Page 225 of Sinful Pleasure

But I wouldn’t let him.

“I am a monster, Allyn,” his voice rose in frustration, desperate to push me away.

I shook my head, holding him tighter, not letting him slip from my grasp. I knew what he was doing, what he needed to believe about himself—but I wouldn’t let him fall into that darkness.

“I won’t let you do this to yourself,” I said softly, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “Don’t let your past win.”

“You’re not a monster,” I said softly, my voice steady as I tried to make him understand. “You want to believe it only because you’ve been manipulated into thinking so, but I know you, Maddox. The real you.’’

My eyes filled with tears as I held him.

All I wanted was to take away the pain he had been carrying for so many years. Pain that wasn’t his fault—but something he had been forced to endure.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered, his voice cracked and raw.

“You deserve every bit of me,” I breathed out, making sure he could see the truth on my face.

I needed him to understand. I needed him to know it wasn’t just words— I meant every one of them.

He paused, hesitating, before slowly placing his cold, bloodstained hands around my waist. His breath was shallow, —as if just touching me caused him even more pain. But he stayed there, holding me, letting me in.

“I’m here,” I said, my voice a whisper against his skin.

“I’m with you, and I’m not leaving. Let me show you that you deserve all the love in this messed-up world.”

By the time I finished speaking, we were pressed tightly together, as if we couldn’t exist without the other.

At that moment, I felt it—our lives intertwined, and I realized how much I needed him.

How deeply I loved him.

No force in this world could separate us now.I would prove to him, no matter what, that he deserved everything good that life could offer.

He wasn’t broken, he wasn’t a monster, and he certainly wasn’t a bad person. He just had the misfortune of being raised by the wrong hand in a world that never showed him what true love looked like.

I saw it then—a single, uncertain tear slipped from Maddox’s right eye, something I’d never seen before.

A man who had learned to shut away his emotions, now vulnerable in my arms. And it was then that I knew for sure—he wasn’t messed up.

He was simply a product of a harsh world, and I was going to show him that he was capable of more than just surviving.

He was capable of being loved.

He pulled me into a kiss, and I kissed him back as if it were the first time. I kissed him with everything I had, trying to take his pain and make it mine. I kissed him with no intention of stopping, ever.

“You and me,” I whispered against his lips, my hands tracing over his bare chest, feeling his skin bristle under my touch. “Against the world. Remember?”

His tongue slid between my lips, deepening the kiss. The warmth of it sent a shiver down my spine, and I melted into him, my heart racing.

Maddox then picked me up, carrying me into the bedroom.

We collapsed into each other’s arms, the world outside forgotten. He relaxed against me, and for the first time, I saw his mind at ease. I barely held back a grin—this was a victory, one I had fought for. When I asked him about my father again, he spoke freely.

What surprised me the most was when he revealed that he had given Mikael a chance to fight back. His hands weren’t tied, and he’d even given him a knife, but Mikael had thrown it aside, refusing to fight, taking every bit of the punishment.

Mikael had neglected himself for me.

And Maddox fought his own demons for me.I smiled as Maddox cuddled closer to me, my fingers running throughhis hair.

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