Then I sank to my knees, bowing my head.
It was a position Victor had forced on me.One he took pleasure in.One that made my body lock up, dread coiling through every muscle.
But with Henry, I didn’t tremble with fear.
Every inch of me hummed with raw, undeniable need.
“What are you doing, Ariana?”Henry asked, his question dripping with a hunger he could barely control.
“Trusting you.”
His bare feet came into view and he touched my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his.His eyes were fierce.Reverent.
“You don’t have to do this to prove you trust me.”
“I know,” I whispered.“Iwantto.Want to replace the bad memories with good ones.With memories of you.I need this.Need to reclaim what he stole.”
His jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring.Then he dropped to his knees, too, cupping my nape as he pressed his forehead against mine.Our breaths mingled, heat sparking between us.
“You’re a fucking warrior, Ariana.”
I expected him to kiss me.Take control.Set the tone.
But he didn’t.
He waited.
For me.
For my choice.
But it wasn’t a choice at all.
Not with Henry.
So I surged forward and crushed my lips to his.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Ariana
The instant my mouth met Henry’s, the world narrowed to nothing but him.His taste.His heat.The way he kissed like he’d been starving.It had only been a few weeks since I’d felt him like this, but it might as well have been a lifetime.
Even so, this kiss felt…different.Like I was finally allowing myself to have him.The last time he kissed me, I hadn’t been myself.At least not the person I’d become over the past few weeks.
The person who could choose this, choosehim, with clear eyes and an open heart.
Now, I was.
He tore his lips from mine with a guttural sound, his breathing ragged.When his eyes locked on mine, they darkened with the kind of intensity that pinned me in place.
“Are you sure about this?”he asked again, resting his forehead against mine.
I lifted my hand to his cheek, brushing my thumb along the rough line of stubble.“I want this.I want you.”I met his eyes so he could see the truth in my words.“I trust you.”
The groan that tore from his chest was primal enough to turn me to mush.He cupped the back of my head and slammed his mouth back onto mine, kissing me like I’d just confessed something sacred.Maybe I had.Trust didn’t come easily to me.He knew that better than anyone.
When he tore away, he held my face in both hands, breathing hard.
