Page 93 of Queens and Monsters

I gritted my teeth and arched my back as he pushed farther inside me.

I wasn’t sure but maybe if he did it fast.

His fingers stroked my hair as he left butterfly kisses on my cheeks and neck. The painsubsided slowly as a different kind of sensation awakened. His continued motion caused friction rubbing over my clit, relighting the earlier fire and sending shock waves in every direction. There was a connection in what we were doing that eased the pain. Looking into his eyes, I smiled. “It’s better.”

I concentrated on his movements, the feeling of loss as he pulled partially away and the immense sense of fullness when he thrust within. His patience and ease worked as I began to move with his rhythm, pressing against him and backing away.

My hands roamed over the muscles of his back down to his tight ass. The noises and sounds were a chorus as the tension built.

Rei’s movements became less fluid and more erratic. It was as he stilled that I looked up at his exquisite face twisted in pleasure that I knew this was something I would enjoy. His cock throbbed within me. Seeing the recent stress and sorrow melt away into a beautiful expression was more than enough to want to do this over and over.

His muscles relaxed as he rolled to my side, breaking our connection. Immediately, he was back to stroking my hair and staring into my eyes. “Tell me that you’re okay.”

I rolled to face him. “Better than okay.”

When he started to move, I panicked. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back.”

In the bathroom, I heard the water running. Rei returned in all his naked glory with a washcloth in hand. He moved the blankets. “Let me…”

The washcloth came into view, the white covered with a pink hue.

“I’m bleeding?”

“It’s not bad.” He lowered his face to mine. “You’ll be sore” —his lips quirked— “but I’ll be happy to kiss it all better.”

After taking the washcloth back to the bathroom, Rei got under the covers and pulled me to his hard shoulder. “I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few weeks without you.”

I lifted my face to his. “I love being here with you. But the world, it scares me.”

Rei nodded. “I keep thinking about what would have happened if you,Madre, and Mia had been on Bella. Jorge saved your lives.”

I sighed. “Maybe if we wouldn’t have taken four of the guards with us, they could have fended off the Russians.”

He squeezed me to his side and kissed the top of my head. “You don’t remember what you asked me when you were roofied, do you?”

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “I don’t remember any of it. It’s like I went from sitting at the bar in the restaurant to waking in my bed. Everything in between is gone.”

“You asked me if I could love you.”

“Oh…” I buried my face against his side.

Rei reached for my chin. “I told you yes.”

Tears prickled my eyes. “You said yes?”

“Then you told me that you could love me too.” He inhaled. “The people who never knew him are saying somany awful things aboutmí padre, and yet that wasn’t the personmí madreloved. I do bad things, Jasmine. I could understand if you didn’t think you could love me.”

Lifting myself up on my elbows, I stroked his cheek with my finger. “I could love you, Rei, and I already do. I was so afraid that something had happened to you. When you walked into Mia’s hospital room, my world was complete. I love you.”

He nodded. “I was afraid too. I’m not supposed to admit that, but I was. When we first heard about the distress call, all I could think about was that I took you to Bella to be safe and you weren’t.”

A memory of Dario telling me that men like him and possibly Rei could be both fearless and terrified came to mind. I laid my head back on Rei’s shoulder. “Some of the strongest men I know can’t admit to also being terrified or it takes them a long time. I think admitting emotions makes you even stronger.”

“Mí padreused to say that loving someone creates a weakness in the armor.” He inhaled. “It was what we did, knowingly attacking Herrera’s family.” Rei squeezed me tighter. “You’re my weakness. I’d burn this world to ashes for you. I love you, Jasmine.”

“I love you, too.”

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