For whatever reason, she looked at him and saw something in him no one else did – but he needed it.
Kiss me, Raven. Merge your mind with mine. Share your body so that we are completely one being. You trusted me before. Do so now. Look at me with the eyes of love, in forgiveness for the things I have been forced to do, for the beast in my nature. Do not look at me through the eyes of one who would wish to destroy our people and us. Give yourself to me.
He thought about her laughter. The sunshine. He lived in a dark place. Just listening to the sound of her voice took him out of it.
Those tears reminded him, every time he looked in the mirror, he wasn’t human anymore. Everything had been taken from him, leaving him a shell. An empty shell.
The feelings of conquest and possession mixing with love were a heady combination. Those traits were deep in him and she accepted him without judgment. How could he not be in love with her?
Her courage humbled him. The immense trust it took to allow herself to be tied by him, even in the name of art, was astonishing for a woman like her. It was a true power exchange between them and he loved that. Even craved it.
Perhaps it is as simple as Hannah’s sister is marrying one of the few men in the world I call friend.” His gaze strayed to where Joley stood rigid against the wall. “Or perhaps I wanted to see, one more time, whether the reason I can no longer sleep at night is worth it.
There was nothing for him, and in the end, he had to acknowledge that he was too dangerous to just keep around like some loose cannon.
He was called Ice for a number of reasons, but the biggest was because he was truly ice inside. A glacier. Deep, wide, dense, impossible to penetrate. He thought his heart was encased in ice. He thought his emotions long since frozen, but she was changing everything, including his perception of himself.
His shadow and hers had become entangled in spite of his efforts to keep them apart. Although, truthfully, he hadn’t tried that hard. He knew if she rejected him, the consequences to him would be dire.
You are a good man, Mikhail.” She grinned impishly, her blue eyes teasing. “You just have too much power for your own good. But don’t worry, I know this American girl. She’s very disrespectful, and she’ll take all that arrogant starch out of you.
His hands framed her face again, his amber eyes alive with love, with tenderness. “I want to make a vow to you. I’ll love you with everything in me. I’ll bring you as much happiness as I can give you. But I cannot allow your death, not at my hands. You’re more important than I am.
She kissed him, her body molding to his, and in his mind her beautiful voice rose in song just for him. The notes skipped from his mind to the sky, silver and gold notes of joy and happiness, of courage and admiration. She sang of love between two people, sacred and beautiful. She sang of peace and happiness. Her hands moved over him possessively, lovingly, checking his body for wounds. Her warrior was home. Whatever.
He needed a woman strong enough to accept that he would always need his ropes. They anchored him. Centered him. The moment he touched them, those dark shifting shadows inside him subsided.
She looked at him as if she could see inside him, past the glacier, penetrate deep and see the man he could have been.
His body was settling over hers, his knee nudging her thighs apart so he could press against her soft, welcoming body. “I think you should just stay naked and waiting for me,” he growled, stroking her to ensure her readiness.
Vittorio had recognized early on he had a gift. His voice could be compelling, or commanding, and those in a room reacted to it. He could calm others down, arouse or infuriate, all with his tone.
His entire body shuddered with pleasure. He caught her hips in his hands, surged forward to to bury himself deep inside of her. A safe haven. His world was changed forever. He no longer walked the earth utterly alone. He would never be alone again. Antonietta changed his world. Brought him light in his unrelenting darkness.
Want me enough, Shea. Want me with more than just your body. Let me into your heart.” His mouth fastened on hers, not gently but wildly, hungrily. The hunger was in his eyes when he raised his head to look down at her. “Open your mind to me. Want me there, as you want me in your body. Want me coming to you wild with a need only you can satisfy. Take me into your soul and let me live there.” His mouth was roaming every inch of her face, the column of her neck, the hollow of her shoulder. His.
The first touch of her hands nearly had him coming off the bed in alarm. Her eyes were closed, but her hands lay against his skin lightly, palms down. Every muscle in his body tightened. Every cell responded to her touch. The feel of her skin against his skin took his breath away. He’d felt a woman’s hand on his body many times, strokes and caresses meant to inflame him, to arouse him, yet not a single one had ever affected him the way her touch did.