Page 48 of You Saw the Best In Me

“Where’d you get this from?” her fingers are still tracing the faded line that indents my skin.

“A few years ago, Grams threw an ashtray at me when the doctors said she needed to quit smoking. She wouldn’t listen, so I flushed her cigarettes down the toilet. She wasn’t happy,” I tell her another piece of my history, but this kind of shit is something I know she relates to.

She takes my hand, leading it to a spot on her head; underneath all the hair, I can feel a slight indent, and she squeezes my hand.

“This is the reminder of why I run. Asher slammed me down, and I was left with broken bones. But I had this gash that kept me in a medically induced coma for three days,” she stops, letting go of my hands and moving close so her head is on my chest.

I wrap my arms around her, bringing her whole body to mine. We’re skin to skin now, and the warmth of us together radiates under the blankets.

“Anyways, after this happened, I decided to run. It was a whole thing; my mom put me on an involuntary hold, and when I got out, I knew I didn’t want to live this way,” she stammers through the last sentence, almost as if she remembers the pain she felt.

“That wasn’t love. A real man would never,” I tell her, stroking her hair and feeling her heartbeat on my chest.

“I know. I went through hell and back to finally realize that. But along the way, I became terrified of anything resembling a relationship,” she sighs, and I can feel her tears falling on my shirt.

“Until now,” I reply, testing the waters to see what she’d say.

“Until you, Mav,” she looks up at me, tears softly rolling down her face, but still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I wipe her cheeks, not letting that asshole take any more away from her. I don’t understand how a man could have a diamond like Karina in his arms, giving every ounce of love she has to him, and he abuses her body, trust, and mind.

I get angry thinking about it, but I can’t let that side of me take over, not right now.

She’s already vulnerable, and I realize now that my outburst last week probably triggered some traumatic memories for her.

Instead, I brush my thumb over her lips, almost begging to kiss her again.

She scoots up closer to me and rests her hand on the nape of my neck, bringing her lips to mine.

I let her take charge, following her pace and not rushing anything more than this kiss. She needs to regain her power, and I will be patient for as long as that takes.

Karina tangles her hands in my hair, and I pull her body onto mine.

She takes this kiss from slow and sweet to hot and heavy within seconds, and I feel her grind her hips into my crotch.

I groan in response, feeling her smile through our kiss.

She breaks our kiss, sitting on my chest and biting her bottom lip.

Holy fuck, she looks like a goddamned goddess like this, and I can’t keep my hands to myself.

Karina tugs at the hem of my shirt, and I sit up to let her pull it off.

Tossing it on the floor, she bends down and kisses my chest, dragging her tongue around and leaving goosebumps on my skin in her wake.

I let my hands roam her, feeling her ass through her sweatpants. She grinds into me again, driving me wild.

She rips her tank top off, letting me unclasp her bra, and revealing her bare chest.

In this position, her breasts are in my face, and I can’t help but take them in my hands, which makes her moan.

“Oh, fuck, Mav,” she tips her head back, and I tease her nipples even more, twisting them between my fingers.

Watching her writhe on top of me is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, and I could easily get used to this view.

I let her go, grabbing her and pulling her lips back to mine, taking her breath away instantly.

I pull her hair like I did the first night we were together, just a little tug that makes her moan into my mouth. I can’t get enough of her and want everything she’s willing to give me.