Axle
“I’m not,” I admit to her and she sighs before pushing me down beside her and laying her head on my chest. I freeze at this unfamiliar gesture, looking down at her small shaved head on me. Her eyes are closed, and I can see her long lashes against her cheek.
When I first realized she wasn’t a boy, I thought only of dominating her, claiming her, for my own. Something in me is changing though, and not only the tampering of the flames inside me. Something makes me want to cherish and worship this woman.
It’s very strange.
Still unsure, I bring my arm down around her and she looks up for a moment, I assume feeling me tense up. Her brows furrow together, and I can’t help but find it cute.
Cute?
What the fuck has she done to me?
“Is something wrong?” she asks.
“I’ve never…cuddled before,” I finally say and the grin I get from her in response is brilliant. I literally gasp as I watch her face transform. She was already a pretty girl, but when she smiles, she is radiant.
“Well, I’ve never had sex for pleasure before, so I suppose we can both have a first today,” she says, still with a smile on her face. It takes me a moment to process what she said, and I feel myself frown. Never for pleasure? A possessiveness fills me at the thought of her with anyone else.
I didn’t take her for a whore, not with the disguise, much less how tight she is. My dick twitches as I think about how it felt to be balls deep in her at the same time the fury rises in my chest.
“What do you mean?” I ask, aware of the gruffness to my voice. Her eyes widen at me and I notice how the fear I see in them doesn’t give me the pleasure it usually does when others look at me that way. She is an anomaly to me. Tough, yet tender at the same time. I try again, softer.
“What do you mean you’ve never had pleasure before?” I say again. She flushes deeply and tries to look away, but I bring my hand up to her chin and firmly but gently turn her back to face me.
“I’m not a virgin,” she admits quietly, “but I’ve never had a choice before either. It was after I was attacked one night I started to disguise myself.”
Fire rises in my body, rage at the thought of some fucker forcing himself on this beautiful creature. My lips tighten and my nostrils flare as I struggle to catch my breath. It feels like I suddenly have an anvil on my chest, pressing down. Her expression turns fearful once more as she watches the transformation.
I stand and make my way over to the table, grabbing the bottle of rum and chugging deeply before putting it back down panting. I find myself pacing the room, unable to tamper the demons under my skin at the thought of someone hurting—raping—my woman. I grab my knife and start to press it to my skin, anything to release this rage inside me.
“Stop!” she cries, rushing over to me and placing a hand over mine. “Please, don’t hurt yourself. Not because of me. Not because of that. It was a long time ago.”
I look down at her hand on mine and notice a different warmth emanating from them, moving through my body and taming the beast inside me. I raise my eyes to hers and see concern, not fear. From the point of her touch, I slowly feel the flames slacken their grip.
“Never again,” I say, still breathing heavily through my nose. “You are mine. Never again.”
She nods and gently pulls the knife from my skin. I allow her to do it, releasing it and letting it fall to the floor. She gives me a small smile before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me. A hug. I don’t remember the last time I got a hug.
Tentatively, I bring my arms up around her shoulders and our bodies seem to meld together. A perfect fit.
“Yours,” she whispers, and my heart feels like it’s bursting at the seams.
Maybe it’s because I’ve never truly gotten the chance to get close to any women, but somehow, I think it’s more than that.
For the first time I can remember, I feel fear. There is something to lose now, and The Tomb is no place for something so precious. I can only imagine the shape she’d been in now if I hadn’t come along when Cole found her. Fuck, and I have to deal with that fucker tomorrow. I squeeze her tighter as my resolve hardens.
Somehow, I’ll keep her safe.
Fourteen
Ana
We don’t speak much after, but something changes and shifts in the air between us that doesn’t need words. He’s a vicious and violent man, I am under no illusions on that front. Even still, I feel safe here in his arms, almost happy. I don’t know how it happened or why, but I am grateful for it.
After a few minutes he lets me go and brings me back to the tub where we both quickly wash up. I’m surprised when I look up to see him holding my wraps and what looks like more clothes.
“Cover up,” he says gruffly, and I nod. As much as I’d love to press my body up against him some more, we’re already lucky no one has come by. Fuck is that ever weird. It’s like a dam has burst inside me and my body craves touch, to be fucked, and loved, and worshipped.