Page 82 of Poisoned Vows

His good hand comes up, brushing against the curve of my breast. “I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice is hoarse now, and I can hear the desire in it. I don’t hate it like I used to. I can feel myself wishing he felt better. That we both did.

Nikolai leans into me, his hands gently on my waist as he lays me back against the pillows, and I shake my head. The instant I do, he stops touching me, and I blink at him in surprise.

“I told you. No more unless you want it.”

“I—” I can’t make myself say it. But Ido. I can feel a pulse rippling under my skin, spreading through me, an ache that I haven’t felt before, even with him. I want more. But I’m under no illusions that we could go all the way, even if I told him flat out that I wanted it. He might be willing to try, but I know we’re both too injured. I lick my lips, feeling that urgent, thrumming electricity again as I look at the tense expression on his face, waiting to see what I’ll do.

“Watch me,” I suggest, nudging back the blankets. “Since you only have one good hand.”

His eyes widen a little as he realizes what I mean. I’m naked beneath the blankets, and I try not to look at the mottled bruising on my skin. I’ve always known I was beautiful, but the tapestry of purple and yellow and green blooming over most of my body makes it hard to feel that way.

But when I look up and see Nikolai’s face, there’s no change in it. He’s still looking at me as if I’m the most desirable thing he’s ever seen. His good hand drifts to the waist of his pants, and I nod breathlessly, my own hand slipping between my thighs as my pulse quickens.

“You want me to watch you?” The rasp of his voice feels like velvet rubbed the wrong way. “You want to watch me?”

I nod, and he narrows his eyes at me.

“You have to say it, Lilliana. I won’t believe you unless you say it aloud.”

“I want us to watch each other,” I whisper. Then my breath catches in my throat as he pushes his pants down around his hips with one hand, his cock slipping free, and the sight of him wrapping his fingers around his hard length makes me feel dizzy with lust.

His gaze sweeps over me, all the way down to where my fingers are between my thighs, parting myself for him to see, and I see his cock throb in his hand as he starts to stroke. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his voice thick with desire, and I can feel how wet I am already.

“Still?” I hear the tremor in my voice despite myself, and it’s not only desire.

“Always.” Nikolai’s gaze is hungry, flicking from my face to my breasts to the soft wetness between my thighs and back up again. “You don’t know how hard it is not to be inside of you right now. If I thought I wouldn’t hurt you—”

He groans, his cock jerking in his fist, and I see the muscles in his thighs tighten. “Fuck, Lilliana—” he breathes. “It’s been too long. I don’t know—”

“I won’t take long either.” To my surprise, it’s true. I don’t know if it’s how long it’s been since he’s fucked me, or the lewdness of willingly showing myself off to him, or just the close intimacy of what we’re doing, but I’m on the edge too. I can hear my fingers wetly stroking against my clit. As Nikolai squeezes his cock, his breathing coming faster as I see his shaft glisten with his dripping pre-cum, I know I’m close to the edge.

“I want you to come on me,” I whisper, and Nikolai groans, his eyes closing as his cock jerks and shudders.

“Fuck—just hearing that is going to get me off.” He grits his teeth, slowing his strokes, his fist gliding down to the base of his cock and resting there for a moment as he leans forward. “Where do you want it, little rabbit?” His voice is thick and rough, and I know he’s going to come at any moment. “Where do you want me to come,krolik?”

“Right where I’m touching.” The words come out of my mouth before I can think about them for too long, but itiswhat I want. I spread myself open with my fingers, still rubbing tight, quick circles over my clit, and I hear Nikolai’s groan as he leans closer. “I’m so close—” I suck in a breath, feeling my thighs tense. “I’ll come when you do. When I feel—”

“Ohgod,” Nikolai moans, and his cock swells in his fist as he angles it downwards, the first hot spurt of his cum shooting over my pussy, drenching my folds and my fingers, the heat of it against my clit, the last thing I needed to push me over the edge, too.

“Nikolai!” I cry out his name for the first time of my own accord, my thighs falling open as my hips buck upwards into his hand, and he’s still coming as I do, his cum splashing over my hand and my clit, his face tight with pleasure as we both come together, and the pleasure is dizzying. It keeps going for longer than I’ve ever come like this, until he’s squeezing out the last of his cum with a shaky hand, and I feel as if I can’t catch my breath.

He leans back, tucking himself away, and gets up as quickly as he can. “Just wait,” he tells me, crossing the room and disappearing into the bathroom, and a moment later, he comes back with something in hand.

I don’t quite believe it until he’s actually doing it—gently wiping away the cum from my skin with a warm cloth. I don’t think to stop him, I’m so startled, and when he steps back, it takes me a moment to speak.

“You didn’t have to do that.” I’ve never known him to do anything so tender.

He looks at me quietly for a long moment. “I know,” he says finally, and turns to go back into the bathroom.

When he returns, I’m already nearly asleep, still exhausted from my injuries and the orgasm. But before I fall asleep, I feel him gently tug back the covers, sliding into the bed next to me.

“I’ll leave if you want me to,” he says quietly. And for the first time, I actually believe he would.

“No,” I whisper, between sleep and wakefulness, knowing that I want him to stay. I want to wake up next to him. And right now, I don’t want to think too much about why that might be. “You can stay.”

I feel him settle into the bed on the other side of me. A moment later, I feel his uninjured hand touch mine.

And then, together, we fall asleep.

---