Page 71 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

Not breaking the kiss, he picked her up by the waist. Her legs wrapped around him, and he stumbled across the rug to her bed, laying her down in the mess of pillows and clothes, then crawling over the top. “I can be demanding. Over-protective. Selfish and possessive when it comes to the things I love. I won’t care about fitting in or being normal and I won’t compromise on giving you anything but the best.”

“What’s all that mean?” she asked, silky breasts slipping out of her bra. He traced his fingers over her skin, outlining the hem of her panties and the hollow of her stomach. God, she was more than angelic—she was perfect.

“That’s what you’ll have to deal with.” He looked back up at her face. “That’s me.”

“Well, I’m stubborn,” she started, breathless as his hand inched up to her chest. “I care too much, and I try too hard. I’ll do anything for the people I love, and I won’t ever give up on what I want. I don’t need normal or nice or pretty.” She gasped as he tugged at the little bow of the ribbon above her collarbone, making sure it fit snug and tight. “And I want you to ruin me more than I’ve wanted anything else in my entire life.”

Her simple admission tore through the fabric of his being. He dipped down and sucked one of her pink nipples into his mouth, rolling the bud before dragging it through his teeth. “That I will,” he promised. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever fucking seen. But I see so much more when I look at you.”

True, he saw a woman who could win over any man, who could model in the world’s most expensive outfit or nothing at all, but he also saw things that were invisible to the eyes. He felt so many things he couldn’t touch, and it made him want her all the more. His desire wasn’t just for someone sexy, talented, and kind—she was a person he couldn’t live without.

“I see so much more when I look at you, too,” she whispered.

He pulled back and ran a hand down the side of her bootless leg, making her squirm. “Tell me, what do you see when you look at me?”

A man who’d lived a broken life? A sinner who refused to alter his course to hell? The cursed soul that would lead to her downfall?

“I see someone who cares just as much as I do. Even though he pretends to be mean and unlovable.” Her face broke into a radiant smile. “I see a man who earned my admiration. One who deserves happiness.”

THIRTY-FOUR

He could barely breathe, so he kissed her instead. Not so long ago, he would’ve dismissed her words without a second thought. But maybe now he could accept them as true. “Do you want to know what I see when I look at you?”

Her breath hitched. “Yeah.”

He kissed her pulse and paused to feel her heartbeat against his lips, drinking it in. “I see a woman I’ve been looking for my whole life. Someone I never had any right to ask for.” He took a deep breath of her sweet scent and looked into yielding jade eyes. “But I’m asking anyway.”

“You know my answer,” she whispered.

He reached up and pinned her wrists again, stretching her out so he could look at every secret crevice, every sacred hollow. Her angelic form sunk into the cotton sheets, on display like a precious gem.

“Yes,” he breathed. “I do know your answer, and I also know you’re going to be a very good girl, Iv. Just for me.”

Her eyes fluttered. “Does that mean—” She cut off as a blush reddened her face.

“Hm? You don’t get to hide from me, sweetheart. Not anymore.”

“Do good girls get a reward?” she mumbled, barely audible.

His grip tightened on her wrists, and he slipped a teasing finger around the waistline of her panties. “Yes. They do get a reward.”

She squirmed as he dipped his head down to sample her other nipple, then bit into the swell of her breast. Her fingers curled around his while the rest of her relaxed under his touch, submitting to his tenderness and succumbing to his brutality. He traced a line down to the fabric covering her pussy and found her clit, only to give it the slightest stimulation.

The best sound he’d ever heard left her lips, and he savored the tension gathering in her muscles as she arched her back. Kneeling over his sweet witch, he released her wrists and slipped his belt out of its loops.

Her eyes widened with an unspoken question—cheeks flushed, lips a bright strawberry red. Her nipples puckered into pretty perfect points, and he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day exactly like this.

But they had plans. Important plans, so he’d make this quick.

“Legs up,” he ordered.

“What about the boot?” she asked, raising her legs anyway. “Won’t it get in the way?”

He pressed on her thighs and watched as her pussy unfurled, half-hidden by her dainty undergarments. “No, I like it on you. Besides, I have to remember to keep this short and sweet. If you undress anymore, we’ll never leave.”

Glancing up at her face, her expression told him she didn’t mind that idea at all.

He’d make waiting worth her time. This would just be to take the edge off. An appetizer before the main course.

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