Page 74 of Sinful Lies

“I’ve struggled with being…intimate ever since.”

That’s why she ran off after our wedding night.

I curse under my breath, reaching for her fingers and interlacing mine with hers.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I feel like the biggest asshole on the planet.

All this time she’s been fighting the darkest of demons, and I’ve done nothing but be brazen about my attraction to her, wanting nothing more than to get her into bed.

Am I no better than the asshole who assaulted her?

“Zara, I’m so sorry?—”

“Don’t.” Her eyes plead as she looks up at me. “I know what you’re going to say, and I want you to know that sleeping with you on our wedding night was something Iwanted. More than anything. It was just…a lot to process, that’s all. That’s why I left.”

“I’m glad to hear that. But I want you to know that we don’t have to do anything unless you feel ready. There’s no rush.”

She nods, biting down on her lower lip as her eyes flick to my lips.

“I want to try,” she whispers, her cheeks flushing.

My chest swells at her trust in me, at her feeling safe enough to want to be intimate with me. I reach down to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“Then I suggest you get settled on your back,sladkaya.”

18

ZARA

A senseof relief pours over me for sharing part of my past with Dimitri.

I didn’t want to tell him the whole truth. That the man he had just stopped from assaulting me had already done far worse.

Dimitri would have killed Giovanni without a second thought, and I don’t want any more blood to stain Dimitri’s hands at my expense.

But I wanted to at least offer him an explanation for why I keep being so hot and cold with his advances, and the support he’s shown me has my heart swelling.

So now, as I lean back against my pillows, I feel not even an ounce of fear as Dimitri settles himself on my right side, moving his left arm beneath my neck so that I can nuzzle into the swell of his bicep.

His right hand moves to grip my waist as he bends down to kiss me, his tongue sliding into my mouth as he pulls me closer.

I moan at the taste of him, and he grins against my lips.

“I’m more than happy to just make out like horny teenagers.”

I laugh, shaking my head as he grins down at me.

When he smiles like that and his eyes light up with mischief, it takes my breath away. Add to the fact that he’s got the kindest heart of any man I’ve ever known, and he’s truly the whole package.

“I think I’m okay with doing a little more than that.” I reach up to cup his face as I kiss him deeply.

Now it’s Dimitri’s turn to moan as I trace his lower lip with my tongue.

“Can I touch you, Zara?” His voice is rough with need.

I nod, and he smiles as his hand moves beneath the fabric of my shirt to rest on my stomach. I shiver at the feeling of his warm fingers caressing my skin.

“We can stop at any point, okay?”

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