Page 35 of Anathema
“I can, and I will. Do not underestimate the lengths I am willing to go to, to love you, Lex… Let mefuckinglove you.” I cut her off with a growl, and she stiffened in my grasp.
Our eyes locked, and she stared up at me with that cold, icy glare she was so good at giving me. We stood there for minutes. Neither of us spoke as she processed my words, and I anticipated her next move. I had just laid all my cards on the table; now it was her turn.
“Are you finished?” Alexis breathed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that she refused to let fall. I nodded, swallowing thelump from my confession of love. My heart was racing, squeezing inside of my chest.
“Good…” She paused, taking a deep breath, her voice trembling.
I couldn’t tell if it was from sheer anger or nervousness. Was she scared?
“Get out, Derek…Please.” Alexis gave me a wounded and pleading look, her voice cracking as she spoke. She dropped her gaze briefly, and when she brought it back up to meet mine, I could see the defeat written all over her beautiful face.
I cupped her cheeks in my hands and stepped into her.
This was the moment I had finally broken my strong-willed viper. I’ve never seen Alexis so afraid of letting in the truth—accepting it. She looked nothing like the fierce and vicious woman I had fallen in love with. This version of her was wounded and scared, searching for protection from whatever haunted her dreams at night.
“Lex…” With a long sigh, I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing her in deeply.
I could feel my hands becoming damp with the tears that began to fall down her face. She was crying. I had brought my wildfire viper to tears—and I hated every fucking second of it.
“Why are you doing this to yourself? To me? Tous?” I murmured, closing my eyes and biting hard on my bottom lip.
I wanted answers but didn’t want the ones I knew she would give me, so I braced myself for her words, the ones built to tear me apart. The words that would rip out my heart and let the pieces fall to the floor.
I felt her fingertips graze against the back of my hands before wrapping firmly around my wrists. She was going to pull away from me; she was going to run.
“Derek…” She whispered.
I couldn’t get enough of hearing my name on her lips. Every time she said it, my heart squeezed in my chest, and I felt as if I were floating.
"I love you, pretty viper—more than you could possibly understand." Alexis was everything, and I was all in.
Her nails dug into my wrists as her grip tightened even further, her hands shaking with the strain. I may have broken her, but I lost the battle. She’ll never forgive me for hurting her, not like this, even with my declaration out in the open.
I could hear a deep groan coming from her throat, and opening my eyes, I was met with her piercing ice-blues falling into their depths. My heart was hammering so hard in my chest that it felt as if it would break through my ribcage at any given second.
“Fuck it,” she sighed. “You don’t get to break me and then get away with not having to spend the rest of your life repairing the damage you’ve created.”
My eyes widened as her words caught me off-guard. I was barely able to inhale a breath before her mouth found mine, her tongue forced between my parted lips and tangled with my own.
Alexis’s hands released my wrists, and I slid one hand to cradle the back of her neck while the other moved down to wrap around her waist, pulling her in closer.
This was it; everything I wanted and needed was right here, wrapped in my arms and taking my breath away.
Her arms wrapped around my neck as she rose up on her toes to deepen the kiss further. It was a slow and controlled kiss, yet I could feel her hunger growing as she moaned into my mouth, testing every angle possible.
Alexis devoured me with her mouth, and I didn’t care to come up for air, not once.
She pulled back, her hands moving from the back of my neck to aggressively fist in my shirt. Her eyes searched mine as her jaw tensed.
“Don’t make me regret this, pretty boy.” Her voice was soft-spoken and gentle, filled with lust, but it wasn’t a plea; it was a threat, and I had no intention of betraying my woman.
She was mine, forever, and I intended to claim her right here and now for good.
“I’ll make you regret many things, but never this.” I rasped before picking her up by her thighs and taking her back to bed.
Idroppedherontothe bed, bending over her body and pressing my fists into the mattress on either side of her hips. Alexis looked up at me as my eyes roved over her naked figure. She never put on clothes after she had her way with me earlier and then locked herself in the bathroom.
I loved the sight of her bare before me, my cock growing harder the longer I stared. Alexis was petite, with toned arms, abs, and thighs. You could see her strength just by her body alone—a woman who could throw down without a second thought.
