Page 124 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

I pull on the thread to her mind, and mercifully, she lets me in.

“Listen to me. Everything I have done is for you, to protect, to heal, and to save you.”

“You hurt me. I trusted you, and you hurt me.”

The pain in her voice is raw; she’s holding me up to an unfair standard, putting me on a pedestal so she can easily knock me off and away from her heart. She has been let down by people she loves in ways she doesn’t understand. She thinks she abandoned those she loved in grief, when they abandoned her just as much. She reasons the idiot boy was within his rights to betray her because she was following her dream. She’s convinced herself her attacker deserved mercy and she’s damned her soul. She cripples herself with guilt, and I’m the first person she’s held responsible for her pain to protect herself. Not one of these people has asked for her forgiveness, admitted their part in her pain.

I catch her eyes.“I know. Forgive me.”

A sob erupts from her throat as the flames drop, scorching the ground, and the symbols disappear. Jed puts his hand on her arm, but she shrugs him off and storms into her house, leaving the door open.

Barney looks frantic. “Fuck, she was going to try—”

I interrupt him, “It’s fine, Barney. It served its purpose.”

Nathan runs a hand through his hair. “Did you see her eyes? I know they change, but what the hell was the gold about? Is it the Eitr?”

“I suspect so. I need to go to her.”

They look at me like I’ve gone insane. I teleport to her bedroom, where she’s standing with her hands on her hips. Without warning, she pins me against the wall, flattening her body against mine, and wraps her hand in my hair, tugging my head down. Dangerous turquoise and gold eyes challenge me, cosmic power brimming just below the surface.

“If it was truly lies, you’re sorry, and you’re willing to change… prove it,” she whispers.

I lift her up, and she wraps her legs around me as I reverse our positions. I brush my lips against hers. She keeps still, not reacting. I run my tongue along her bottom lip before pulling at the delicate flesh with my teeth. As she parts her lips, I tease her tongue with my own.

Still, she doesn’t move.

Pressing my body against hers, I pin her in place and fist her hair, pulling her head back. Nuzzling her exposed neck, I place kisses along her soft skin and nip lightly. She jolts as her heart beats faster against my chest, and I feel her gathering heat against my cock. She’s so responsive, yet her eyes remain open in challenge. Those eyes—fuck, they are captivating.

I dominate her mouth until she gives in. Small hands glide under my T-shirt, the fabric abrasive in contrast to the softness of her fingertips. It lands on the floor with a light thump. My muscles tense and flex under her exploration. Leaning forward, she grazes her tongue over my nipple, biting it lightly. I groan at the delicious jolt of pain.

I grip her throat and kiss her. “My turn.” I push up her sweater, exposing her gorgeous breasts encased in deep red silk. I pause just above her head and wrap the sweater around her arms, locking them in place. I take in her beautiful body, each curve perfect. Pushing down the cups of her bra with my free hand, I take a nipple between my teeth, applying pressure until she gasps then moans as I pull back, grazing it. I bathe the tender flesh with my tongue then repeat with the other breast, until she begins squirming and arches her back off the wall.

“Forgiven me yet?” I whisper against her ear.

She shivers. “Nope.”

I chuckle and pull back. “What do you want?”

Lust-filled azure eyes blink at me in confusion, as if nobody has ever asked her.

“You,” she finally answers.

“How?” Silence. “Do you want me fast and hard against this wall? Do you want me soft and slow on the bed? Do you want to be pinned under me, or riding my cock?” She blushes a beautiful shade of pink.

Dropping her legs and unbuttoning her jeans with my free hand, I cup her pussy, finding her hot and drenched. I groan. “You’re on fire for me.”

She struggles against the hold I have on her arms. I let go and throw her sweater across the floor. In a swift move, she pulls my hand from her jeans and grabs my other hand, placing them behind my back.

A wicked smile curves her lips as she walks me backward to the bed. “Don’t move,” she mutters. Curious, I leave my hands behind my back as she pushes me down.

She makes short work of my shoes and jeans then straddles my lap, growling a warning when I try to cup her ass. She presses her slight weight against me, encouraging me to lay flat. Her lips trace the tattoos on my chest, nipping to give that slight bite of pain she’s figured out I like. Running her fingers over my head, she scratches my scalp then grasps my hair, holding me in place as teasing, tiny kisses rain down on my lips. When I try deepening the kiss, she moves away, holding my hair and preventing me from chasing her.

“I’ll only entertain this for so long.”

“Patience is a virtue, Archan.”

She gives me a devastatingly sexy smile before continuing to drive me wild with her mouth on my skin—neck, chest, then lower on my stomach. A brief glide of her hand on my cock over the fabric of my underwear has me groaning. She cups my balls and applies a small amount of pressure. I grab her wrists and drag her up to kiss her.

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