My fingers continue to pull through her hair. I’m not sure whether it's to comfort her or me. Probably both, given the way our heartbeats thrum and string together, where she’s braced against me.
“There weren’t any signs at first. Or maybe there were, and I was too naive to see them. It wasn’t until a year later that he told me about his kink.” My lungs collapse. “He told me blood play was normal. That I’d learn to enjoy it as much as he did.”
She still faces away from me, which is probably good considering all my blood just rushed to my face. Anger simmers below my skin. Her sad chuckle has me removing my other arm from behind my head and snaking my hand around her stomach to tug her closer to me as if I can protect her from the memories rushing back to her.
From where my head is propped on the pillow, I can see her picking at a loose thread on my sheets. “I should’ve known then, but between how rough he was and the knife cutting me, I froze, fearful of what else he was capable of when hurting me like that came so easily.” She sighs. “God, that seems like a lifetime ago. I was twenty-one then.”
I don’t realize I’m clenching my jaw hard enough to shatter my teeth until she shifts beside me to her other side, giving me a glimpse of those beautiful green eyes still vibrant in the darkness engulfing us. She places a hand on my chest. My heart is about to explode out of my chest. I know she can feel it.
The soft column of her throat works as she swallows. “Even when I found my voice, it was too late. There wasn’t enough evidence to charge him. The only thing I could do was run until he caught up to me in Wyoming and nearly killed me. That’s how I got the scar.” My blood turns to sand, scratching against my veins, the weight making me drop my hand from her neck. “I’ve been running for a year.”
For the first time since she turned to look at me, my eyes dart away from hers.
Kate’s delicate fingers grip my chin, lowering my face back to meet hers as she rests against my chest. She wets her lips. “Lachlan Harbor, working at the park, it was the first time I felt far enough away. I feel safe here.”
She still doesn’t give me a fucking name.
The only darkness I want consuming her is me.
A disdainful laugh leaves my lips. The word is bitter. “Safe? You think you’re safe here?”
Pushing herself up, she hovers above me, clutching the sheet to her naked breasts, which is good. I can’t be distracted by how beautiful her tits are and how they contain their own gravity that calls to my hands. My mouth.
I bet they would look pretty pressed together with my cock thrusting between them.
Apparently, not getting distracted isn’t an option when it comes to her.
Creases form between her brows, but she doesn’t say anything. The confusion painting her face is enough.
“For one, he’s still out there doing fuck knows what to look for you. And two, you traded one monster for another.”
She purses those lips that were sealed to mine a few hours ago, shaking her head. “That’s what I used to think, but I don’t anymore. You couldn’t be more different.”
“Monsters come in different forms. I’ve killed people.Innocentfucking people who will never be found. You could’ve easily ended up as one of them!”
Her soft voice is calm. Steady. “I don’t believe you would’ve hurt me.”
I hold my hands up between us. “These hands are stained with blood.” They are cruel. Unforgiving. “I’m not a good maneither, darling. I might not have had a knife, but I’ve been just as rough with you tonight.”
Surprisingly, she slips her palms into mine, opening up my arms. Kate crawls on top of me to straddle my hips, letting the sheet fall away to expose her fully. She gazes down at me with resolve so pure that it takes my breath away. I don’t realize I’m wrapping my arms around her naked form inattentively until her lips lift in a soft smile.
Maybe I’m afraid she’ll run if she has a moment to contemplate my words. Recognize the darkness that thrives and threads through my body like its own nervous system.
Those fears vanish as Kate leans over, cupping my neck. “Good is a subjective term.” I swallow the acid in my throat. “To me, agoodman doesn’t hurt a woman and then continue to shatter what’s left of her after. Yes, you’re rough with me, but you collect the pieces once you’re done and put them back together while also mending parts that aren’t your responsibility to fix.” Her eyes hold mine. “That’s the difference, Preston.”
She sits up, her core grinding down against my aching cock. My palms flatten against the curves of her ass, lightly gripping into her supple flesh. The feeling of her wet seam pressed against my dick has my muscles tightening, forcing the breath out of my lungs in a growl.
Kate rolls her hips again. My eyes drop to where her slick heat rubs against me, entranced by her movements.
Goddamn, she is a sight to behold like this, all warm and ready for me.
“Break with me.” The power of that request hangs between us with bated breath. It’s heavy. Pure. Contains so much meaning that Kate burrows into my fractured soul a little deeper. “Shatter with me. Let your pieces tangle with mine for a little while so I can care for the parts you’ve been too afraid to let anyone see. Iwant all of you, and in return, I’ll give you all of me.” She grips my face in one hand, drawing her lips to hover above mine.
I’ll give her anything she wants if she keeps looking at me like this. Like a beautiful angel from heaven that isn’t afraid of colliding with my dark.
Kate lifts, gripping my cock in her fingers to sink onto me slowly, letting me get lost in her.
Truthfully, I already have been.
