Page 144 of Injustice and Absolution

“My heart belongs to you.”

Quickly, my eyes find his again. I immediately recognize the meaning behind his words. The skin between my eyes creases as emotion threatens to drown me once more. But I refuse to let it.

Repeating the motions he made, I pull his hand from where it rests over mine then place a kiss to his palm. Pressing it over my left breast, I gaze through his eyes, all the way to his soul.

“And you have my heart.”

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

DELILAH

I’ve been walking down the same hallway for hours.

Or has it been days?

I can’t tell. Time melts together here.

What I do know is I’ll never be free from him. The faceless man chases me toward a lone room at the end of the hallway. When I reach the door, it opens, and the faceless man jumps out and tackles me to the ground.

“Delilah.” Royce’s voice breaks through my consciousness, tearing me out of my nightmare. A warm touch caresses my cheek. “Kitten, I’m here. It’s just a dream.”

The second my eyes open and meet his, my panic melts away.

“Hey.” Royce smiles, his thumb gingerly feathers along my lower lip. “Are you okay?”

I nod, letting him know I’ll be fine. I can’t help but wonder if nightmares of Drew will haunt me in place of nightmares of my father from now on.

Or worse, tormented dreams where they pursue me together.

Ice forms in my veins, and a chill runs up my spine at the thought of them double-teaming me. Royce tucks me tighter to his chest, and I breathe him in, letting his scent calm me as it once did.

“Delilah, I...” Royce tugs on his ear, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen him act so nervous. “Can I ask you something?”

I nod quietly.

He doesn’t speak right away, and his eyes never leave mine as I witness him struggle to find the words he’s looking for.

“Why…? Why’d you wait so long to reach out for help?”

My eyes shift away from his immediately, finding a spot on the ceiling to focus on instead. I don’t know what question I was expecting him to ask, but that wasn’t it.

“I…” I consider my answer before opting to tell him the truth. “I was scared.”

He tugs at my chin, bringing my attention back to him.

“Scared of what?” The skin on his forehead wrinkles in confusion.

“Scared that after the night I yelled at you in front of the club, you’d washed your hands of me. Scared if I decided I wanted to come home, that I’d have to face you, knowing I could never have you the way I craved most. That my feelings would never be returned.”

At my admission, Royce mounts my body, taking both of my wrists in his large, strong hand and pinning them above my head.

“And now, kitten? Do you see that I thirst for you at least as much as you thirst for me?”

He runs the fingers of his free hand over my bare chest, down my stomach, then burrows his thumb between my slit. He seeks my throbbing clit between my legs, clenched tightly together between his own.

“Yes,” I pant, ready for another thorough ravishing.

He leans over and captures my lips with his. Gifting me a moan of ecstasy, our tongues entangle in a lovers’ waltz until I’m panting heavily again.

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