Then he lets go, and I'm not scared. I'm turned on by his lack of control as he thrusts and groans, holding me and kissing me. The evidence of what I do to him, his obsession made flesh—Ido this to him.
“You okay?” he whispers.
“Yessss.”
He pounds into me, all pretense of gentleness gone.
“Come for me,” he whispers. “Come on my cock.”
His thumb presses my clit, and I shatter in a second orgasm, sweeter and more complete than the first. I feel him pulse inside me, feel the heat of him filling me—primal and possessive.
Mine.
“Fuck. Sorry. Did I hurt you, lass? Was I too rough? Christ, I knew that I?—”
“No.No. You didn't hurt me, Ashland. You saved me.”
His forehead presses against mine. “Then why are you crying? Christ, I was too rough.”
“Stop.You were perfect. You gave me what I asked for.”
He kisses me. “Stay here. Shh. Stay here.” He positions himself beside me, still inside me, then slowly eases himself out. “You stay right here. Okay?”
I nod.
He returns with a warm washcloth and a towel, and his hands are so gentle as he cleans me.
“I don't deserve you,” he whispers as he slowly cleans me, then dries me carefully. He pulls me into his arms.
“Maybe not,” I say, poking teasingly at his ribs. “But you have me. And I'm not leaving. Not now.”
I worry about Marcus. Will he find me? What will he do? What will the retaliation be? I worry about what a future with Ashland looks like.
But right now, all I feel is his arms around me, possessive, protective, and perfect.
And I don't want him to ever let me go.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ashland
I waketo sunlight streaming through the cabin windows and the weight of Bianca curled against my chest. Her dark hair spills across my skin like ink on paper, and for a moment, just one fucking moment, I let myself believe this could last. That this is real. That she's not being pursued by an absolute monster and I'm not one myself, and that none of those factors are going to break us apart.
Her breathing is soft and even, one hand resting over my heart. I wonder if she can feel how it thunders at her touch, how it's been beating for her alone for years.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. Once. Twice. Three times.
Fuck.
I carefully extract myself from Bianca's embrace, her small sound of protest making something crack open inmy chest. Even in sleep, she reaches for me. I force myself to move away before I crawl back into bed and sayFuck allto everything else.
The screen shows seven missed calls from Seamus.
My heartbeat thunders.Tiernan.
My jaw tightens as I pull on my jeans and step into the main room, keeping my voice low. “Is he alright?”
“Who? What the hell are you talking about?” His confusion gives me momentary relief. If he doesn’t know what I’m talking about…
