felt.
I wanted Enzo. I wanted his touch. His love. Hiscare.
Things I had pushed aside in fear. Things I hadn’t known I could have, in or out of the hold of Steven.
“Enzo…” I didn’t know what I was pleading for as I pulled back from the kiss. I wanted more, but my mind knew I couldn’t push. Not now, at least.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, knowing instantly what I couldn’t say. “We have all the time in the world.”
“You don’t hate me.”
“Never, baby.” Once more, his lips touched mine. Only a quick one, but I felt his love either way.
“I like kisses.” Why my mouth had to let those words pass now, I had no freaking clue.
A laugh wracked his body. A laugh I had never heard from him before.
“I love you, Emery.”
Ryker
Sitting by the window, a warm styrofoam cup between my two hands, I looked out towards the busy sidewalk.
My mind was running in circles. I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was right. I had no clue if I should back off, let Emery depend on Enzo alone, or if I should stay and let them both grow on me.
Enzo was not what I expected. The first moment, he may have acted as though he hated my guts, but there was something just underneath the surface that begged me to help him. It was the same thing with Emery. They both tugged at my soul.
I knew I already cared too much for Emery as it was. It’d be so easy to want to care for Enzo the same way. He wasn’t nearly as skittish, but I knew I had to tread just as carefully either way. It wouldn’t take much to make him want to run and hide from me.
The issue I was having was in taking a step back. I was trying with everything in me to not let my emotions take control. It was hard enough when it was just Emery and me.
