Page 90 of Mistaken
“Of course.”
He insists on carrying me into the bathroom, filling the tub and helping me in. Drawing my legs up, I awkwardly cradle my hand with the broken fingers and ignore all the blazing bits of fire igniting from the burns and cuts. But nothing,nothingcould be as brutal as what I felt on that horrible table so I can handle it.
So maybe I am tougher than I thought.
“Did you kill my brother?”
Maksim actually flinched. “Yes.”
“Okay.” I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“He intended to use video of you imprisoned in a whorehouse to rise in rank to Captain. The O’Connell Mob are making a move into New York.” He said the ugly words quickly, like they tasted bad in his mouth.
“I know,” I agreed blankly. “He told me it would disgrace you.”
He soaped up a sponge and ran it gently over my back, jaw tightening as he tried to avoid my bruises.
“Tania is very anxious to see you tomorrow,” Maksim continued, looking at me with what I’m guessing is concern. It’s not an expression I’ve seen from him before.
“That’s not a good idea,” I carefully shaped each word in my mouth, trying to make sure they made sense.
The sponge slowed. “Why?”
I angled my broken fingers higher, ignoring the burn. “Every bad thing that has happened to her is my fault. I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
Maksim’s big, rough hand cupped my cheek, very carefully. “You’re beginning to worry me,????????.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say, so he helped me out of the tub, and I stood in the middle of the bathroom, refusing to look in the mirror while he carefully toweled me dry. Maksim picked me up again and carried me to the bed, kneeling in front of me.
“Tell me what you need,” he urged, his icy blue gaze meeting mine, “what can I do for you, Ella?”
I leaned forward and kissed him. Maksim didn’t move, his eyes were still open and watching me. “Would…” I cleared my throat, “Could you please make love to me? I know you don’t love me, I know that. But could you pretend? Just for tonight?”
“Oh,????????,”he said sadly. But he placed kiss after kiss on my face, feather-light on the bruises Vasily’s fists had made, and his tongue soothed the cut on my mouth from Katya’s ring. “Shhh, my beautiful girl. My brave girl.”
Maksim…
Of all the things I’d done to my wife, the heartless words, the careless stripping of her life away from her, the cruelest was that she didn’t know that I loved her.
I did. I did love her. There was very little love left in my sin-stained heart, but she had created more somehow, and it was all for her.
Lifting her hair, I spread it out across the pillow, and carefully placed her hand with her poor, broken fingers in a comfortable spot by her head. I’d had my fingers broken. Several times, back when my father was “teaching me how to be a man.” But to see her long, elegant fingers splinted hurt more than when my own were torn and fractured.
“Are you sure?”Ella nodded, her face was still troublingly blank, but I could tell she was at least focusing on me now, seeing me. “You must tell me immediately if I hurt you.”
She nodded.
“Say the words,????????.”
“I will,” her voice was soft, but at least it sounded more like my Ella. Pulling off my clothes quickly, I looked up at her sharp inhale of breath. My torso was covered with bruises as well.
“I’m all right,” I assured her, “I’ve had far worse.” I was rewarded with a small, sweet smile and I bent to kiss her, running my lips lightly over hers. I’d never made love to anyone. I’d always laughed at the phrase. But for Ella, I’d try. I kissed her shoulders, gentle brushes of my mouth over her breasts, lightly sucking one nipple, then the other. She gave a small sigh of relief, and I understood. I’d often used sex for the dopamines to reduce the pain from injuries and wounds.
Parting her legs, I moved between them, keeping most of my weight off of her. “So pretty,” I murmured, running the tip of my tongue slowly between her lower lips, watching them swell hopefully. “You’re like a flower unfurling, did you know that?” Ella’s eyes are closed, which is hard to see. She’s always watched me lick and suck her; it was wildly arousing.
I slow down, blowing lightly on her wet center and watch her shiver. Alternating long, slow swipes of my tongue with sucking one lip, then another into my mouth, I feel her hips start moving against me again. Circling her clitoris with my tongue, I make smaller and smaller circles, still not quite touching it until I see her uninjured hand lift.
Putting it on my head, I squeeze it gently, encouraging her to run her fingers through my hair.
