Page 190 of House of Pain
She hated Blaze. And she hated that he was right.
Alecto might have been born half-human, but she never accepted that side of her. Recent months had shown Alecto that she was as horrid as the rest of them.She was just as cruel as Val, Andro, and even Blaze.
And Blaze was one of the few who had noticed it.
“Ihateyou,” Alecto bit out, but it didn’t sound as convincing as she’d intended. “I sure as fuck wouldn’t hesitate before ripping your heart out for a spell if it ever came to that.”
“And I’d fucking let you, Black.”
A shiver of desire went through Alecto’s body at the sound of his voice, the way he said those words as if he’d truly meant it.
Finally, she met his eyes, the obsidian gems flickering with every emotion she was feeling—anger, desperation, desire…
They were so close, their breaths mixed, and Alecto dropped her eyes to his lips.
It was a mistake, but she craved them just as much as she craved seeing him brought to his knees in front of her.
Alecto wanted to ruin him. And she wanted him to ruin her.
Blaze released a soft moan as Alecto’s lips crashed into his. She pulled him onto her as her back hit the bed.
Immediately, her body heated, flames of desire licking her everywhere as the heaviness of his body over her sunk in. Blaze wedged himself between her thighs, his cock already hard and pressing right into her core through all the clothing separating them.
Alecto moaned into his mouth, her hands gripping his shoulders, sliding down his back, and fisting the cotton T-shirt he was still wearing.
Blaze’s hand traced a path down her neck, down the side of her breast, making her arch for him. When it found her hip, he dug his fingers into her flesh. Alecto jerked at the pain that was too intense to be caused only by his grip, and Blaze immediately moved away, looking down at her.
Panting, Alecto shook her head and pulled him down. “I’m okay. It’s fine. I probably have a bruise from before.”
Blaze blinked, the haziness clouding his black eyes clearing as he inspected her body. And then, the weight of him was gone, and Alecto pushed herself on her elbows, her cheeks burning.
Before she could say anything, Blaze pulled her by her knees to the corner of the bed, and then he lifted her to his chest, heading towards her bathroom.
“We gotta clean you up and bandage you,” Blaze explained when he noticed the look on her face. “Jolene is going to cut my balls off if tomorrow you’re more damaged than today.”
Alecto let him set her on the tiles near her bath, and she watched him intently as he turned on the tap, adjusting the water temperature.
While the tub filled, Blaze undressed her, carefully peeling layers of still-wet clothing clinging to her body. Only when Alecto was in her underwear did she remember how much everything hurt, and one glance down her naked flesh explained why.
Bruises and scratches lined her ribs, her sides, and even her hips and legs. Alecto wasn’t sure how she had gotten so banged up, but suddenly, her limbs were heavy, and all she wanted to do was sleep.
She didn’t argue when Blaze took off her bra, dropping it on the floor, but when his fingers hooked beneath her panties, a breath hitched in her throat as warmth pooled between her legs.
Blaze hesitated for a moment but then dragged the panties down, leaving Alecto naked in front of him. He helped her into the bath and let her lie down in the hot water, which immediately relaxed every muscle in her body.
Alecto frowned when instead of getting undressed, Blaze kneeled beside the tub, reaching for the sponge and the shower gel. The smell of mint and oranges filled the bathroom as he lathered the sponge generously between his palms.
He hooked a hand under her knee, lifting her leg out of the water, and then he dragged the sponge over her skin.
Wherever there was a bruise or a scratch, he lessened the pressure, gently swiping the sponge as if he was truly trying to avoid hurting Alecto more.
Alecto allowed him to clean the fear and the stinking scent of the damn lake off her, but she couldn’t look away from those hands working her body and the way his eyebrows were drawn together as he concentrated.
Somehow, this felt more intimate than anything else they had done before. And Alecto wanted nothing more than to recoil because it was uncomfortable just as much as it was divine.
The worst part of it all was that Alecto could see herself like this more often. With Blaze caring for her body, his hands greedily exploring every inch of her. She could see herself belonging to him, spending nights curled in bed with him by her side.
For a moment, she could see them actually being something more if both of them allowed themselves to be this raw more often. She saw right through him, and he did see right through her.
