I hesitate, then make up my mind. He revealed his private, guarded self. Sharing something I’ve always felt ashamed of is the least I can do to help him see that he isn’t as bad as he fears. “I’m sure you saw that my parents aren’t the nicest people—at least not to me. I don’t know why, but they’re always really good to Katt, but never to me. They always called me a failure, said they were embarrassed that I didn’t do better. They think I should be more like Katt because we’re twins. Fraternal, so we aren’t identical, but to them that’s not the point. We have the same genetic material, we came out of the same womb at the same time, so why is she so successful, and I’m just a nobody?”
Old bitterness shakes my voice. But Josh leans over and places a tender kiss on my forehead, communicating everything I need to pull myself together.
I exhale. “There are times when I’m just angry and frustrated. I want to tell them that they’re wrong and that they’re being intentionally cruel to me. I want to shake them until they seeme.Their daughter, who needs their kindness just as muchas their favored child. Sometimes I want to show them that I’m happy without their approval, even though there are times when, you know, I crave their acceptance.
“But just because I occasionally want to be mean to them doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. It’s more like making sure those who hurt us understand our pain. Just a natural reaction. The important question is, do you give in to those negative urges purely for self-gratification? If not, then I think you’re okay. It breaks my heart to realize that you thought you might be a bad person.” I thread my fingers through his and tighten them until our palms are pressed together. “You’re one of the nicest, sweetest people I know. You’re my Prince Charming, or maybe the brave knight who came to slay the dragon and save the princess. Doesn’t matter which—you’re perfect in my eyes.”
Chapter Forty
Josh
Klein’s words settle over me. Her eyes shine as she gazes at me with a soft smile. Several heartbeats pass, but somehow the moment doesn’t feel real.
All my life, people have called me capable, smart, cold, intellectual and calculating. But nobody ever said that I wasokay, that my struggles were human and natural. Klein’s eyes glow with sincerity, her smile slightly tremulous as she awaits my reaction.
I’ve been too much of a chickenshit to make myself truly vulnerable to her until now. How counterproductive I’ve been. The breaths I take seem easier because she sees who I am as a person. I told her I liked her, but I realize that’s not the right word. This tight, achy, hot, painful feeling in my heart can’t possibly be something as mundane as mereliking. It’s more like…love—the kind of love that fills your soul rather than steals it as a prideful keepsake. The kind that makes you feel whole and motivates you to be a better person so you can be worthy.
The knot that started in my throat when she began talking thickens, and I can’t get the words out to tell her how I feel. My heart throbs at the sweet acceptance and affection in her eyes. So I do the only thing I can.
I cradle her beautiful face and kiss her. She moans against my mouth, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
She tastes sweeter than any nectar, and I delve deeper into her—reveling in her light and sharing my soul with her. Our breaths mingle. She pulls me closer, like she can’t bear to let go. My head spins. I fist her overflowing, cloudlike curls, amazed at the impossible softness.
I wrap my arms around her. She immediately puts hers around my neck, her legs around my pelvis. Our mouths fused in hunger, I carry her up the stairs to the bedroom, then carefully place her on the soft mattress. I prop myself on my hands and study the soft lines of her face, the brilliant light of her violet eyes. Her fingertips trace my cheeks and jaw.
Her eyes on mine, she undoes the buttons on my shirt, pushes it out of the way—and it feels like she’s baring my soul. Vulnerability wraps around me, until she smiles like I’m the most amazing thing in her world.
All the walls around my heart crumble. She makes me feel weak and powerful at the same time. Shaking, I shrug out of my clothes, letting the custom-tailored garments fall in a heap on the floor. Her trembling desire overheats my blood.
I push her shirt up and pull it over her head. The sight of her already pointed nipples fuels my lust. I lift my eyes to hers, wanting her to see the raw desire in their depths.
Her smile grows playful and confident, like a woman who knows she’s special to the man sharing the bed with her. “Like what you see?”
“Yes,” I manage before placing a soft kiss on each of her eyelids, then pulling her nipple deep into my mouth.
She rewards me with a throaty moan as she arches her back, pushing her nipple closer. I adore her greed for what I can give her. She’s wanton with only the skirt around her hips, slickness pooling between her legs as though she didn’t come three times less than an hour ago.
But the moment feels different. Before, I wanted to lose myself in her and feel whole again in her presence. This time I want to be one with her to show her how much I love her. I long to show her gratitude for seeing me in ways that I never did, for understanding me in a way I never thought possible.
She runs her warm hand along my shaft, lets out a hum of appreciation, then looks up at me. “I want it.”
“It’s all yours.” I glide my cock between her folds. Hot liquid drenches me.
My heart pounds in my head, screaming,I love this woman, I love this woman, I love this woman. She grinds against me. The movements are designed to torment me and make her feel good.
She grips my cock. I grow harder and bigger, anticipating the pumping motion of her hand. But instead, she holds my cock tight and moves her hips, rubbing the opening of her pussy along the cockhead teasingly. I watch satisfaction and lust play on her pretty face, then bite back a curse. The sensation of her dripping pussy is too much. She is going to be the death of me.
“Now,” she says, “it’smyturn to punishyoufor carrying around such terrible thoughts about yourself. I don’t ever want you to think that you aren’t worthy of love—or of all the amazing, beautiful things you have in your life.”
“You don’t think you’re punishing me right now?”
She laughs. “Not even close.”
Her hands slap against my shoulders, and I let her push me onto my back. She gets rid of the skirt, then straddles me. She looks powerful as she gazes down, her eyes narrowed to glittering violet slits.
She takes my cock again, this time gently moving her hand along my shaft. The slow pace winds me up as anticipation pounds in my veins.
Her leg muscles flex as she raises her hips and positions herself over my tip, then slowly lowers herself. I watch,mesmerized as she takes me agonizing inch by agonizing inch. A little more, a little more, a little more…
