Page 97 of Shattered

His rough fingers brush against my clit, softly stroking it and waking up my sluggish body. When I tense, he pauses, his hand cupping me.

“Sunshine?”

He can’t do this, and I can’t exactly blame him. “Don’t stop. Please. I need you. Tell me I’m yours.”

Something in my words must click because, finally, his fingers drift to my entrance. I wonder if I feel any different after all the trauma, but if I do, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he says exactly what I need him to.

“You’re mine, Sunshine. You’ve always been mine.”

The words out of his mouth light me on fire, and my breathing picks up as I quake with need, my body fighting my mind.

“I know you’re hurt, and you need to heal. But I promise you, Sunshine… I’m here to be what you need.”

What I need is for things to go back to the way they were when he took what he wanted from me without question.

Finally, he begins to slip a finger inside me. When he finds me bone dry, he pulls his hand out and wets a single finger in his mouth, his eyes sensually resting in mine as he does. Then he returns his hand. He runs his fingertip around the outside, lighting me on fire as he waits for me to let him in. When I don’t, he pushes in. My whole pelvis tenses as he sinks that single finger into me, and I let out a cry.

“You’re okay, Sunshine. Let me take the pain away.”

When he starts to stroke my insides with a single finger, I tense, but eventually, I melt into him, my body relaxing. The gentle pleasurebegins to take over, and evidence of my arousal makes everything feel a little better. When I whimper, I press my lips against his neck, sucking gently. When Asher lets out a deep moan, it goes straight to my core, and I begin to tighten, clamping down on that single finger. When my breathing picks up and I start to tremble, he slows his strokes to practically nothing, letting me ride out the orgasm.

And when the contractions stop, I don’t feel that same ghostly presence I did before. Still, the tears fall freely.

“I love you, Lila,” he whispers, taking my breath away.

A sob slips from my lips as those four words echo over and over in my head.

“I love you too, Ash.”

When I kiss his neck again, he lets out a rumbling groan before squeezing me a little tighter, surrounding me in his warmth.

“We’re gonna get you through this,” he promises.

“You lied to me, didn’t you?”

The question catches Asher off guard, and it takes him a moment. Still, he smiles slightly, nodding.

I didn’t realize until the drive home when I was going over every minute that had passed since walking into the shop. But once I realized, I felt stupid for even missing it.Bane was never going to tattoo a mountain on him. Asher just wanted me to do it.

“I may have played on your heartstrings a little,” he admits.“I’m sorry for being such an asshole this morning. I didn’t mean any of it. I’d never push you that hard. I just needed to get through to you.”

I should be mad that he lied to me out of principle. But I’m glad he did. “It worked like a charm.”

“Neela and I noticed how much you seemed drawn to tattooing, and we thought encouraging you might be a good idea.”

This is exactly the kind of thing I was pissed off about before. But after everything that’s happened, I’m seeing things differently. They only meddle because they care. Losing Ian took something from me. I lost sight of all of us, our big, weird family. It took Asher crashing into town and flipping everything upside down for me to see that. It nearly took my life.

Neela got it exactly right about Turner, that he meddles because he cares. He was just scared, trying to keep me safe. I can’t fault him for that. Turner is the backbone of Koa. Whenever we’re in trouble, he’s always there.

“Will you teach me more? How to tattoo?”

“Yes, Sunshine, I’ll teach you everything I know. I need a new artist, and you need something to channel all that pain. We’re a perfect match.”

I have Asher wait in the car when we get to Turner’s place. There are a few other cars parked, including a big utility van. Before I can question what it’s for as I pass it, the back door opens, and a man in workwear exits. He nods a hello as he heads past me. Turner is standing in the doorway, his eyes softening on me.

“Hey,” he says gently.

The way he melts as he looks at me shatters my heart. I’ve done him so wrong.

---