Page 60 of Fired at the Heart

The admission stuns me into silence. In all our years together, in all the confrontations we’ve had since, Raphael Rockford has never voluntarily admitted he waswrong.

“I was stubborn.” His hand moves up to rest on my knee, burning like a brand. “Too proud to beg for your forgiveness. And then...” He lets out a shaky breath. “Then I didn’t want to hurt you again when I still couldn’t give you what you needed. I couldn’t drag you back into my life if I was still tied to Aaiden’s vision.”

His fingers press harder into my skin, as if afraid I’ll slip from his grasp. “I watched you build your empire from the ashes of what we left behind. I saw you become a force to be reckoned with.” Pride fills his eyes. “I convinced myself to stay away, that you were better off without me. But you never stopped being mine.”

The confession rouses an ache I tried to smother, reminding me that despite everything, our connection was never just about the bond. Never just biology or fate or some other mystical garbage. We chose each other, again and again, even when it made no sense.

“It doesn’t matter now,” I say, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. “Whatever we were to each other, it’s over. The bond is?—”

I cut off with a yelp as his grip on my knee tightens, and with one smooth motion, he drags me down the bed. The sheet slides away as he pulls me across the mattress, my free arm flailing for purchase. I end up flat on my back, handcuffed arms stretched above me, legs spread with Raphael kneeling between them. The position highlights the contrast between my bare skin and his fully clothed body.

“Dying made me see the light, Avery.” His hands pin my thighs to the mattress, thumbs pressing into sensitive flesh with the perfect pressure to turn me to liquid under his touch. “I’m done playing by Aaiden’s rules. You win. I’m done pretending I can function without you.”

His eyes burn with hunger as they travel over my body. “And I have no plans to let you go. Not now. Not ever again.”

Heat blooms in my chest, spreading outward. The words I’ve waited years to hear, fantasized about during lonely nights when memories of him were all I had to keep me warm. My body responds with embarrassing eagerness, blood rushing south, skin flushing with want.

But he’s made promises of forever before.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Too little, too late. The bond is broken.”

His hands slide higher on my thighs, purposeful, possessive. Then one hand moves to cup my hardening length, applying enough pressure to make my breath catch.

“I was willing to accept whatever punishment you wanted to put me through.” His fingers wrap around me with familiar expertise. “Your anger, your resentment, whatever you needed to win back your trust.” His grip tightens, drawing a gasp from my lips. “But not this, Avery. You don’t get to break our bond and walk away.”

I try to close my legs, to hide my response to his touch, but his body between my thighs keeps me pinned open, leaving me bare in every way.

“You can’t force a bond.” My resolve wavers as his thumb circles the sensitive head of my dick. “It’s done. Over. Whatever grand reunion you’re planning isn’t going to happen.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, baby. We’re not leaving this safe house until you’re Marked again.” His free hand slides beneath me, lifting my hips. “Do you know what the symptoms are for a broken bond?”

I swallow, trying to ignore how his hand continues to stroke my hard length. “Pain. Fever. Nausea.”

Raphael leans forward, his bare chest brushing mine. “You’re leaving one out.”

His hand releases my cock to slide lower between my legs, slipping into my crease to find my entrance already slick with desire. He pushes two fingers inside me with practiced ease, knowing how to curve them to find the sweet spot that creates starbursts behind my eyelids.

“Heat.” His breath fans hot over my ear as he massages my prostate with devastating precision. “A broken bond triggers Heat to lure in a new Alpha. To make sure the vulnerable Omega finds protection.”

My inner muscles clench around his fingers, pleasure shooting through me in waves I can’t control. I bite my lip to keep from moaning, and the copper tang of blood bursts on my tongue.

Then his fingers leave me, and I cry out at the loss.

“Your body is calling for an Alpha.” Raphael’s pheromones thicken in the air, breaking down my defenses and reminding my body of what is missing. “And lucky for you, your Alpha is right here.”

19

Raphael leans closer, and I jerk my head away. “You’re going to beg for me, Avery.”

“Like hell I am.” The words come out weaker than I intend.

“Keep taking deep breaths, baby.” His hand lands on my chest, palm flat over my heart, and its pounding rhythm betrays my desire. “Your Heat is coming. I can smell it on you.”

A needy whine escapes me, and I curse myself for showing even that small weakness.

Raphael’s fingers spread across my chest, then slide down to my stomach, and my muscles contract. “Your body craves me.”

“My body’s an idiot.” I strain against the handcuffs again, but they hold firm.

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