Page 25 of Assassin's Mark
He returned moments later witha wet washcloth. Ignoring my flinch, he wiped the blood from one wrist, then the other, threw the rag over his shoulder without looking to see where it landed, and turned his attention to my neck. I couldn’t hold back a whimper of pain when he tipped my chin up.
“You need some ice for that.”
“No, I—”
Levi was already gone. I snarled my frustration, though it came out more like a squeak. “Wouldyou stop walking out on me every time I speak?” I croaked when he got back.
His answer was a dark look. Not promising. The ice pack he settled gently against my throat felt good, at least.
“I take it you’ve never strangled a woman before.”
The dim room couldn’t hide the way he paled. “I’m a killer, Abby, not a monster.”
Guilt sharpened my voice. “What’s the difference?”
Levi’s fist tightened,but he didn’t drop his stare.
I did. “I’m sorry.”
My breath caught as the mattress dipped, rolling me toward the middle, toward Levi’s big body bathed in the faint moonlight. He stretched his length out against me, tangled his long legs with mine. Hard hands forced my chest to his, wrapped around my back without apology, leaving zero space between us.
I raised the hand not holding the ice packand let my fingers drift along the midnight shadow roughening his cheeks. Sandpaper scraping me, giving way to the tough skin of his neck, the thin stretch along his collarbone. Every part of the spectrum—that was Levi. Not that he’d admit it.
“You didn’t consciously hurt me, Levi.” I knew that, even if my anger had used the lie like a lash.
His dark head shook once, denying my words despitetheir truth. My heart squeezed.
When the massage began, all I could get out was a moan. Muscles rigid from hours spent over my head cried in relief. Was Levi mentally cursing himself? With my face mashed into his chest, I couldn’t tell. And if he was, what was I supposed to say?It’s okay, Levi. I know you tried to kill me, but you didn’t really mean it.He’d been the one to cuff me to the bed,render me helpless. Now he was the one taking care of me. The whiplash of emotions only added to the headache pushing to the forefront of my brain.
I pressed harder against him, willing the pain away. As if reading my mind, Levi moved his kneading fingers up the relaxed muscles of my neck and across the back of my aching head. Long moments passed, the only sound the soft rustle of my hair throughhis hands and the rough thud of his heart beneath my lips.Thud, thud, thud.
Tha-thud, tha-thud, tha-thud.
His palm slid along the curve of my cheek. My heart picked up speed too.
“Levi, I—”
A rough tug on my jaw and then his mouth met mine, cutting me off before I could figure out what to say. It didn’t matter. Everything inside me stilled at the pressure of his soft lips. His warm, insistenttongue. The unique scent of clean masculine sweat surrounding me. Bit by bit the lingering fear inside me dissipated. My eyes fluttered closed. I’d been dropped into a vat of safety, of peace, and I never wanted to leave.
Levi drowned me, and I let him.
