AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nothing, that’s what. My skills weren’t easily transferable to the human world.
“Hey.” Taking hold of my wet shoulders, he touched his forehead to mine. “We’ll figure this out. No one is going to hurt you. I’m sorry I was an ass.”
His expression was so tender, his tone so sincere.
Jesus, this man. He was going to wreck me if I wasn’t careful.
I swallowed over the obstruction in my throat. “It’s all right. I didn’t blame you.”
“I’m sorry anyway.”
My gaze went to the scars on his wrists. Scars I’d helped to put there. Guilt twisted and pulled at my stomach, spreading to my chest.
I turned my head and kissed the scar on his left wrist. “I’m the one who should apologize. I should’ve never helped kidnap you. I should’ve told my alpha no.”
He caressed my shoulders. A corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile. “I’ll admit I did want to make you hurt, there for a while. But if you hadn’t taken the job, SI would’ve assigned it to someone else.”
“Still doesn’t make it right.”
“Ridley.” Warm lips touched my temple. “We’ve all done things we wish we could go back and do over. And in the end, you saved me, didn’t you? You brought me food and blood-wine, and you got me out of that hellhole.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t deserve his understanding, and I definitely didn’t deserve his forgiveness.
“I had doubts,” I admitted lowly. “Almost from the beginning. But I ignored them, told myself you were too perfect to be true, that it had to be a smokescreen. No syndicate prince could be such a do-gooder.”
“And I’m glad you did. Because you know what? If you’d told them no, we might never have met—and that would’ve been a goddamn shame.”
I opened my eyes. The lump in my throat grew three times larger, like the Grinch’s heart. “I—”
“How about if we start over?” His hands moved down my arms. “I’m Zaq Kral, and I think you’re the most beautiful woman I ever met.”
I couldn’t help huffing a laugh. “So the first time we meet, I’m naked in your bathtub?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at himself, grinned. “Come to think of it, I’m overdressed.”
He rose to his feet and pulled off his boxer-briefs. His cock sprang free from a nest of curly black hair. It was darkly flushed, the veins prominent.
I licked my lips and it gave a happy little jerk.
He held out a hand. “What’s your name, beautiful, and how did I get so lucky to find you naked in my bathtub?”
I took his hand. “Ridley.” I hesitated, and added, “Crawford.”
His eyes gleamed. A slow smile curled his mouth.
“Ridley Crawford. Nice to meet you.” He drew me up. The water streamed off my body into the tub. He took a long look. A look so hot I wouldn’t have been surprised if steam rose from my skin. “Very, very nice.”
He snagged a towel from a warming rack, wrapped me in it and lifted me out of the water, setting me on my feet on the thick, fluffy rug.
“Likewise.” I twined my hands around his neck and raised on the balls of my feet to kiss him. For now, I set aside my guilt and the fact that I didn’t deserve Zaq’s forgiveness.
He wanted this, and so did I. So bad.
Despite everything, these days in New York with Zaq had been some of the happiest of my life. And like a greedy child, I wanted more, even if it hurt me in the end.
He opened his mouth and I slid my tongue inside, running it over his teeth, playing with his tongue. The towel slipped down between our bodies. He twitched it away and moved his hands to my breasts, rolling the nipples between his thumbs and first fingers.
Pleasure moved through me in a slow, sensuous stream. His erection was a spike of heat against my abdomen. He sucked my tongue deeper and my knees melted. I moaned and pressed against him.
