Page 51 of Nightmare Island

“I want more.”

He lifts his gaze, then his body, smirking like the devil.

“My good little flame. That’s the right answer.”

His mouth captures mine again, more demanding, more dominating, and I surrender to his darkness. With his hands on my shoulders, he pulls away, then turns me to face the wall, sweeping my hair over one shoulder.

His lips find my neck, and the moan that escapes me is beyond needy, my thighs clenching tight. Then he goes still, his body tensing behind me. A low growl builds in his chest.

“Is everything all right?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder at him, but he’s got his gaze lowered on me, brow furrowed deeply.

“What are these scars on your back?”

My heart stops. Those marks are from my bastard husband. I try to turn, but Ghost’s hands hold me firmly in place. His fingers trace the raised lines gently, but each touch brings back flashes of memories.

The whistle of leather through the air. The crack of the belt. “This is for your own good, Hel.” His voice thick with arousal as I tried to crawl away. The sharp bite of metal when the buckle caught my skin.

“Hel,” Ghost’s voice pulls me back.

“It’s nothing,” I say automatically.Don’t complain. Don’t let it get back to Jarl. He’ll make it worse next time.

I hate that those thoughts still linger…

“He did this to you.” It’s not a question. The heat of Ghost’s body behind me has turned from arousing to protective, his hands now cradling me.

“Can we skip the part where you pity me?” I sigh, hating this moment. Hating that I told him about my husband in the first place, about the forced marriage. Hating the weakness that crept into my voice when I did. “I’ve got enough issues without adding that to the mix.”

He turns me around, and I stare at his chest, my arms crossed protectively over my breasts.

“Look at me,” he says gently.

I peek up through my lashes, expecting sympathy, condescension, disgust—any of the usual reactions. Instead, I find tenderness. His good eye burns with it.

“I’m going to get off this fucking island,” he growls. “And when I do, I’m going to?—”

“You won’t?—”

“I’ll destroy the motherfucker. I’ll take my time, too. Make it last.”

“Ghost, it’s not that simple…”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make sure he suffers.”

“He’s dead.” My words pour out. “He’s gone. There’s nothing left to fix. Just me, with all these shit memories and ugly scars.”

His hands cup my face, staring at me intently. “You think that matters to me? You are the most beautiful thing I’ve seen, gorgeous just as you are, and you’re mine to protect now. Don’t ever think you’re anything but perfect.”

The possessiveness in his voice should frighten me. Instead, it makes that heat flare higher. I feel like things have moved so fast, and he’s already overly captivated with me. I can’t deny that I’m struggling to think of him not being at my side, too.

Ghost doesn’t say anything, just holds me tighter as years of pain finally break free. I tremble in his arms, and he strokes me, kissing my brow.

When I pull back, it’s only far enough to tilt my chin up. His tongue traces the tear tracks on my cheeks.

“You taste like electricity,” he murmurs. “Like a storm about to break.”

“Smooth talker.” I half grin as the heat under my skin pulses in time with my heart. My wolf is restless, wanting more of Ghost, wanting everything. For the first time since I arrived on Nightmare Island, I truly feel like maybe I belong here.

Maybe that should scare me more than it does.

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