Page 52 of Savage Sin

His chest rises and falls with slumber. I study his hands. Scars cover so much of the skin that isn’t tattooed. I turn his palm over. There’s a scar down the inside. It’s thin, white and slightly puckered. I trace the tip of my finger over it. I know what scars like this mean to men in my world. Blood in, blood out. But who did he make a blood promise to?

I turn in his arms.

His eyes slowly open and I see the real man under the pain. “I always thought it took a monster to kill another human being, but you have been nothing but gentle. Where I come from, we believe the eyes of a man tell the truth. My father’s eyes were black with the number of sins he’s committed. My mother’s eyes are a dull green filled with so much grief it’s stained her from the inside out.”

“And mine?”

“Yours speaks of horrors I hope to never live through. But I see good in you. You care about those you’ve let in.”

I fix a rebel stand of hair falling over his eye and tuck it behind his ear. Momentary silence falls around us. “Rage, I don’t want to see you hurt. I’m scared. You don’t know what you’ve done by kidnapping me. If you let me leave, I’ll be okay.”

He tucks me under his chin, his arms locking me to his chest. Everything tightens in me.

“Go to sleep, Persi. Sleep and I’ll watch over you. You have nothing to fear while you are with me.”

He nuzzles my neck, his words dark and promising death to anyone who tries to hurt me. Neither of us says anything when he moves his head up and our gazes connect. We lay looking into each other’s eyes.

“But who will watch over you?”

“I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

The pain radiating out from him is palpable and so thick it chokes me. I’m not sure who my tears are for as they fall down my cheeks—him or me.

Thirteen

Rage

It takes everything in me not to throw her in the back of my SUV and not stop until we hit South America. It’s more than just the way she gloved my cock or the way she feels in my arms. It’s the comfort of her eyes on me and how her voice soothes a part of me that wants to tear this world apart.

This last week was nothing but torture. Not for the reasons she would list, though. For me, I’ve wanted nothing more than to forget about the vengeance and take her home to meet my family. Nova would love her. So would Ares. He will go off on how I went about meeting her, but he’d welcome her into our fold with open arms.

How twisted and fucked up is that? Me falling for the girl I kidnapped from the bottom of a ship with all the intentions of torturing the truth about her family from her.

Once I let her go, I know she will run. Playing house is a fantasy neither of us has in our future, at least not for me. She’ll meet someone who will be perfect for her. Someone with a nine-to five who can offer her a peaceful life with kids and puppies. That life isn’t for a man like me. I’ll die violently and hopefully with a single bullet to the head. Something quick. It’s all I can hope for after what I’ve done.

That thought spurs me into palming the back of her head and bringing my mouth to hers. I keep my movements slow so she knows she has control here.

“Come here.”

She hesitates briefly, but then silently follows my lead when I roll to my back and pull her on top of me.

She rises above me, every bit the goddess she is. Beautiful round breasts tempt my mouth. I see no reason to hold back. Laving one nipple first, I take my time. I want to burn this moment into my brain. Memorize the feel of her smooth skin under my hands, remember the way her warm body glides over top of mine.

I lift her, poise the head of my hard arousal at her entrance, and let her decide if she wants me or not.

There’s no hesitation.

“I’m supposed to hate you, Rage. Damn you.”

I brush away her tears.

She curses me, but there’s no heat to her words. It’s all in her body and spilling from between her thighs to coat my cock.

I gently place my hands on either side of her waist and guide her up and down. Warm light bathes her beautiful skin from the side lamps. All that dark hair hangs down her back and the ends brush against my balls when her head falls back and she gasps into the night with pleasure.

I meant what I said. She doesn’t need more pain. She might think she does, but it’s because it’s all she knows. I want to erase as much of that negativity from her memory for as long as she is with me. I can’t entertain the fantasy of keeping her. I’ll never be the man who shackles her to a wall and demands she stay.

My hands roam over her ass. I pull my feet up, causing her to fall forward.

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