A hot tear breaks free. He catches it with his lips.
“Fuck,” I whimper. “I don’t deserve you.”
He jerks back, a flash of anger in those hazel eyes. “We’re not doing that.”
More tears.
“But you don’t know how broken I am. I’m irreparable.”
He shakes his head. “I'm not trying to fix you, Win.”
Time stops. He’s silenced the voices of torment with one sentence.
Guiding my forehead to his, he tightens his grip in my hair. “Get it through your thick, gorgeous head: I've only ever wantedyou. As you are. In any form I can have you.”
There goes my heart, soaring out of me into outer space.
“You do?” I sniffle.
He closes his eyes like he's praying for patience. When he opens them, they ooze sincerity. “More than anything, you beautiful mess.”
I can’t wrap my head around it.
“Why?”
His shoulder lifts in a half-shrug. “You understand me in a way no one else does. I recognized it the moment we met. It’s time you accept that I understandyoutoo. Believe me, love, I know what it’s like to choke on darkness. To drown inside with a fake smile that no one seems to see through. To retreat from the world because it’s exhausting pretending nothing is wrong while you're trying your hardest to keep the slivers of yourself together. Of all people, I get it.”
Love.He hasn’t called me that since…
His nose bumps mine, reminding me of our closeness. The corner of his lips lifts a fraction. “But I am gonna ask one thing of you.”
Each breath hurts. My eyes leak. Somehow, this agony isn’t crushing; it’s like purging a sickness.
“Anything.”
He graces me with that full, breathtaking smile.
“Let me comfort you.”
And the floodgates are demolished.
A hitching sob rips from my throat. I’m nodding as he squeezes me flush against him, the lull of his voice chasing the monsters away while my bottled-up fear, pain and misery pour out.
I’ve never let go like this in front of anyone.
But in Remy’s arms with his reassuring whispers and interspersed kisses, the weight isn’t shoving me under. Kisses migrate from my cheeks and damp eyes. Rubbing his lips over mine, he whispers. “You gonna let me take care of you for real this time?”
“Yes,” I choke.
He grins against my lips before stealing them. I melt into the gentle pressure; his faint stubble burns, his tongue breaking through. Hands wander, exploring my waist, my stomach, my ass. He tips me back until I'm lying on the carpet, never breaking the kiss.
I arch as he moves down my throat, sucking hard enough to mark. The sting sends a jolt to my balls. Fingers creep under my shirt, tracing the crevices of my abs and guiding the fabric over my head.
“Ok?"
I nod, grasping his cheeks and bringing his mouth to mine again. Our tongues dance, hot breaths coming in faster. I'm immersed in the feel of him, but I want his weightonme. Releasing his face, I smooth my palms down his chest—
He retreats, shaking his head, a gloating smirk on his dewy lips.
