I told her the other night that I was done with blood. Seeing her bleeding out cured me of that sick disease. After killing Kellan, my need for revenge was over. But that doesn’t stop my need to protect her. That doesn’t stop my fear of losing her.
“I’m okay,” she assures me as if she can read my mind.
Another power she has. It’s a fucking curse and a blessing.
Reaching up, she runs her hand through my wet hair, her nails gently scraping my scalp, and just like that, she smothers all anger and makes a shudder run through me. I lean forward, pressing my forehead to her chest and soaking her shirt. My hands loosen from her thighs and wrap around her thin waist. She’s started putting weight on since Kellan shot her. But she’s still too small. Too far from where she was the night I found her in the cemetery. Even then, she was little, but now she teeters on breakable. Too fragile. I hate it!
“I’m right here, baby,” she assures me, kissing my wet hair. “And Kellan can’t touch us anymore.” Tightening her fingers in my hair, she rips my face from her chest and makes me look up at her. “Because of you, I’m safe now.”
I just stare at her. The porch lights are off, but the pool light casts a glow around us, making her green eyes shine. They hold concern. She thinks I’m going crazy, and she’s not wrong. I reach up and push the few strands of dark hair behind her ear, and the pad of my finger runs over all her piercings.
“Talk to me,” she says softly, cupping my face.
I hate when she does this—coddles me like a fucking child. And I hate it even more that I need it. Her hands on me. Her lips on mine. Any time I start to feel that fire brewing, she smothers it with a single touch. Reminding me that I’m only human. A human can’t protect her. I need to be invincible.
The song finishes and changes to “Into It” by Chase Atlantic. I pull back, grab her wrists, and yank her into the pool. She gasps from the cool water. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, I yank it up and over her head. After I toss the soaked fabric to the side, my lips are on hers, and my hands are in her hair. Her body shivers against mine, and I press my now hard cock into her lower stomach.
“I need you,” I pant, pulling away from her lips. Pride is no longer a concern when it comes to my love for this woman.
Her eyes search my face before they land on mine. “Whatever you want, Cole. I’m yours.”
I hate how willingly she gives herself to me. I’ve made this gorgeous woman bleed for me, and she forgives me. Just like that. See, I told you love equals madness. Because she is just as mad as I am.
I grab her right arm and slowly kiss the scar from where I took a knife to her flawless skin. She yanks it back from me and cups my face with both of her hands, forcing me to look at her. “Stop!” she demands. “Every love story demands a sacrifice.”
“Don’t say that.” My voice is pained.
She gives me a soft smile, trying to reassure me, but it’s not working. “Then let it go, Cole. I have.”
I wish it were that easy. She’ll forever have a reminder that I hurt her. That I thought of her as nothing other than a toy. Something to fuck with and destroy.
“I can’t.” My hands grip her narrow hips, and I dig my fingers into her skin. She doesn’t flinch. She’s always been able to take what I dish out. That’s one of the things I love about her.
“Kiss me.”
“Austin, I …”
“Fucking kiss me, Cole!” she growls as her hand falls beneath the water and finds its way into my shorts, seeking out my hard cock.
We’ve only made love since Kellan tried to kill her. I’ve tried to be slow and gentle with her, but I can tell she’s bored with it. She wants more. She’s been an outlet for my rage ever since I met her, and she knows it. But I’ve held back from giving it to her, wanting her to heal.
“I can take it, Cole.” She presses her lips to mine and gently kisses me. I don’t respond. “I dare you to fuck me, Cole, like I know you can.” Smiling up at me, she strokes me with her hand, but still, I do nothing. “Show me that I belong to you.” She stops stroking me long enough to push my board shorts down my legs. Then she leans in, running her tongue along my upper lip. My cock jerks in her hand, and she moans against my lips. “Like you fucking own me.”