Page 101 of Crimson Tears

“I knew you would one day, and I would be there to witness it. I wanted you to grow from a girl who was kind and loving, to a machine that was as violent as I felt. You began to thrive on bloody knuckles and mayhem, and I loved that about you. It made my chest ache just as much as it turned me on.”

I look into his eyes, seeing the truth in his admission.

“There is beauty in pain,” I say quietly.

“And yours is the most beautiful agony I have ever witnessed.”

Cillian leans in, and just when I think he is going to kiss me, he instead licks the tears from my face. It startles me but also makes my body light up with pleasure.

Grabbing his face, I pull him to me, our lips colliding and our tongues tangling together. That piercing teases me with the promise of more as Cillian skillfully strokes inside my mouth.

It’s slow and sensual, but when our kiss breaks and his dark eyes meet mine, everything begins to make sense.

It’s then that I realize that while Cillian might be a villain, he has always been my avenging angel, guarding me from what I could not see. His wings may be black, but his heart is still as pure and innocent as the day I met him. He might not see that side of himself, but I do. It’s the part of him that can love even when the pain feels like too much.

“What do you feel for me now? After all of that?”

We are sleeping in the same bed, doing things together. I need to know this means as much to him as it does to me.

A soft smile touches his lips. One that makes him look as dangerously unhinged as it does adorable. “I think I feel the same way for you as you do for the old man.”

I poke at his chest with a giggle. “Are you jealous, Killer?” I squeeze his bicep so he knows I’m just messing with him.

“Nah,” he says, waving a hand in the air. “I can take him.”

My grip turns punishing though. “Hurt him and I’ll kill you.”

That grin on his face only grows to one that could rival the insanity of the Joker. Cillian pulls my hand, bringing us close until our noses are almost touching. “Is that a threat, Sweetheart? You know those turn me on.”

As if to punctuate his words, he presses my hand into hisveryhard erection. I almost lose my train of thought thinking about the mess he made between us last night as I rocked my hips on top of him.Almost.

Leaning in, I brush my nose over his lightly and whisper, “It’s a promise, Killer.”

Cillian shudders as he pulls back and relents teasingly. “Fine. I guess the old man is growing on me.”

“I don’t want to be anywhere on you,” Boris says, walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, all of his beautiful muscles on display.

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. It hurts a little bit, but it’s so worth it. Everything has felt so serious recently, especially when they can see my injuries. But right now, it just feels like we’re a family as Cillian taunts Boris about secretly wanting him.

They can both see it’s a joke, but they play into it. Their banter has been my favorite thing from the moment Cillian walked through our door, and I don’t think that will ever change.

???

A gentle knock sounds at our bedroom door, and I sit up in the bed. I asked the guys to give me some space to talk through things with Dr. K. I don’t want to have to worry about their feelings while I try to find a way to manage my own.

“Come in,” I say as a familiar redheaded woman pokes her head around the door.

“Nessa,” she greets with a smile and I smile back.

“Hey, Dr. K. Long time, no talk.”

It has been a little bit since we talked, but not that long.

“I see your life has changed a bit in the past few weeks if the two men downstairs are anything to go by,” she adds with a soft chuckle.

My cheeks flame as I nod. “The two of them have made life very interesting, that’s for sure.”

Getting out of bed, I carefully move to the sitting area near the windows. I choose the loveseat so I can prop myself up with the pillows there, and Dr. K takes a seat in the large chair. I chew my bottom lip as she gets her tablet out and begins typing something. When she looks up at me, a fog I can’t describe begins to fill the room.

---