Page 54 of Scarred Redemption

Maybe I was fooling myself.

“You can’t do this!” Her insistence and the seductive tone to her voice was able to drag me from the damning shadows of my mind.

“I can do anything I want.” I brought my hand down against one side of her bottom then the other, fighting the very anger she’d accused me of. As I twisted my neck, images rushed into my mind that were unacceptable.

“Oh!” She pounded her fists against the bed while kicking her feet. It dawned on me that since she’d been taken from me, I hadn’t spent a single night in bed.

Including last night, although I’d held her close until she’d fallen asleep.

Being on edge was what the monster wanted. If only I could determine who in his life I’d taken from him.

She shifted on my lap on purpose as she always did, which created another wave of agony. At least I could smile about disciplining her as well as the vile thoughts of all the other sinful things I would do.

I peppered her bottom with brutal smacks, enjoying the heat building in my fingers and the redness crossing her skin. When I stopped long enough to caress her sore bottom, she almost managed to pitch herself off my lap.

“Not a chance, little angel. You’re staying right here.” Even as she tempted me, spreading her legs open by several inches, I ignored the temptation.

I resumed her punishment, smiling as my hand painted her beautiful skin. Her gasps grew louder and I noticed her legs were spread even wider. As I noticed the wetness now staining her pussy lips, the temptation could no longer be denied.

I knew that was the end, although I took my time rolling my fingers down her spine and listening to her breathe. Just breathe.

I’d wanted another moment spent with her, another touch. Another kiss. Now that I’d been granted my wish, I had no intention of taking the opportunity for granted.

Isabel calmed down, resting comfortably on my lap. As before, there was a strange sense of tension between us. It would seem the time spent apart had driven a wedge between us. Whether there could be a bridge we could both cross to meet halfway remained to be seen.

I rubbed the rough pads of my fingers in slow and easy circles from one side of her bottom to the other. Her breathing was slightly hitched and I sensed she had so much more to say. We both did, but at this point, she’d end up hating me.

And that was the last thing I wanted.

As I eased her off my lap and onto her back on the bed, the quiet way she was staring up at me was completely unnerving. I’d never had a woman, including Anastasia who could look through the bullshit and armor, seeing the man inside. Isabel was the one true exception and that bothered me.

Why?

Because she had more control over me than she understood. For a man of my power to admit that, and only to myself, meant something. It was obvious given how I’d acted after her death. Now the entire situation had left a bad taste in my mouth and an itch to act on my own personal need for vengeance.

That’s exactly what she was seeing right now. She’d been driven back to the light whereas I’d embraced the darkness. We were oil and water, fire and ice. But together we were a force to be reckoned with.

Another reason someone didn’t want us together. She calmed me. She controlled the very demons she’d noted thriving inside.

I brushed my hand across her face, fanning my fingers and making the touch as light as possible. As I moved down her neck to her chest, her breathing hitched. She appeared even more nervous than before. As if she’d thought the tenderness I’d used would be tossed aside.

What she must think of me.

I pressed my finger across her lips before backing off the bed. She knew I was telling her not to dare try to move and she didn’t. But she never blinked, her eyes following me as I unfastened my jeans, shucking them off along with my boxers.

She stretched, placing her arms over her head while watching me. There was something very special about being able to enjoy her beauty in the morning light. She cocked her head as I approached again, rolling her hips from side to side in her usual teasing fashion.

I hated that there were so many questions riding her lovely face and that they were ones I couldn’t answer. The question of our marriage would remain a sore spot and one that I’d need to counter somehow.

When I crawled on the bed again, she offered a salacious look. Then she dared yawn on purpose.

“You are a little temptress,” I told her.

“I’m a mirror of you.”

“I hardly think so.” As I moved between her legs, she lifted one, rubbing her foot across my hip. Everything about her was enticing and she knew it. She acted as if I was putty in her hands. I chuckled in a sound that could be considered damned before pressing my weight against her.

She took a deep breath and wrapped one arm around me, digging her fingers into my skin. There was no need to rush, the same desperate need from before passing.