“Alex,” Ollie says, her voice sharper this time.
I blink back the memory and swallow hard. There’s a whine from Harlow before the dog finally settles back down in front of the fire.
Ollie’s expression hardens into that stubborn, reckless look she gets before she does something stupid. And then she lunges at me, not giving me time to react before she grabs either side of my head and forces me to look at her. I freeze, terrified of moving and hurting her again.
“Listen to me,” she demands, eyes burning with fierce determination. “I’m not upset, and you shouldn’t be either. All you did was tighten your grip a little too much on my neck and bite me a little too hard, but when I yelped and pushed you away,you stopped.”
“But I still—”
She doesn’t let me finish. She gets right into my face until our noses are almost touching. “Remember what I said before;you are not him. You are not your father. You’re not a monster. You areAlex; my sweet, brave and loyal mountain of a man who hates when I throw myself into danger and has the biggest dick I’ve ever seen.”
I might have believed her before, but not after everything I’ve done. Not with all the blood on my hands and the bodies I left lying behind me. Not with how out of control I’ve been.
“I’m not a good man, Ollie,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. “When we found out you and Rhys had been taken… I lost it. I almost beat several men to death and wanted to torture others to find out where you were. I was willing to hurt innocent people as long as we found you. That’s the actions of a monster.”
I brace myself, expecting Ollie to react with disgust and horror at what I’ve become. But instead of pulling away, she almost seems to melt into me, and the hardness in her expression softens into something…affectionate.
What the hell?
“You were willing to do all that for me?” She looks at me with a mixture of surprise and heat in her eyes.
Did she not hear what I just said? “And worse. So much worse.”I would have burned the world to the ground to find you. “But Ollie, this isn’t a good thing. I’m dangerous,monstrous.I hurt you. I don’t deserve you.”
She shakes her head and tightens her hold on my head like she’s worried I’ll pull away. “You don’t get to decide what I do and don’t deserve.Ido. And I choose you, Alex. I’ll always choose you. You can be my monster.”
I gape at her. “I…what?”
“You heard me. You want to call yourself a monster? Fine, but you’ll bemymonster.”
And then she kisses me.
I’m still too stunned to react as she devours my mouth like a starving woman. Her body presses against mine, her tits mashed against my chest and her hands biting into the side of my head. She fits so perfectly against me, like she was made for me.
My cock—having deflated the moment she yelped—hardens, straining so much against my trousers that I’m half-worried it’ll punch through my zipper. I groan into her mouth, tasting the iron from her cut lip, but resist the urge to wrap my arms around her, all too aware thatI’ve already hurt her once. That doesn’t stop me from kissing her back with as much passion and hunger as she’s kissing me, letting her know without words how much she means to me.
All too soon, Ollie pulls away with a shuddering breath. Her lips are swollen and smeared red with her blood, her face is flushed and her eyes are alight with desire as she gazes down at me. She’s bloody stunning.
And then she shocks me again.
“I love you, Alex. I don’t care if you think you’re a bad person or that you’re not worthy of me.I choose youand I always will. You’re mine and I’m not giving you up for anything.”
Fucking hell. I don’t deserve this woman.
If I were a better, stronger man, I’d walk away. She wouldn’t miss me, not with Rhys and Theo by her side. But I’m not a better man, and if she’s willing to choose me after everything I’ve done? Then I’m not giving her up.
She’s mine.
And I’m hers.
“I love you, too.” It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever said. “I fell for you the moment you stood in front of us, bow drawn and ready to fire while mouthing off to Rhys after we’d just saved you from those men. And then fell deeper in love when you risked your life and ran in front of those bloody guns the night we attacked the Scourge camp.”
I shake my head, that heart-stopping moment playing in my mind. I was terrified that she’d get hurt or worse, hating that neither of us could think of a better idea. Thank fuck the only injury she got from that night was a bruised throat and a minor cut on her cheek.
Ollie grins down at me, her eyes shining with happiness and amusement. “Let’s face it, you wouldn’t love me if I didn’t do stupid things like that.”
My lips curl into a wry smile. “You’re right, I wouldn’t because it’s part of what makes you,you.” I hesitantly reach up and brush the back of my fingers against her cheek. “Even if it drives me mental.” I go to drop myhand, her pained yelp still too fresh in my mind to truly enjoy the feel of her skin against mine.
She grabs my hand before I can pull it away and presses a kiss to it. “I’m not scared of you, Alex.”
