Page 50 of Until You Break

I watch her come on my tongue and pass out again, with an uncomfortable feeling pressing down on me.

“If I’m a Little Sinner, what does that make you?”

I lean down and grab her chin, running my tongue over the seam of her lips. “Your Sin, baby.”

Chapter thirty-four

His Sinner

The bathwater is warm,lapping gently against my skin, but I can’t stop the tears that slip down my cheeks. Dominic’s hands move carefully as he lathers shampoo into my hair, his touch gentle in a way that feels foreign after everything he’s just done to me.

His fingers slide through my hair, massaging my scalp, and I can feel his eyes on me, watching like he always does. I should feel humiliated, exposed like this especially with my rolls and stretchmarks showing, but I don’t. My body feels wrung out, every nerve alive and raw, the kind of exhaustion that makes you sink so deep into yourself you can barely think straight.

He hasn’t said much since he carried me in here, setting me into the tub like I’m something fragile. And maybe I am, though I’d never admit it.

I sniffle, wiping at my face with the back of my hand, but it doesn’t help. The tears keep coming, and I hate it. Hate that he’s seeing me like this, hate that he’s the one who’s here when I feel so fucking lost.

“Aria,” Dominic says, his voice calm, but there’s an edge to it, like he’s holding back. “Look at me.”

I don’t. I keep my gaze fixed on the water, the ripples distorting my reflection. I can’t meet his eyes, not after everything that just happened. Not after what I let him do to me—what I begged him to do.

His hand moves to my chin, tilting my face up so I have no choice. His green eyes lock onto mine. “Talk to me,” he says, “Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

I scoff, trying to yank my chin out of his grasp.“What’s wrong? Are you seriously asking me that?” My voice is shaky, but I push through it, trying to keep the edge that’s barely there. “Whatisn’twrong, Dominic? Take your pick.”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t let go of my chin, doesn’t let me look away. “Don’t do that. Don’t throw up walls just because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared,” I snap, even though I know it’s a lie. “I’m just—”

“You’re just what?” he cuts me off, his voice hardening. “You’re tired? Confused? Pissed off at me? Fine. Say it. Be honest with me, Aria. Because I don’t have the patience for your bullshit right now.”

I glare at him, my chest heaving, and for a second, I want to push him away, to tell him to leave me alone. But then his voice softens, just slightly, and it catches me off guard.

“If I didn’t give a shit about you, I could’ve left you without aftercare,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “Left you out there, strung out and anxious, sitting in your own fucking head, doubting everything like I know you do. But I didn’t. I brought you here because I care, whether you want to believe that or not.”

I blink, his words hitting me harder than they should, and I hate the way my throat tightens, the way the tears spillfaster. “Why?” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Why do you care, Dominic? After everything?”

His fingers tighten slightly on my chin, grounding me. “Because you mean something to me,” he says simply, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Because you’re not just some fucking fling or a girl I’m trying to control. You’re mine, Aria. And I don’t leave what’s mine to drown.”

I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath, because I know he’s right. I wouldn’t have been okay if he’d left me like that. Hell, I’m barely okay now.

I let out a heavy sigh, my voice small. “Do you think what I… whatwedo is bad?” I finally ask, my voice trembling. “What you do to me. What I… like. Am I bad for liking it? Do I need help because I’m so fucked up that I want this?”

His expression shifts instantly, his entire body going rigid as his grip on my chin tightens. “Who told you that?” he asks, his voice dangerously low, barely more than a growl. “Who the fuck put that in your head?”

I shake my head, not wanting to go there, but he grabs my chin again, forcing me to look at him. “Don’t lie to me, Aria. Did Mason say that?”

The way he says Mason’s name, like it’s a curse, makes me flinch. I don’t answer, but the silence is enough. Dominic’s jaw clenches, his nostrils flaring, and for a second, I think he’s going to explode.

But then he takes a breath. “That pathetic little fucker,” he mutters, his hand sliding down to cup my cheek instead. His thumb brushes away the tear streaking down my face.

“No,” he snaps, his eyes blazing. “You’re not messed up, Aria. You’re human. You want things, need things, just like anyone else. The only difference is, you’re brave enough to feel them.”

I shake my head, my tears falling faster, my hands trembling in my lap. “It doesn’t feel brave. It feels… wrong. Like I shouldn’t—”

“Wrong?” he interrupts, his voice rising slightly. “Do I make you feel wrong? Do I make you feel unsafe? Like you can’t trust me?”

“No,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “That’s not it.”

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