Page 116 of Cruel Promise

His hands grip me tighter, so I do the same, and he groans, the sound filling me with pleasure.

Thrust, thrust, thrust.

I can barely breathe. I can barely think. All I see is Nikolai. All I feel is him.

And then another orgasm rushes through my body, and I gasp and shudder in his arms.

Nikolai holds me as he increases his pace. “Fuck,” he groans, thrusting into me once more before he comes. I can feel his seed inside me. That thought doesn’t bother me like I thought it would.

We’re both breathing heavily. A light sheen of sweat covers us both.

Nikolai cups my face and stares down at me with awe. I stare back, not afraid anymore.

Then, just as soon as his expression opens, it closes.

He gently pulls out of me and turns away, picking up his clothes.

I lie there in confusion for a moment before sitting up. “Nik?”

He puts his pants and underwear back on, still not looking at me. “I have to go.”

“Go? Go where?”

“I meant what I said, Ava. I don’t deserve you.” Without looking at me, he leaves.

“Nik!” I call out, but he doesn’t answer.

I knew it was all too good to be true. I feel like a fool for letting myself even care about Nikolai. And now, I’ve given him my entire body, and I can’t take that back.

I look down at the bedsheet between my legs and see a twinge of blood. The first time I ever saw Nikolai, he was covered in blood. And now, I’ve bled for him.

That thought makes me curl into a ball and cry.

Chapter

Sixteen

AVA

Iwake up sore.

My entire lower body hurts from after last night, and the thought just makes me sadder, knowing Nikolai pulled away from me.

I don’t understand him. He wants me yet he pulls away.

I manage to get out of bed and shower. It hurts to pee, but that soon goes away. When I go downstairs, I find Claude cooking in the kitchen as usual and Mrs. Brown folding towels at the table. Edmund is in his place by the front door.

“Good morning, Ava,” Edmund says, giving me a sincere smile.

It only makes me think of Nikolai and how he smiled at me one moment then pulled away the next.

“Morning,” I grumble.

Edmund frowns, but before he can ask any more questions, I head into the kitchen.

“You look terrible,” Claude comments.

Mrs. Brown makes a disapproving sound in the back of her throat. “Be nice. Dear, did you get a bad night’s sleep?”

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