Page 111 of Penance

“What can I do?” he asks, reaching up to push a stray hair behind my ear. “How can I make you feel better?”

“I don’t know,” I say, and it’s the truth.

I don’t know what I want.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to want.

All I know is this, here, now.

Him, me, this room, this moment.

For now, that’s enough. That has to be enough.

“That’s okay,” he says. “You don’t have to know right now. We have plenty of time. You’re going to be my wife. We can wait.”

“But you told me to beg. This morning, you said—”

“And you did,” he says, smiling up at me. “That’s enough.”

His eyes pin me down as effectively as his hands did this morning. There’s a strange sense of safety washing over me, and I don’t know how to feel about it.

How can I feel safe with a man like Draco?

A small smile plays on his lips, not cruel or mocking, but understanding.

“I don’t want to wait,” I say finally. “I want to forget. Make me forget, Draco.”

His hands find mine, fingers entwining, palms pressing together. It’s a simple touch, but it anchors me, keeps me from spiraling into the void.

“I’m giving you control,” he says. “You can do whatever you want. You pick the pace. You chose how fast or how slow.”

His lips find mine, a soft, tentative kiss that deepens as I respond. It’s a dance, a give and take, a push and pull.

He pulls away, and I groan.

“This time,” he growls. “This time is yours, but next time? I get to fuck you as hard and rough as I want.”

I barely manage to jerk a nod before his mouth finds mine again.

Tonight, I just want to feel.

I want to feel all of him.

And I’m taking what he’s giving me.

I pull away, gasping for air.

“I want you,” I whisper against his lips.

He nods once, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes again.

“Then you have to take it.”

And I do.

Reaching between us, I grab him, feeling the weight of him in my palm.

It’s big, and it’s hard but somehow soft at the side time.

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