Page 21 of Now You're Mine

“Considering what happened to you, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep tonight. But I’ll be damned if I’m alone in my bed. Not when the woman who embodies my deepest desires is under my roof.”

She drops her gaze. Not before I catch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “It’s been a rough day…”

“You think I don’t know that? Something inside me fucking died when I saw you lying there, covered in blood.” I reach for Calista, taking her face between my hands and forcing her to look up at me. “I don’t think you realize what that did to me, how it’sstillkilling me.”

Her eyes widen, surprise mixing with the vulnerability that she’s been hiding from me. Now that I’ve seen it, I won’t let it go. If there’s a possibility that she wants me near, I’m going to pursue it until she can’t deny it any longer.

For both our sakes.

And my sanity.

At this moment, we’re suspended in time, the outside world ceasing to exist. The words between us, both spoken and silent, hang in the air like a breeze, thin and easy to dismiss. I suck in a deep breath as if to trap them before releasing them to Calista.

In the form of a kiss.

I tell her of my adoration, my loyalty, and my willingness to sacrifice anything for her. All without uttering a single word. It’s a declaration that goes beyond sound, transcending the realm of spoken language.

She’s quick to respond to my touch, shivering when I angle her head to deepen the kiss. The taste of her lips, the warmth of her skin against my hands, and the feel of her body flush with mine all collide inside me. They ignite a blaze of emotion that smolders deep within.

Both the darkandthe light emotions.

Craving, sexual desire, and excitement are there, urging me to take Calista right here and now, to satiate my need for both her body and the woman herself. But these are the emotions that I’ve lived by for too long, the darkness that threatens to swallow me whole.

Awe, appreciation, and caring battle my other instincts with their light and purity, waging a war that could end with us healed—if I don’t destroy them first.

My hunger for Calista, the starvation of both body and soul, rushes through me. I dominate her with my lips and my tongue while holding her prisoner to my desire. She moans softly and I’m quick to swallow the sound, the proof that I’m not alone in my desperation.

The kiss turns ravenous. I slide my fingers from her face to tangle them in her hair, anchoring her to me until the walls she erected tumble at my feet. Her response to me is fluid, a subtle shifting of her body as she melts into me, her thighs cradling my cock.

Calista doesn’t realize she’s offering the sweetest gift by yielding to me.

I rip my mouth from hers. She gazes up at me, her lips swollen and her eyes sparkling. I scrutinize her features, searching for any signs of regret, or worse, disgust.

“Calista,” I rasp. Her name is an inquiry, a prayer, and a demand all in one.

“Hayden.”

In the simple exchange of names and in the intensity of the emotions we share, I sense something profound. And real.

She rises on her toes to sweep her lips across mine in a whisper of raw honesty, a reflection of the passion and acceptance she has for me. It might not be forgiveness, but it’s more than I hoped for tonight.

I want Calista at a level that’s deeper than physical intimacy. Something I refuse to name but know exists.

And how much I need it.

Our breaths merge in the space between us, and my pulse raps at an unsteady cadence, echoing with the significance of this moment. The openness in her eyes mirrors my own, creating a sense of unity and connection I’ve never experienced before.

I press my forehead to hers. “I need you.”

“You have me.”

“I won’t be gentle.”

She strokes my cheek with trembling fingers, her touch grounding me while exposing her trepidation. “I know.”

Chapter10

Hayden