His excitement grew at her response, at the view of her full breasts, at the noises he was coaxing from her. His hard length rested beneath her ass as she let her body melt onto his.
“Say you don’t feel the same way, and I’ll stop.” He pulled her chin to the side, giving himself access to her earlobe, lapping and biting the softness there. “Or... tell me I can have you, and I will spend this day atoning for mycruelty.” He bit down on the flesh of her neck again.
“Theo,” she breathed out.
He growled at that, leaning his hips upward so she could feel his size. “Say it again, my little hellion. Say my name.”
He moved his teeth down to the sensitive part of her shoulder as she gasped.
“Theo!” she called out in pleasure. She clasped her hand over her face to stifle her own sound.
“Are you worried someone will hear you?” he teased, bringing his hands to her bare stomach. He let the tips of his fingers glide upward to fully cup her breasts. He felt her reach up, attempting to cover that damned brand. He pushed her hand away, making room for him to explore.
“Never cover yourself in front of me. I want to see all of you,” he groaned.
“It’s ugly. All these scars are,” she murmured.
He didn’t give a damn about them. The slight divots in her leg from the ebros, the vertical slash from the hound. Hewouldmake her reveal the story of that burn one day, and make whoever did it suffer. Now was not the time.
“There is not a single piece of you that lacks beauty,” he rasped. He lightly massaged the hard-peaked centers of her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She arched her back up into his grip.
“Do you like this?”
She nodded feverishly, still keeping her mouth covered as she moaned through her fingers.
He licked the edge of her ear as he continued pulling the most addictive sounds from her throat. Sounds she was covering with that damned hand, sounds that belonged to him.
“If you want me, I need to hear you. I need to hear you let go for me,” his throaty voice ordered.
She kept her hand firm atop her lips.
He showed her he wasn’t bluffing, and stopped. She tried arching into him again, begging him to continue, but he remained still. She groaned in frustration.
“Fuck it, fine.” She let her frustration show as she slammed her hand into the warmth of the bath.
“I like you with a foul mouth. Now let me hear your pleasure.”
His motions continued, and she did exactly as he instructed. He flashed her a mischievous smile as his mismatched eyes flared with possession.
“That’s my good girl.”
CHAPTERFORTY-THREE
She couldn’t even begin to understand what was transpiring between them. She hardly knew him. Just last night she found him to be oppressive and unbearable. This morning, he was doting on her, caring for her... pleasing her.
Her mind had been whirling from Callum’s words.
A purpose in the pain, he had said. She thought of Agatha, Aaron, the threat that had clearly found them. Those bloodred eyes glaring at her from a distance, feeding off her dread. The confirmation that no one was coming for her. All of it shrouded her mind like falling rain.
Theo calmed that storm. With his unfeigned words, his strong embrace, he had made her believe she wasn’t a burden. Yes, it was clear she was a weapon to him, a means to an end. But from his recent admissions... perhaps she was more?
Home. He had called Elkron her home.
When he had pulled her close to his chest and said those words, she had to remind herself this wasn’t a dream. This was real, she was wanted.
The numbness she had grown accustomed to gradually crept away.
Theo made herfeel. Up until now, he had mostly elicited great anger and loathing from her. Now, as his broad jaw nuzzled her cheek, she felt a rush of adrenaline combined with need and nerves. She felt alive in his arms. She didn’t want the flood of emotions to stop.
