Page 110 of Aftershock
The dark blue suit matches his eyes as if it was made for him. Clean lines of expensive fabric fall over lean muscle, accentuating broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and long, perfect legs. His white shirt sits open at the top, two undone buttons revealing his strong collarbone.
My gaze greedily fills in the rest, my mind remembering how every hard plane looks beneath the clothes.
Then there are his gorgeous hands. He uses them to torture, maim, and kill. They also hold me down when he fucks me and crack against my ass when he spanks me.
And tonight, one of them offers me flowers. A bouquet of white tulips. In the other, he has a small-handled bag, with the neck of a wine bottle peeking out of it.
“Wow,” I whisper as my eyes trail higher, to his new haircut, to his pleased smirk.
He’s so handsome that staring at him almost hurts.
“Good evening to you too.” His voice is rich, eyes gleaming, just a little.
He’s happy to be here.
For the time being.
He won’t, once he realizes I couldn’t even set the fucking timer.
That I’m a…
Disappointment. Disappointment. Disappointment.
Mom’s voice is right. Alaric saved my life, and I couldn’t even watch the pot roast.
I try to stop my chin from wobbling…and fail.
Alaric’s face hardens the longer he stands there.
“Lilith.” His jaw tics, eyes roaming over me, searching for what’s broken. “What’s going on?”
My chest hitches. Can’t get a breath in. My lungs, they’re flat. My heart is in my throat.
So dizzy.
Dammit with these panic attacks. I’d rather cry than have him see me going through one of these.
Except it doesn’t work that way, does it? You can’t bargain when it comes to human anatomy, physiology, old wounds, and, and…
“I’m sorry.” It’s all I have. “I’m sorry.”
A snarl twists his lips as he stares at the flowers and wine. He curses before placing them carefully on the floor and pulling me into his arms.
“What did I do wrong?” His breath is warm and familiar on the top of my head. His hands skim up and down my back, tethering me to him. “Was it my face? My expression, dammit, it’s too harsh sometimes. But I’m not upset. I’ve been waiting for this since yesterday. Even when we were having lunch together today, I was thinking about tonight.”
“I-I—” My nails dig into his waist. I’m crumpling his perfect suit jacket. Can’t stop.
“Baby.” Alaric pulls back, barely enough for me to breathe. He tips my chin up, and another shiver goes through me, worse than the last, because his eyes are the bluest I’ve ever seen. So deep, like the ocean. And maybe, after today, that look in them won’t be mine anymore. “What is it?”
There’s not an ounce of malice in his voice, not a tinge of reproach.
It takes me way longer than it should to remember how good he is.
How safe I am with him.
Deep breath.
“The oven, I—” Shivers continue to rack my body. My teeth chatter. “The food, then the oven, I—I…”
