Page 99 of Pretty Heartache

“Can I tell you what I see?” he asks.

My lips part and I look into Micah’s eyes as he places his hands on my shoulders and slowly turns me around, back to my reflection. He towers over me, my head meeting his chest. My body shivers, and goosebumps dance across my skin when he reaches in front of me, unraveling my towel.

It slips from my body, pooling at my feet.

The ends of my hair are still wet from the shower, drops of water sliding down my bare chest. The cool air pumping into the room breezes over my nipples, hardening them into two pebbles. Anticipation bubbles inside me, bringing my body back to life. It’s as if I’m suddenly being awakened.

He leans forward until his face is next to mine. I watch as he presses his mouth to my collarbone. I splay my palms flat on my stomach, telling myself to remain calm. I don’t want this moment to end with Micah.

There are times where I still can’t believe this is real. At one point, he was completely off limits and unattainable. Now, here we are.

With his mouth hovering in front of the hollow of my ear, he stares at me through our reflection.

“I see a woman,” he whispers, the stubble on his jaw grating against me.

Heat pools in my stomach, replacing the fluttering. The tears are still coming, but they’re coming from a different place. Instead of sadness and agony, I’m healing.

“I see a woman,” he continues. “A woman who has survived and fought. A woman who’s always known who she was and who she wants to be.”

“Micah…” My eyelids flutter, and my head falls back against his chest. I feel weightless, his words hitting deep in my soul.

He catches me, dragging the back of his index finger along my shoulder. I feel my body inflate, and I struggle to breathe. The oxygen feels tight in my chest, and I keep my eyes open, wanting to watch Micah.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Adeline.” While he draws invisible lines down the length of my arm, he takes his other hand and traces the scar on my cheek. A tear rolls over my lashes and onto the scar. “It isn’t just what’s on the outside. It’s your soul. You aren’t simply measured by your outer beauty, Addy.” He slips his fingers over my nipple before cupping my breast in his palm. “Although it definitely can’t be ignored.”

A smile tugs on my mouth.

His whispers send a shiver down my spine. “You are the most stunning woman, and some days I wake up next to you still not believing you are mine.Mine. Every beautiful inch.”

He traces the scar once more before wrapping his hand gently around my neck. He angles my face up, but I keep my eyes trained on my reflection.

The way we’re standing here together reminds me of the way Maddox held me hostage that night. I felt helpless and terrified then. But this is different. With Micah, I’m safe. He’s commanding yet gentle, never letting me feel as if I’m not in control. He’s showing me that I don’t have to live in the darkness or run from it. I can tackle it and switch the narrative. He’s giving me the gift of a new memory—one where I see the beauty in the woman I’ve become.

“This is what I see.” His voice is velvet, coating every inch of me.

He keeps his hand around my throat and catches my breath with his mouth to kiss me before pulling away.

“Do you see it, too?” he asks. His eyes have darkened, set on a mission. He keeps his hand around my neck and removes his other from my breast to trail his fingers down the center of my stomach before settling them between my thighs. Parting my slits with his fingers, he finds my clit.

I jerk my hips back, rolling into the pressure, and I gasp as his fingers work me. His cock presses into the small of my back, and I’m suddenly begging to have him inside me.

“Watch yourself,” he says. “I want you to watch and see how beautiful you are. Do you see it?”

“Micah,” I say tightly. “Please. I want you.”

“I want to hear you say it first.” He rolls his hips into me, and I know he won’t hold back for long. “Heartache isn’t always pretty.” He growls in my ear.

His words are an arrow straight to my heart. A jolt of electricity courses through my veins, and my entire body lights up. I stand on my tiptoes, reaching behind me to grip onto his shirt, my mouth falling open.

“Tell me you see what I see.”

“I do,” I tell him, and as I watch his hand working me, I know I mean it. I do see beauty in myself. And he’s right.

Heartache isn’t always pretty.

“Life is only ugly when you ignore the beauty,” he says. “And you, Adeline…” He presses his mouth to my ear, biting on my lobe. “Youarebeauty.”

His teeth graze my skin, and I feel myself reaching my orgasm. I moan as tingles spread across my lower stomach and between my legs. His fingers move faster, pressing harderagainst my clit. I roll my hips, lowering my feet, pushing into him.

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