Page 68 of Fractured

“Because it’s a little scary. I’ve made a habit of avoiding horror movies and creepy places all of my life.” I had enough real-life exposure with Lauren.

“What’s scary about it? My sisters always thought it was romantic.”

“There are grates on the windows, Saint. Those look like they’re for keeping people trapped inside.”

He laughed heartily. “Those are for protection from the hurricanes. Surely you’ve seen buildings and houses with those before? We’re so close to the ocean, you’ve had to have.”

My cheeks colored slightly. “No, I can’t say I have. My entire existence has been in my little bubble around my home, or farther inland if anything.”

“That’s fair.” He smiled down at me indulgently. “Okay, then let me walk you through this and hopefully change your mind.” He navigated the castle as if he’d been here hundreds of times, and maybe he had. We walked through a corridor where arched windows opened up on either side, through a courtyard with beautiful tall palm trees, then to the back where maybe the bedrooms were located. It was hard to tell with the how empty everything was.

The room we stopped in was beautiful in a sad, deserted way. Wooden beams ran across the ceiling, and floor to ceiling windows took up the outside walls. Patches of red brick showed through in certain spots on the wall, as if the mortar had worn away over time. Even the teal bars seemed less intimidating in this room, with the mostly white walls. Or maybe I was starting to settle because Saint was at my side.

Stepping up behind me, Saint wrapped me up in his arms and rested his chin on the top of my head, swaying gently from side to side. “Now, imagine this is an old castle where you were trapped. A princess with no prince, only left to wither away alone and unloved…”

I gulped. He was essentially reciting my worst fears, only I was no princess, just the unwanted daughter of a mentally ill woman.

“Think of all the adventures you’d have here. Your court of ivy and roses falling at your feet as you ran through the halls and courtyard. Then one day, a handsome prince would find this magically hidden place by accident. He’d come through the doorway, because the windows are barred, but somehow, he found a way inside. He’d woo you. Like a wild little bird, he’d earn your trust slowly with his touch.” Saint grazed his fingertips down the column of my neck.

“This prince would know that you craved kindness, and he’d teach you there was no touch like his. With every stroke and caress, you’d feel his love for you.” He flattened his palm over the front of my throat, his thumb hypnotically rubbing over my pulse as his other hand moved to cup a breast, squeezing just enough that it sent throbbing heat straight to my core. “You’d come to know that no other touch would do, and you’d do anything to keep it.”

I sucked in a harsh breath as he slipped his hand under the waistband of my pants. His fingers were cool against my burning skin. The contact zinged through me as he parted my lips to massage my clit in circles. I cried out as the pulsing turned into something far more potent.

Saint fell back against the wall, taking me with him.

“You like this?” he rasped in my ear.

“Oh shit. I—” He pinched my clit, and bursts of white light overtook my vision. I gasped and bit my lip to keep my pleasure locked up inside me.

“No, I want to hear it. I want all your sounds, and I’ll give you all my touches. Just like the prince, I’ll be yours and you’ll be mine,” he whispered urgently as he pushed two fingers inside me while still keeping pressure on my clit.

I was soaked. Abso-fucking-lutely soaked, and the noises from his drilling his fingers into me added to the forbidden pleasure he was pulling from me in this abandoned backroom of the castle.

The wind whistled through the windows, blocking out my screams as a second orgasm rushed through me. Saint dropped to the floor, and I crumpled in his lap as the tremors racked my body.

He peppered hot kissed all over my face as he combed the hair out of my eyes. I was spent in the best way. Light as air and completely satisfied. Nothing could touch me in this state.

Outside, there was a young giggle in the distance.

“Miriam! Don’t run so far ahead!” a woman called.

That sobered me right up. I started to sit up, but Saint just cuddled be closer, adjusting my pants before rearranging me in his lap. The laughing got farther away and so did the mother’s voice, so they must have decided to go another way.

Relaxing into his arms, I rested my head on his shoulder as we watched the palm trees dance outside the window. I’d never been romantic or a fan of fairy tales. They just didn’t exist in my experience.

But I loved that they had for Saint’s family. And that he helped keep that alive for them. I just know he did. I loved he was trying to give that to me.

And his kind of fairytale?

It was exactly the kind I needed in my life.

Maybe it was tragic that he’d also portrayed me as a sad, lonely, creature, but I was. More than that, he wanted to save me.

That was the important part.

He wanted to save me, and I wanted him to succeed.

Sixteen

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