Page 74 of The Magic of Betrayal
"Who the fuck is Winston?" he growled, stalking over to me, that wild look in his eye that was both exhilarating and terrifying. My wings wrapped around the front of my body, shielding my bare skin.
"Oh quit, I made the name up because I don't know your middle name. Now, give me a shirt," I warned, glaring.
"You can do what we need to do in that outfit, Goldie." He waved me off.
"Bram," I said a little more softly. "I'm not comfortable wearing this."
He spun around in a flash, his expression absolutely puzzled as to why that would be.
"Why not? You look scrumptious, princess."
My face heated and I let my wings pull back to reveal my midriff, Bram was still eyeing me like I was a scantily wrapped gift he wanted to open.
"If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have the body figure to go waltzing around like this," I pointed out.
He stared at me like I'd grown nipples for eyes.
Then, he moved. His hands gripped my waist and I let out a soft squeak as he tugged me close, leaving only an inch between us. The smell of an aged book being cracked open slammed into me and I groaned, leaning closer to get more of it.
"If. I. Haven't. Noticed?" he growled and my insides flipped. "All I've done is notice, Goldie. The curve of your waist," he trailed his hands over my skin, "how your hips flare out." He bent to run his hands over those, too. My brain was melting.
"These thick thighs that I'm dying to have wrapped around my head, squeezing the fuckin' life out of me... and this," he moved his hands back to grip my ass, "this fucking ass, princess. I wanna see how it bounces when you're riding me," he rumbled, dropping a kiss to my neck and I moaned. This man, this demon, he was insane, dangerous, and oh so fucking sexy. Sinful.
"Bram," I whispered.
He straightened, leaving one hand on my ass and bringing the other up to cup my cheek.
"You're the most beautiful creature I've seen in my entire life, Goldie. If I have to spend the rest of my lifetime assuring you of that, then it would be my honor," he vowed, his words fierce and true.
"I... thank you," I replied, as a rogue tear fell and trailed toward his fingertips.
"Who made you think otherwise?" he inquired, studying my face.
I chuckled without humor, shrugging my shoulders.
"Society? Mean girls in school? My ex," I confessed.
Bram's eyes flashed with all the stabby feels, an expression of his I had quickly learned.
"Ah. The ex from the night I drank with you in your store?" He shook his head, piecing that evening together. "That's why you were blasting Lizzo? Body positivity?"
My cheeks heated and I tried to look away, but he held me steady, refusing to let me hide.
"Yeah. He uh," I cleared my throat, "he cornered me in the grocery store that day. Threatened me, tried to drown me, he's a water mage. Promised me that he was going to get me back, and that if I told the guys, he'd drown them in their beds," I told him, my heart racing as I recounted the event.
"What else did he say, Goldie?" Bram practically snarled, he knew I wasn't telling him everything.
"He told me that I should cut back on snacking because most mages don't like fucking fat witches," I said quietly, looking down, ashamed. Disgusted by his words and that they were still affecting me.
Bram blinked several times while he stood still as a statue. It was oddly owl like.
"Is that it?" he bit out between his clenched teeth.
Tears swam in my vision now, but I was going to tell him, because I needed to tell someone. Maybe getting it out there would help me move past it.
"He... he touched me," I confessed and Bram snapped, pulling me tightly against him as a sob wracked my body and I buried my face against his bare chest. He held me while I cried and cried. I cried because I was sick and tired of men thinking they could say what they want, touch when they weren't fucking allowed, taking my confidence, my safety, my fucking dignity.
"Oh, princess. I'm so fucking sorry. I'm so sorry," he soothed, rubbing his palms up and down my back.
