“My pleasure. Glad I was able to help.”
I hang up. Maybe it’s time I threw out my assumptions and started over.
Chapter Thirty-One
Elizabeth
“I owe that boy of yours one, too. Your grandmother letting him go doesn’t change that.”
“Lizochka, it’s dangerous. That man’s probably a budding serial rapist…and killer. His parents can hide it only for so long.”
“You fucking bitch!” He backhands me so hard my brain rattles in my skull. A coppery tang fills my mouth, warm liquid dripping from a nostril.
Lamplight glints off the knife in his hand.
My breathing is shallow and fast, panic and terror twisting like vipers. I brace myself for another blow…
Large, warm hands wrap around my wrists.
“Shh… Easy. You’re safe, Elizabeth.”
Safe.
The word hangs in my mind…
Strong arms enfold me from behind. Fear spikes, then dissipates as a tender kiss is pressed to the base of my neck.
“It’s okay. You’re safe, Elizabeth. You’re safe.”
The softly whispered words roll over me, calming me, driving away the chills.
Dominic.
He’s wrapped his nude body around mine so that we’re spooning. Only a sliver of light coming in through the gap in the blackout curtains pierces the darkness. I blink and feel wet tracks on my face. My tears have soaked the pillow.
He presses light kisses on the back of my neck, murmuring, “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
I part my mouth, swallowing a hot lump as an old yearning and gratitude fill my heart. Dominic isn’t the first man to say I’m safe. Tolyan said the same after he delivered a brutal knockout kick to Andy’s head. And Tolyan kept me safe—but it’s my body he’s been safeguarding. With Dominic, it’s my spirit.
This probably makes me an idiot—to feel so protected with a man who’s vowed revenge. But my heart seems to have a difficult time reconciling this tender man with the furious one from ten years ago.
As sleep clears from my mind, I start to note the soft strokes of his fingers against the pulse points on my wrists. The gentle gesture and the feel of his lips on my neck send a wave of longing through me. My breathing grows uneven.
I need to show him what his tenderness means to me. How much I still love him for this sweet, amazing heart of his.
I shift, moving my backside against him, my motions small and careful, lest I break the delicate cocoon of intimacy around us. He’s already hard, prodding against me.
Yes.
I roll him on to his back, then part his thighs to kneel between them. His shaft is thick and pulsing, the balls resting heavy.
“Elizabeth…”
I feel my name on his lips like a physical caress, the most poignant urging in the world. I kiss his abs, licking the ridges, running my lips over the navel, feeling his muscles jerk at every touch, his breathing growing rough with every erotic tease. I feel his hot gaze on me, and I merely smile, letting my hair spill over his thighs. He used to enjoy having it tickle his skin. And from the sharp intake of air, that hasn’t changed.
I feather his thick, muscled thighs with kisses. He’s so strong, so powerful.
“I love your body,” I whisper, gripping his erection tightly in my hand, just the way he likes.