Despite the horrible memories that had just resurfaced, I didn’t flinch away from his masculine touch. I leaned into him and parted my lips, offering myself to him. I wanted him to claim me. I wanted to be his.
Chapter 20
Andrés held the final bite of bacon to my lips, and I playfully nipped at his fingers as I took it. His lips curved up in a doting smile. There was no sharp warning in his eyes, no rebuke. Just pleasure.
He’d held me all day after my ordeal and cuddled me close through two nightmares involving my uncle. It had been a difficult night, but he’d comforted me and kissed me back to sleep.
This morning, he was staying late again. I worried about our timeline with Cristian, but Andrés didn’t seem to want to leave me.
That suited me just fine, because I didn’t want him to leave, either. Until we figured out how to deal with Cristian, I didn’t want him to face his cruel older brother.
“Yesterday, you said you wanted your collar,” Andrés murmured, trailing his fingers along my bare neck. “Do you still want it?”
“Yes,” I said immediately, leaning into his touch.
He beamed at me. “Then you’ll have it.”
He lifted me off his lap where we’d been cuddled on the bed and went to the chest of drawers. When he turned back to me, he held the thin strip of black leather in both hands, touching it with careful reverence.
“Kneel for me.” It was an order, but there was a hint of trepidation in his tone that made it clear that I could refuse. He wanted me to choose to obey. He wanted me to choose him.
I got up off the bed and sank to my knees before him, moving more gracefully than I ever would have imagined I was capable of. He’d never asked me to kneel for him before, but I knew how to present myself from what I’d seen online. I spread my thighs so my pussy was open to him, and I pulled my arms behind my back, placing my hands on the opposite elbows. The position made my back arch, offering my small breasts to him. Keeping my spine straight, I bowed my head and waited to feel the leather kiss my throat.
He was silent for a long moment. Then his fingers brushed over the top of my head, trailing down through my hair before exploring the line of my jaw. His forefinger curled beneath my chin, and he lifted my face so I looked up into his dark gaze. The light flashed against his eyes, making them shine brighter than I’d ever seen.
“You are so beautiful,” he said hoarsely. “So perfect. Mí sirenita.”
I flushed with pleasure. “So are you.”
I still saw his scars clearly, but they weren’t repulsive. They were physical reminders of his vulnerability. They were slices in his armor, and he’d allowed me to open them up and look inside to the man underneath the monster.
He stared down at me in awe. “You’re not scared of me? I don’t frighten you?”
“No,” I promised. “I’m not scared of you, Andrés.”
His lips parted, as though he was about to speak. Then he closed them and swallowed hard. His eyes shone with a w
orshipful light as he brought the collar up to my throat and wrapped the leather around my neck.
I heaved out a sigh of relief at the familiar, reassuring feel of it encircling my throat, a physical reminder of our connection.
“Mine,” he said, tracing the line of the collar.
“Yours,” I replied with fervor.
He bent down and gripped my waist, lifting me up and guiding me back down onto the bed.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked, his voice strained with need.
He was asking my permission. He didn’t want to push me after the dark memories that had risen up to torment me.
But those memories couldn’t destroy my desire for Andrés. He’d taken me in his harsh hands and ripped down all my barriers, helping me conquer my fears, even when I didn’t understand them.
“Always,” I promised, taking his hand and moving it between my legs so he could feel my desire for him. “I want you.”
He groaned and grasped my ankles, pulling my ass to the edge of the bed before resting my calves against his shoulders. Still standing while I lay on my back, he gripped my hips and entered me in one hard thrust.
I cried out as he stretched me, my lingering soreness from our first time making me hyperaware of his size.