He shrugs and takes another step toward me. “You have to accept this part of me.”
“And if I don’t?”
As he continues to move forward, I retreat farther back until my spine connects with a harsh surface, and Orion splays his hands on either side of my head, trapping me between the oak tree and his hard chest. The heavy rain continues to pour on us, and its leaves serve as a shield from the outside world. Water drips on us and dumps us even deeper into the abyss of his creation.
Swallowing, I lift my chin and ask again, “And if I don’t? What would happen then?” Another swallow as nervousness hits me. His answer is vitally important to me, and it would define the trajectory of our relationship. “Would you keep me against my will?”
“I’d let you go.” I still at his roughly spoken admission, though tension radiates from him, charging the air around us. “It would go against my very nature to do so, and I’d probably have to ask my cousins to keep me away from you. Still, I’d do it. Forcing you to be with me would mean I’d be just like my father.I’d never subject any woman to such a fate, let alone the one I love.”
Warmth zips through me from head to toe as an unfamiliar feeling of happiness fills all my cells. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone say that they love me.
Orion loves me. My husband, whose past is dark and complicated, loves me.
Letting me go would mean I could do anything, including reporting him to the police.
They say we pay for the sins of our fathers, that their hideous crimes smear us, and it might take us a lifetime to atone for all the atrocities committed by them.
And even that might not be enough for society to forgive us, for simply bearing the same name.
Our fathers seemed to have been dictating our lives for so long, their upbringing shaping many of the choices we’ve made over the years.
Even our marriage is the result of their selfishness and greed, but at least they did one good thing. They brought us together, and I’m going to use this chance to my advantage.
Our fathers’ ultimate defeat would be our happiness because our love is stronger than their hatred toward us.
A single tear slides down my cheek, and Orion wipes it away with his thumb, brushing it softly before cupping the side of my neck and tipping my face up as he leans closer, his lips inches away from mine. “What’s the verdict, darling?”
I place my palm on his scarred cheek, tracing the rugged skin with my fingers, and my heart contracts, thinking about all the physical pain he had to endure.
Yet somehow, he never truly succumbed to the darkness to the point of leaving me no choice.
Whatever he wants, he gets, but not at the expense of my needs.
We still have a lot of things to talk about. I want to hear everything from him because I think it’s important that he shares this with someone who would accept all his flaws.
That can wait, though.
Gathering all the courage I possess, I utter the words I’ve never said to anyone else for fear of being rejected. For not wanting to give him a weapon that he can use against me to crush my soul. “I love you.”
He rests his forehead against mine as the rain pours over us, and my free hand clutches his shirt. The rhythm of his rapidly beating heart matches my own. “Thank you.” His hand skims lower, and a gasp slips past my lips when he wraps it around my throat and pushes his pelvis into me, his hard-on pressing into my center, and the fire instantly awakens in my veins. My curves mold to his muscles as his scent pollutes my lungs. Orion’s possessive and furious words serve akin to silk sliding all over me and slowly trapping me in his sensual net. “You ran away from me, my beautiful Wife.”
His lips brush against mine, and I open my mouth to receive the much-needed kiss, only to huff in frustration when he clicks his tongue, barely giving me a lick.
“Oh no, darling. You haven’t been a good girl today, have you?” Tightening his hold on my throat, he tilts my neck to the side and latches onto the skin of my exposed shoulder, and a moan escapes me.
Pleasure and pain mix, shooting sensual arrows straight to my clit, and my core clenches when he thrusts into me, the soaked clothes becoming unbearable against my sensitive skin while goose bumps pop all over me in the anticipation of his lust.
“No, I haven’t,” I reply, my voice hoarse while his other hand reaches the top of my dress and yanks on it until he frees my bare breasts. He cups one of them, his thumb rubbing over thepointed peak, driving me insane. “How are you going to punish me for it?”
I gasp when his hand flexes around my throat, almost cutting off my oxygen supply, and he slams me harder against the tree, causing excitement to envelop me. An odd sense of thrill cruises into me in the dark, where Orion is my one and only focus.
He grips my breast, and I rise to my tiptoes as the heat blazes in the pit of my stomach, the pressure building. I seek friction, but I whimper when he sways back, not giving me what I crave so much. “Maybe that should be your punishment, darling.” His lips travel from my shoulder to my cheek until they reach my chin, then he nips on it, and my core dampens. “Me denying you your pleasure so you’d never question the fact that you’re mine.”
“No, no,” I groan in protest, tugging on his shirt so he’d get closer to me, despising any space between us.
“You. Belong. To. Me.”
With that, he covers my mouth with his, swallowing my moan, our tongues entwining as we lock in a kiss that’s hot and reeks of possessiveness, need, and relief. The kiss is a statement in itself. It shows we belong to each other, that my husband is mine.
