I stared at my abdomen, forcing myself not to remember those days of hunger when I drank water just to keep my strength.
“This body.” One arm wrapped around my stomach, the other around my chest, drawing me tight to his body, his chin resting on my shoulder. “It once surrendered to the degradation ofpride. It will soon learn there is no shame inhumility.”
I breathed into his words, loving their warming effect on my body, letting them lead me into a serenity I never thought possible. Silently, he watched me while I let my gaze slide over my body once more, looking for what he saw, attempting to appreciate what he complimented, trying to accept I was beautiful. Yet when my eyes lifted to meet his in the mirror, I knew no one would ever look at me like he did.
Respect, understanding, and admiration glowed in those sapphire eyes, adding to the inexplicable warmth flowing through my body.
The first tear fell, and he smiled. “Don’t hold back, Ella. Youarebeautiful. Accept it, relish it, and own it.”
And I did. Finally, I let the tears fall. This time, for me, for the pain I’d endured, for the body I’d rejected. I cried for Cinder, who’d become Mikaela Cinder Sinclair, watching them run down my cheeks in the mirror. Then I lifted my hands, swiped, and stared at the tiny drops on the pad of my fingers. A laugh slipped out between the tears. “They’re pretty,” I sobbed, my eyes meeting Xavier’s in the mirror.
“Not pretty. Beautiful.” His hold tightened around me, and I saw the difference between the two descriptions. This time, for myself.
“Yes. Beautiful.” I leaned back into him, watching my tears fall, hearing myself laugh through them.
Chapter 45 – Mikaela
Overcome with emotion, I swung around, lifted onto my toes, and crushed my mouth to Xavier’s, needing him to devour me whole. He raised me with his hands cupping my arse, and his body crushed mine to the mirror at my rear. Without thinking, I bit down on his lower lip, and a low growl rumbled from his chest into my mouth. He squeezed my arse tighter, rocking his rigid cock into my pussy, telling me he liked it. My nails dug into his shoulders, kissing him with unrestrained vigor, the wild thump of my heartbeat matching the filthy melody strumming our lips.
“Fuck, Ella.” He broke the kiss, his breathing just as harsh as mine, his hard cock cocooned against my soaked pussy.
I had no idea why, but Levana’s words came to mind from the night of the ball.“Xavier would rather hold back, just for you, than give into his darkness.”
I pulled back, my eyes finding his, the words I needed to say suddenly defeating me.
“What do you want from me, love?” And once again, he sensed my hesitation, reminding me what he’d asked me last night.
“Please don’t hold back,” I whispered.
“Then show me.” Arousal, a blue flame of lust and conviction in his eyes, he crashed his lips over mine, kissing me like I was offering that last pump of oxygen he needed to live, as if he were flailing on the edge of a barrier, my taste the salvation he needed to stay grounded. His teeth and tongue ravaged me, devouring me. His tongue swept through my mouth like a blistering storm intent on catapulting my heart. And I felt myself falling, knowing I was exactly where I belonged.
Lost in this seduction that threatened to drown every one of my senses, I didn’t realize we’d moved until Xavier broke the kiss and set me down on my feet. I glanced around. We were in another room where all the walls were plain white panels with no other décor except the thick off-white carpet and a single cream-colored couch. Draped in white satin, a round bed hung in the air, anchored by thick poles dropping from the ceiling. Xavier moved away from me, and a moment later, a soft whirring sound filled the room. I watched, fascinated, as the panels boxed around the bed began flipping, changing that half of the room to mirrored walls.
When the bed descended and the ceiling panels flipped, I laughed. “No mirrors on the floor?”
Xavier winked, something he only ever did on rare occasions, and walked over to the couch. He sat leaning back with his hands spread along the backrest and his legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes on me, he arched a brow.
