Page 74 of Lies Like Love

But I can’t tear my gaze off her red hair spilling across the pillows, like the blood of our sins pouring out. I can’t help but love how she glows under the green filter of the sun shining through the curtains like it’s my eyes coating every inch of her.

Fel was always pretty, but she grew into her features in a way I couldn’t have anticipated. Her sharp nose is softened by her heart-shaped face and the full apples of her cheeks. Her eyes flutter with her dreams, reminding me of the purity she exuded when she was younger.

Part of me wants to wake her up, so I can get lost in her eyes again. It’s the only place I’ve ever been somewhat accepted. Even when she’s upset, if I look deep enough, there’s a home for me within them.

The other part of me wants to let her sleep, so I can roam my gaze over her freely, knowing I’m the only one seeing her like this. Fucked completely into submission. Relaxed.Trusting.

Her stomach is flat on the bed, putting her bare back on full display with a sheet hugged loosely around her waist. The universe of freckles on her skin paints the most beautiful picture, and I want to kiss every one and make a wish that I could be a better man for her.

Rolling onto my side, I trace a finger down her spine, barely grazing her skin. And even though she stirs, she exhales with my touch. Her body relaxes when it probably shouldn’t.

I’m no good, regardless of what she tries to tell herself. No matter my reasons for doing what I did. She holds onto the boy she met in the library like there’s still hope of a good man beneath. I lost him when I lost myself.

I always knew my dad was a bad guy, but learning the truth and then seeing it play out in front of me changed who I was. My protective instincts for Fel changed who I was.Ichanged who I was.

All to save her.

Look what I’ve done.

Lying here should feel like a second chance and not a taunt from the devil.

Her lips part on an inhale, and I want to be her every dream and nightmare. I want to be all she thinks about. All she craves. I want to be the only one to hear the sounds she makes.

How do I let that go?

When I offered to let her sell her jewelry at the shop, it was so I could get close enough to confirm she was happy. To make sure the demons from our past weren’t still out to get her. And while I have no proof they are, I still haven’t let her go.

She wiggles her nose with her dream, and I’m not prepared to ever hand her back to them.

I want to hoard the sight of her, the smell of her, the presence of her. She’s been mine since the moment I met her, no matter how much I try to resist.

There’s something about the way Fel consumes my vision with her red hair. How I want to cling tighter until we both suffocate. How I want to protect her with every bone in my body.

Fel is mine. End of fucking story.

“How long are you going to lay there staring at me?” The corner of her mouth ticks up, even if she doesn’t open her eyes.

She’s too trusting, too relaxed—and I love it. While she could have kicked me out last night, she let me through her defenses. My soul drowns in an attempt to absorb the power of that fact.

“As long as I fucking want.” I drag my finger up her spine, before brushing her hair to one side.

Leaning in, I kiss the base of her neck.

I wish I could live in that spot. Where her wild mind sends every thought and sensation to the rest of her body. I could burrow among the nerves in her vertebra and feed on her energy.

“Charming.” She flutters her eyes open and narrows them, even if she can’t bury the flattery clear on her rosy cheeks.

“Never claimed to be charming.” I drag my lips to her shoulder, covering her in kisses. Replacing every inch of her skin with my lips until all she feels is me.

Fel drags her arms beneath her chest and props up on her elbows, watching me over her shoulder as I continue to kiss a path down her shoulder and along her back. She tastes like the juiciest, ripest fruit I could sink my teeth into.

And she feels…

The moment I sank into her I was addicted. A desperate man at every sound she let loose as I hit her so deep her soul vibrated.

I wrap an arm between her legs and pull her naked body toward me, laying over the back of her and pinning her, stomach down on the mattress. There’s something about controlling her that makes me fucking insane.

That and the fact that she lets me.

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