Page 118 of Vengeful Guard

“Now will you stop for a minute?”

She doesn’t. She frowns at me, her brows drawn together, and her knee comes up, hitting me in the crotch.

My balls hide up in my stomach, and I cry out, rolling off her and holding them.

“Shit.” She giggles. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” My voice comes out strained as I try to stand up with difficulty, but Paige can’t seem to stop laughing.

In fact, she is now laughing so hard, she doubles over, holding her stomach.

Except the sound is off somehow. As if her laugh is not her laugh. and it’s only then I realize she’s not laughing anymore. She’s sobbing, and the sounds ripping through her body seem to tear my heart in two.

But she unfurls from the floor, gets up, and comes at me again, hitting my chest, her fists furious on my body, and I just stand there and take it, letting her deliver blow after bllow, helping her to let it all out.

“You give me everything you need to, princess. I can take it.”

Paige moves away, turning her back on me, wiping furiously at her eyes as she hiccups. “I’m fine. Let’s go again.”

“Paige," I start, but she gets into stance.

I nod and this time, I come at her, and she manages to throw me over her with her body weight.

“I did it!” She jumps up and down, arms high above her head as I lie on the mat, all the wind knocked out of me, fighting for air. “I really flipped you!”

“You did,” I manage, the oxygen making its slow way back into my lungs. “Good for you.”

She gets into position. “Again.”

I’m getting the hell beat out of me here, but I know that she needs this, so I get up and get into position too.

She kicks at me, and I grab her ankle, flipping her over onto her back and pinning her wrists again. This time, I use my thighs between her legs to keep her from kicking me in the bollocks again, and her breath starts coming shorter.

I remember what she feels like inside, what she looks like with her back arched, her eyes dark with lust. I know what she looks like on her knees, looking up at me, and it’s almost too much to bear.

She is right here beneath me, so beautiful, so irresistible.

I lean down.

I don’t know if I want to kiss her or just press my forehead to hers or what I’m leaning for, but as I do, she bursts into tears all over again.

“It’s okay, princess.” But I’m not sure if anything will be okay ever again. I still say it because she needs to hear it. “It’s okay. I got you.”

She buries her face in my chest, and I sit up, still holding her, rocking her back and forth in my arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, and I don’t know what she's sorry for, but I just murmur words of comfort, platitudes and sweet little nothings as I stroke her hair.

I hate the way she’s crying, it hurts somewhere deep in my bones, my very soul, and I wish I could make things better. I wish I could make it all go away, but I can’t.

Paige has to get through this on her own. And all I can do is be here for her. If she even wants me to.

32

PAIGE

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I hiccup. “It’s all my fault. My fault. They were after me. They were after me, and they got Da instead.”

I can’t breathe, can’t stop shaking, can’t do anything other than be wrecked by my sobs and tears. Nothing matters except asking for the forgiveness I don’t deserve.

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