Page 109 of Deep In Love
I’ve fallen in love with him.
He swipes away a rogue tear, cradling my face like I’m the most precious thing in the world.
My arms wrap around his neck as I barrel into him, clutching him like he’s the only reason I’m still standing. I sob into the crook of his neck and drench his collar with tears as he casts soothing circles on my back.
Wrinkles form on his linen shirt from the force of my grip, and I try to smooth them out as I release him. He brushes the hair away from my face and presses a soft kiss to the center of my forehead.
Intertwining our hands, he leads me out of the bathroom and sits down in the chair at the desk, then pulls me into his lap. My skin is splotchy and red, my lower lashes rimmed red, but I offer him a watery smile through the mirror.
It’s weak, but it’s real.
“Can you tell me one thing you like about yourself?” he asks, grazing up and down my thigh.
Pulling my hair to the side, he peppers soft kisses down my neck to my collarbone, making it difficult to focus on anything else.
“One thing, bruja,” he demands, nipping at my earlobe.
“I-I like my…hair.”
His fingers tangle in the loose blond curls, wrapping the strands around his knuckles and tugging so my neck is bare to him. Goose bumps break out along my spine as his hands dip beneath my top and roam along my skin.
“For now, I’ll value all the parts of yourself you’re still learning to love. But every day, we’re going to find something else you admire about yourself.” He drops another soft kiss on my shoulder. “You’re not broken, or mangled, or any of the things people on the internet have said. Give it to me, Charlie.”
“Give you what?” I ask, my vocal cords raw from crying.
“Everything you don’t want to carry any longer. I’ll carry it for you. And when you’re ready, we’ll let go of it. Together.”
I nod, words clogged in my throat. His lips hover over my ear, his warm breath dancing along my skin. Desire pools deep in my lower stomach as his hands roam my body. His touch is reverent and gentle, but my skin heats as the need builds.
His hand slips under my bra, and he pulls my nipple between his fingers, twisting slightly.
Fuck.
My head, clouded with pleasure, falls back to rest on his shoulder.
“Now, bruja, you’re going to ride my cock and see just how beautiful you are as you take me.”
Chapter 31
Mateo
Charlie exhales a breathy moan when I pinch her nipple between my fingers, twisting the taut skin until she’s writhing in my lap.
The discomfort lodged in my chest dissipates a fraction as her tears dry away and lust glazes over her irises, transforming them into a radiant blue.
“Hands up,” I demand, before I raise her shirt over her head and toss it to the side. Her flesh pebbles as I unclasp her bra.
I’m captivated as I examine her through the mirror, her breasts heaving while she drags air into her lungs. If only she could see herself from my view—understand how deeply I admire her.
Her beauty is incomparable. In a thousand different lifetimes, it would always be her for me.
I rise from the chair and take Charlie with me, then drop her on the edge of the desk beside her trinkets. Darwin’s head bobbles, and her cheeks push up as she readjusts his position.
There she is.
Taking my time, I strip off my clothes, and her pupils dilate as she watches, swinging her feet back and forth. She’s beautiful like this, completely unguarded, her emotions written on her face.
I’m not afraid of her—of the baggage she carries or the fears she holds too tightly to her chest. The only way I would walk away from someone as special as Charlotte Louise Bowen is if she forced me to.
