Page 60 of Vow of Hate

“You needed this?” Thrust. “Tell me.” Thrust. “Scream it for me.” Thrust.

“I needed it!” I scream. “Yes. I needed it.” I’m practically sobbing from the pleasure inside of me.

Dante’s pace finally becomes more frantic and he fucks me harder. This isn’t lovemaking. It’s pure and animalistic fucking. I thought I’d be ashamed of this but I’m not. I only want more of it.

“Come for me,” he orders. “Come on my cock.”

His order is exactly what I need.

My release hits me like a sudden thunderstorm. I sob and shake as I come while Dante continues to take me from behind.

I look over my shoulder to watch when he finds his release next. I love seeing the moment of vulnerability on his face. It’s perfection. It makes me feel closer to him than anything ever has before.

He pulls out of me and slumps onto the bed, breathing heavy.

“Are you tired?” I ask.

He slants his eyes my way. “Are you?”

“No,” I admit.

“My sex maniac,” he says with a rueful smile. “I’ve made you this way, haven’t I?”

“You have.”

“Do you still hate me for it?”

“I don’t know what I feel anymore.” I reach out my hand to his chest and hesitate. Dante looks back at me, silently asking me if I’ll touch him or not. It’s a sign of intimacy. Are we allowed to be emotionally intimate? Or is our relationship only built on a physical connection?

After a long moment, I take the jump and place my hand over his heart. I can feel it beating. Steady. But for a second, it becomes faster before slowing down again. I wonder what it means… if it means anything at all.

“Why are you like this?” His question startles me.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you have some trauma in your past I don’t know about?”

“Never. I was treated like a princess. My dad never abused me if that’s what you’re getting at. My mom has only ever protected me. I guess…” I sigh. “I felt so sheltered. So protected that I didn’t know what I was missing out on life. I still don’t fully know. You’ve kept me locked up in here.”

Is that guilt I see in his eyes or am I imagining it?

“You’ve awoken this inside of me,” I continue. “This pleasure. This need for… more. It’s something I never knew I needed until you. Now, I don’t want to let it go.”

“How is your body feeling? You still have some bruises left.”

“I feel better. Not much pain. Only on occasion. It could have been worse.”

“A lot worse,” he rumbles. “I never meant for Edward to hurt you like that. I never meant to bring him into your life. If I had known, I would have kept that fucker away from you.”

“But you kidnapped me, Dante. You brought me into this darkness.”

“I know. But…”

I suck in a breath. “But?”

“Never mind.” I see the moment he starts to pull away from me. Too much vulnerability. Too much exposure. Too much weakness.

“Do you care for me?” I ask. It’s a bold question. Probably the scariest thing I’ve ever asked someone before.