Page 103 of Jagged Line Paradise

I nod slowly. “Which is exactly what I did in the shower, isn’t it?”

“No,” she rushes to say. “No. It took me off-guard. It scared me a little, yes, I’ll admit that.” She blows out a breath, bringing one hand to her stomach, resting low, just beneath her belly button. “But it also made me ache inside, deep, here.” She closes her eyes. “I felt fear and desire at the same time, and the mixture was something I’ve never felt before.”

I reach out to push her hair back over her shoulder before dipping to press a kiss to the crook of her neck.

She shivers and opens her eyes, turning her face toward me. “I felt completely free, Andrés. That’s the truth. I wanna feel that with you again.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “I trust you.”

My eyes fall shut and I groan, letting my forehead drop to her shoulder. “You really shouldn’t.”

“Why? Why shouldn’t I? You’ve never given me a reason not to.”

“I’ve told you before, if I lose control—”

“You’ll hurt me. Yeah, yeah, that’s what you keep telling me. But I don’t believe it’s true. I don’t.”

“Avalon.”

She pulls her leg back on the ledge and turns her whole body to face me. “Andrés. Look at me.” She waits until I lift my head, then she leans in close, her stare holding mine intently. “I’m calling bullshit.”

My eyebrows lift. “You’re calling bullshit?”

“Yeah, I am. How many times have you fucked me now? Am I dead? Am I in the hospital? Have I run away screaming?”

“Do you know how much it turns me on to hear you cuss? Say fuck again.”

She flashes me a smile with a tilt of her head in disbelief. “Are you even listening to me?”

“I’m listening, I swear I am. But it’s not bullshit. You’ve been through hell and you deserve better than my dark fantasies.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong. I want to know your dark fantasies. If you’d just listen to me and know that I trust you, I’d be willing to give you your dark fantasies.”

Her eyes flicker across my face and I can almost see her half-baked ideas forming. Almost. I didn’t expect for her to jump to her feet so quickly.

“Lonnie, careful!”

She stands up beside me, her feet right at the edge of the bluff, and I scramble to stand beside her.

“What would you do if I just…” She lifts her foot and swings it forward, leaning her body with it, as if she could step right off the edge.

“Lonnie!” I scream at her just before lassoing my arms around her waist and pulling her back harshly against me. I drag her until we’re a safe distance from the edge. I spin her around in my hold and grip her biceps, digging my fingertips into her flesh. “What the fuck were you doing?”

She lets out a heavy breath of relief and her lips quickly tug into a smile—a sinful smile that’s twisted with exhilaration as her eyes dart to meet mine. “I knew you would keep me safe.”

I want to shake her, slap her, tie her down and fuck some sense into her.

Fuck.

I want her.

“I trust you,” she says. “I trust you completely. Unleash the beast, Andrés,” she goads me, raising her arms out to her sides. “Bring it on. I promise you can’t hurt me anymore than I’ve already been hurt.”

I speak precisely. “Do you understand what you’re asking from me, Avalon?”

She swallows visibly, but her determination doesn’t waver. “Yes.” She puts her hands on my stomach, sliding her palms upward over my chest. She takes in a sharp breath as her fingers wrap around my open collar, gripping the fabric in her fists and yanking me down hard. She tugs me close, until our noses are touching, making damn sure my eyes are steadfast on hers. “Hurt me. Scare me. Make me come. Give me everything you’ve got and don’t hold back. Unleash it now and know your true self before you face what you’re really afraid of.”

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