Page 51 of His Destiny
The darkness from my past never leaves me. It's what I am. And it's always there, lurking in the shadowed corners of my mind, waiting to pull me back. But I have a light in my life now. One that burns so bright it keeps the shadows at bay.
Well, most of the time.
Luna's peaceful in sleep. But sometimes, like now, I wonder how she can stand to be near me. Why she allows me to touch her. She knows the things I've done, the blood on my hands. And yet, she's here. In my arms. In my bed. Trusting me to keep her safe from the most dangerous thing that goes bump in the night.
Me.
I trace the delicate curve of her cheek with my fingertips, memorizing every detail. She's so perfect to me, sometimes it's hard for me to look at her. And I know that with time, she'll only become more so. It doesn't surprise me that she made such a good living dancing.
Something possessive and ugly tightens inside my stomach when I remember watching her on the stage. The way the men in the audience would stare at her with lust in their eyes. When I found her in that club, it was all I could do not to put a bullet into the backs of their heads. But I knew if I did that, the police would be called and I wouldn't be here now, holding this woman in my arms. So I managed to refrain. Barely.
I bury my nose in Luna's silky hair, breathing in her scent to remind myself she was here with me now, and she wouldn't be going back to those clubs. She always wears the perfume I picked out for her, and hints of ethereal florals and warm musk mingle with her own natural scent. It fills my lungs, seeping into every cell of my body until I'm drowning in her essence. That unfamiliar sensation expands within my chest once more, pressing against my ribcage.
Is this foreign feeling what others describe as love? The word feels strange, even in my own mind. I've never known such an emotion before, yet with Luna, it's the only explanation that fits.
I would give my life for her, and that, too, terrifies me.
Because love is a weakness. It's something that can be used against you. Something that can destroy you from the inside out. But it also feels like something that might heal the broken parts of me…
Someday.
She stirs in my arms, her eyelids fluttering open as she tilts up her chin and those beautiful cobalt blue eyes find mine.
A sleepy smile curves her lips. "Hey," she whispers, her voice husky with sleep.
"I didn't mean to wake you,bambolina," I murmur back, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She nuzzles into my touch, and my cock reacts instantly. It doesn't matter that it was just inside of her less than two hours before. I always want her.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks, tracing the line of my jaw with her fingertips, playing with the short hairs of my beard.
I catch her hand in mine and press a kiss to her palm. "You," I answer honestly. "Always you."
The smile falls from her lips as she stares up at me. My obsession with her hasn't waned, and she knows as well as I do that what we have isn't normal. But it's what we both need.
And for now, in this moment, with her safe in my arms, it's enough.
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