Page 97 of Pretty Monsters

The door slams and I realize then that Sin followed Ford into the room.

"The fuck?" he explodes.

I shrug. What am I supposed to say? It's not like I plan to go along with his suggestion.

Sin is wound up, wearing a path in the already thread bare carpet. "What's the point of doing all of this if you end up being forced to get married?"

"I didn't say I thought it was a good idea. Why are you so pissed off?"

"It's not a horrible idea," Ford interjects. "Come on, it's a good contingency."

Sin's glare could peel the flesh off your bones. "It's a shit idea. Marriages can be annulled. Once he's got her he'll get one of the many public servants on his payroll to push it through."

"It'll buy time for us to rescue her. Look, it's just another roadblock," Ford argues.

I step in front of him. "Stop, please." He looks down at me.

He grabs the back of my neck. "You aren't marrying anyone except for me, but I can't. They're right, it's a good idea."

Our foreheads press together. His breathing is choppy, and there's a desolate look in his eyes. "I can't marry you."

My heart sinks. I know he's not ready, hell I'm not ready, but it still hurts knowing he doesn't want to. If our situation were reversed, there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep him safe.

"You're not ready, I'm not either. It's a stupid idea, just forget about it." My voice wavers revealing the cracks spreading through my heart.

I try to pull myself out of his grasp, but it only causes him to tighten his hold on me. "You've got it wrong. I didn't say I don't want to. I literally can't. I don't exist, Raven. I can't give you my name, because legally I don't have one."

"We can fix that," Ford speaks up again. "I've got a lawyer on retainer to help women who seek help."

He grabs his phone off the nightstand. "Let me see what we can do. Even if you choose not to use it to get married, you should have your life back. Raven isn't the only one who needs protection."

Ford leaves us alone and we stand staring at each other. A heaviness hangs in the air making it hard to breathe. Try as I might, it's hard to disregard his plans to turn himself in to protect me.

He cuts straight to the center of my fear. "Lucien is still trying to get in touch with the governor. I don't want to waste whatever time we might have arguing."

Pleading with him didn't work before, and I know he's determined to follow this plan. There are so many things we need to work out logistically, but in this moment we want the same thing. The only thing I fear I'll ever want above all else, him. If we had years to explore each other perhaps these feelings wouldn't make me quake with terror, but as it is there's a sword hanging over our heads.

We come together in a frenzy. Teeth clashing, clothes ripping, and we don't stop. Ford could come back any moment, and I can't be bothered to care. The urge to connect with him is primal and more important than anything else.

He's vital to me. The thought of losing him forces tears from my eyes. Gently, he wipes them away. "Don't cry. I'm still here."

I lick a few errant tears from my lips. When I speak, my voice sounds strangled. "Make love to me. I need you."

His answering smile is sad, but he doesn't stop. Everything slows down. He still hasn't told me he loves me, but I feel it in every caress. The words are less important when I can feel his love in every cell in my body.

I've had him rough, fast, hard, and yet this surprising tender side of him sends me crashing over the edge harder than ever before. The look he gives me as we hold onto each other is desperate. My fear is his, and I vow to myself not to let him give up his future for me.

* * *

As usual,my brother has impeccable timing. Sin and I lay tangled in each other on top of the blankets when he lets himself into our room.

"It's official. I'm going to need therapy," he complains, and covers his eyes. He gropes on the floor for our clothes and throws them at us.

Sin pulls on his pants and hands me my clothes. "You already needed therapy growing up as the son of Satan. If you'd learn to fucking knock you wouldn't see shit."

"Maybe if you didn't bone my sister every chance you got I wouldn't have to worry about it. It's almost time to check out, and we need to figure out what we're doing."

"We're dressed now, asshole. Tell everyone to come in here so we can talk," Sin snaps.

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