Page 100 of Taming Achilles

His one hand covered both of mine as he placed his forehead against me.

“When did you start doing this?” he asked, gripping my fingers tight, until my knuckles strained. “When did you start causing yourself pain?”

I shook my head, trying to pull my hands from his.

“Tell me so I can mend you.” His voice was quiet as he kissed my knuckles.

Chapter 47

Geordie

I had noticed this before. The way she hurt herself. The way her feelings overwhelmed her, and she scratched or beat at herself. That fucking ice bath, where I had fished her out from the frozen water, pale and hypothermic.

I pushed the hair from her face, willing her to look at me. I was still inside her, holding her against the concrete wall by a hand on her sweet, rounded arse, and my hips thrust against the apex of her thighs.

“When did you start hurting yourself?” I asked again, gentler this time. Wanting an answer.

“Please let me go.” She whispered again. “If you ever cared about me. If I ever meant anything to you, please … let me go.”

I stroked her hair and kissed her small nose.

“If I let you go, you’ll fall, and the crash will be worse. Let me hold you. Let me love you…”

“You don’t!” Despite my hands over hers, she struck herself again. “You don’t love me! That’s why this hurts. Please! Let me go!”

“What makes you think I don’t love you?” I asked, trying to be the voice of reason. Because that’s what she needed. My sweet little sub. My darling little princess needed me to care for her, and I was willing. I was ready to answer the call and to be her knight after the gift that she had given me.

“You wouldn’t marry me …”

“I wouldn’t go to a justice of the peace,” I corrected.

“It doesn’t matter. You …”

“Because that’s not the wedding you want.” I interrupted her before whatever malarkey could fall from her lips.

I fished the ring from my pocket, careful not to move so that she didn’t slip down the wall. I placed it in front of her face. Her eyes flicked to it, then away again. Staring down at the drain, where Rhodes’ blood collected and fell away.

“This is yours.” I told her. She shook her head, clenching her fingers tighter, afraid I’d force it on her hand. “Yes, it is. I got it for you, because I was going to ask you to marry me.”

“Was,” she stated, with a nod. “That was before.”

“That was before,” I agreed, bringing the tip of her ring finger to my lips. “And after.” I kissed her palm. “And now.” I put the ring in my fist, scared of dropping it, then placed my knuckles under her chin to lift her head. This time, she looked at me. “I wanted to propose in Venice. I want to marry you in Venice. I want to …”

“We’re not in Venice.” The aggravating Princess interrupted me again and I fought the urge to place a hard slap on that tight arse of hers. “We’re in an interrogation room, with a fucking corpse.”

“Will you marry me?” I asked, not caring.

“Shut up.”

“Is that a no?”

“Fuck off.”

“It’s not a no,” I couldn’t help teasing. I put the ring into my pocket, not wanting that precious stone to touch the walls of this cursed place. “I’ll try again later.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re mine,” I should have ended my statement there. But a different sentiment broke free from my mouth. “And I love you.”

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