“You made me watch another manand womansuck your dick, then you killed them both and made me watch!”
“Youcheatedon my sister?”
“Listen, man, I know this is some shit, but if we’re talking about things you did to sisters, I’m happy to throw some of your sins out into the open—”
Jack and Ledger square off as Blanche fans herself dramatically. “You all havegotto stop talking about all this. I’m getting hot and bothered!”
That shuts everyone up again, and Sasha takes his chance to speak. His eyes are only for me, and the remorse I see makes me hope the man I fell in love with is back. But I know now what he’s capable of, and I’m not sure how I’ll ever get past that.
“I love you, Lucy Sommers. I love you, and I’ve treated you horrendously, and I hope you’ll allow me to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. There isn’t an apology in the world that can undo the damage I did to our relationship, and I’ll never try to excuse it. I’ll only say that I allowed my upbringing to cloud my belief in you, and I wish more than anything that I could go back and change how I acted. I’ll never ask you for a third chance, but I’m begging you for a second one.”
Crossing my arms, I take in the strong, beautiful man in front of me. His shoulders are slumped, and he’s halfway leaning in my direction, as if he’s desperate for my proximity but afraid I’ll rebuff him. Jack, Ledger, Blanche, and the bevy of Taranov men stand quietly, watching our standoff.
“Beg, then.” I call his bluff, curious about how he’ll react in front of a crowd. My mouth drops open when he falls to his knees immediately, crawling to kneel at my feet. Tears are streaking his cheeks when he finally looks up at me.
“Please,” he whispers, so softly that I wonder if the other occupants of the room can even hear him. “Please give me a chance to earn your love and your trust again, Lucy. You’re one of the only truly good things I’ve ever had, and even saying that seems wrong because I never had you, I know. You had me. You ensnared me and gave me hope for a future I had never dreamedof, and I threw it away being the worst kind of person. But I am begging you, and I’ll beg for as long as you’ll let me. Please let me have another chance.Please.I love you. I just want to love you.”
Sniffles break the silence, and I turn to see Jack wiping his tears. He’s being held by a giant, hulking, tattooed Taranov man, who’s crying too. Seeing everyone staring, waiting for me to reply to Sasha, brings the weight of the moment back. Minutes ago, I was convinced I was going to die at the hands of Lawrence after finding out I had a half brother I was never going to meet. Now, there’sanotherdead body at my feet, and the entire Sinclair family knows way too much about my love life.Hopefully, they never find out the entire truth of it.Suddenly, I’m exhausted. I let out a heavy breath.
“I’m exhausted, and I want to go home.” Every pair of eyes blinks at me owlishly. Jack and Blanche share a loaded look as if trying to decide who I’m talking to, or where I think my home is. But even though we have a long road ahead, and he’s nowhere near done being on his knees for me, my home is the same as it’s been for a while now.
“Sasha. Take me home.”
Chapter thirty-seven
Lucy shivers in my arms as I carry her through our cottage to the room we once shared. She’s still a bit shaken up from it all, but everyone in that motel is lucky she wasn’t harmed. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten to her in time. If Lawrence would’ve harmed her, laid his hands on her, or worse. If I lost her, I know I wouldn’t be able to continue in this world without her.
Who knows if she’ll stay after this is all said and done. I don’t deserve anything from her. Not her trust or her love. I certainly don’t deserve to have her in my arms, but I’ll savor this moment. I’ll stand by her side, build her back up from the trauma she’s experienced, and bask in her radiance while I do it. Until she’s whole again and runs for the hills, far the fuck away from me, like she should have from the moment she met me.
When I get to our bed, I hesitate momentarily, dreading how empty my arms will be without her in them. It’s where she belongs, after all. Getting her tucked in and cozy, just like I know she likes. I smile down at her and take her hand in mine beforesoftly kissing her knuckles, savoring that tiny taste of her skin on my lips.
If I don’t leave now, I’ll never be able to. Neither one of us has spoken so much as a murmur the whole way here, but as I go to release her, she finally breaks the silence. “Stay,” she says, squeezing my hand as she looks up at me with pure love. Pure undeserved love.
The weight of it all brings me to my knees. I fall to the floor beside where she lies and hold on to her for dear life as tears fall from my eyes.
“Sasha?” she breathes out.
“Fuck baby, I’m so sorry.” I pull my weight off her and wipe a tear from her face. “Don’t you cry, sweet girl. I’m here now, and I’ll never let anyone make you sad ever again, including myself. You’ll feel nothing but happiness for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure of it. In fact, I’ll follow you through every lifetime, warding off any danger. Lucy, my love for you knows no bounds. Destiny won’t stand a chance against me, darling. You’re a ray of pure sunshine, and I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that light never goes out. Without it, I’m nothing. Without your beacon, I’d wander aimlessly through the universe, without a hope in sight. You’re the light that guides the shadows within my soul.”
Lucy shifts to sit up as she pulls my face toward her, placing the softest of kisses on my lips. “Make love to me, Sasha…”
“Gladly,” I say, searching her eyes one last time before breaking down the last barrier standing between us. She’s the only person I’ve ever slept with who wasn’t just for either a good time or a release. If I’m being honest with myself, I started chasing that emotional high with her from the first time I had her in the woods. There was something about it all that was just…more. Of course we’ve had plenty of passionate sex since then, but after finally admitting my love to both her and myself, it feels different.
Starting at the top of her head, I make my way down her face, to her neck and her décolleté, stopping only to help her take off her top and bra before continuing lower. A million kisses across her perfect face and body wouldn’t be enough to worship her properly, but I have a lifetime to try.
I revel in the effect my touch has on her, the way chill bumps form across her skin, the way she shivers when I reach certain areas, the way she arches off the bed. Without saying a word, she’s telling me that she belongs to me.
Her heavy breaths and broken moans fill the room by the time I get to the waistband of her pants, challenging my resolve to take this slow. And when she breathes out, “Sasha…please. I need you,” I’m done for.
I place one last gentle kiss on her clit, finish pulling off her sweats and panties, and makeveryquick work of getting my clothes off as well. Looking down briefly, I take a mental picture of my sweet girl. She’s laid out beneath me, looking up with a love that mirrors mine for her as she waits for me to show her body the depths of that intimacy.
I crawl over her until I can gaze directly into those deep blue eyes. “I love you so fucking much, Sunshine,” I whisper before lowering my mouth to hers, andfuck,her kiss always takes my breath away. Lining my cock to her opening, I slide into her warm wetness until I’m met with a resistance I know all too well. It never mattered how many times I fucked her. She never fully adjusted to my size. I start to pull back, but she has my ass in a death grip, pushing me into her as she lifts her hips to try to force me deeper.
“Please, Sasha.”
Well, I’ve never liked to tell my girl no.
I move the hand from the base of my dick to her neck, holding her jaw in place so she can’t look anywhere but my eyes as I drive my full, thick length into her. Fuck, I’ll never get used tothe way it feels for her to stretch around me. I’ll never get used to her scream laced with both pleasure and pain as she tries to accommodate my size.
