Blood and Roses (Tainted Hearts 3.5)

Her word was all the affirmation I needed. The moment that yes slipped past those ripe, pink lips, my head was already descending toward her.

Our lips whispered against each other, a feathered touch. Her lips moved against mine, revealing her inexperience, and I let her explore. I stayed still, caught in her magical trap.

I liked the feel of her kiss. I liked the way she was testing her boundaries and trying more…wanting more…needing more.

I felt that strange fluttery feeling in my chest again and sighed. My lips pressed harder into hers, deepening our sweet kiss. My tongue demanded access, parting the seams of her lips before her tongue met mine shyly.

I took her breath away, until she was breathless.

She took my breath away, until I was breathless.

Our kiss was a breathy sigh of sweetness, with a mix of wild.

Maria let out a small moan, and when I pulled away, her eyes were closed, her breathing accelerated.

She was so fucking beautiful.

I cupped the back of her head and urged her to look at me. When she opened her eyes, her blue ones so bright in the sunlight…my heart stuttered.

I didn’t know that souls could catch on fire with only eye contact. Because right now, mine was burning with bright flames around my darkened soul.

“You are perfect, Angel. There’s nothing wrong with you,” I assured her when sensing her previous question still lingering in her mind.

Maria blushed harder, and she brought her hand up, her fingers touching her swollen lips. “Do you like kissing? You like being kissed?” I asked, already knowing the answer, yet I wanted to hear her to say it.

“I didn’t like it before,” she said. At her words, my hold tightened around her.

“When they would kiss me, I hated it. But with you, I like it very much. I want…more,” she finished quietly, as if whispering a secret for my ears only.

A small, serene smile was on her lips, and I let go of the rage rolling furiously inside of me.

“A vast array of pleasure awaits us, Angel. That I can assure you.”

I heard her hum in response, and I couldn’t help but smile too. There was just something about her, something I couldn’t wrap my finger around, but something that made me almost feel…human. She made me feel something deep within the vast emptiness of my heart.

Maria laid her head on my shoulder again. The thought of leaving to see Lena was long gone as she settled against me. Her hand laid on my chest, right over my beating heart.

She liked touching me…holding me, knowing I was there. Not just a fragment of her imagination. I was the piece that held her feet to the ground, the missing piece that she was searching for yet didn’t know.

Those few months as a slave had done a number on her. They took her fucking heart, driven a blade through it, and watched it bleed red. But her soul was intact. I could see it.

Maria just needed a little push for her to realize that her wings hadn’t been clipped. Just wounded. But with enough care, she could fly again.

But I was the devil incarnated. I was fucked in the head because I wanted to both watch her fly and tie her down.

I wanted her to see there was freedom in having ropes tied around her body. I wanted to show her that pain could turn into pleasure. Pain could both break and mend your soul.

The fucked-up part was that I wanted my Angel to cry. I needed…craved her tears. But I needed her to know that those tears I would cause, they would soothe her. They would liberate her trapped soul. Her body would sing for those tears to be cried.

Tears of pain. Tears of pleasure. Tears of love.

She would learn how to crave it…everything…me.

Every part of her screamed submissive. Maria needed a firm hand. Her submission rewarded by a dominance that would free her and show her the true beauty of this power exchange. She needed someone to teach her how to love her true self, not hate it because of what those assholes did to her fragile soul.

But I needed to earn that right. I needed to be worthy enough for her to kneel for me.

I was going to be what she needed.

I was going to be her salvation.

And she was going to be my redemption.

Chapter 11

Maria

I was elsewhere as Lena talked mindlessly. My gaze focused on Lyov’s back, and I found myself biting on my lips at the sight of him. I couldn’t see his whole body, only his profile as he stood by the partially opened door.

He was talking with Isaak. His voice hushed, but I saw the frustration in their expressions. It told me it was something serious…something bad that Lyov didn’t like. His back was straight and tensed, with his clenched fists at this sides.