Page 48 of Serpent & Saviors

“I thought you wanted to be a good girl for me. That was your final warning,” I teased, pinching her right nipple hard to make her stop moving beneath me.

“Ahh,” she squeaked and stopped moving. “I promise I’m usually very good about being still. It’s hard with you though.” Her chest heaved.

“And why is it hard with me?”

Hesitation filled her hazel eyes as she bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. You make me feel…feel safe.” The word safe came out in a whisper.

My lips fell to hers in a chaste kiss. She shivered, and I realized I needed more. Her bottom lip fell open, and I snatched it between my teeth and nipped at it before deepening the kiss.

Pulling back, she whispered, “Can I share a secret with you?” Her hand was warm against my chest.

“I’d love that.”

Her brows knitted, and she nibbled her bottom lip again, distracting me. I noted it almost on instinct. It was a nervous habit of hers. So cute.

“I can’t decide what I like more. Your hands on me or your lips. I love it when you kiss me. It’s so different, passionate and…ss—”

“You’d better not call my kisses safe,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

A giggle once more erupted from her throat. “I was going to say sensual, erotic, even. I didn’t know kissing could feel like that. I’ve read about it before, but never experienced it.” Her voice trailed off, and she looked away.

Pulling her gaze back to mine, I stared down at her, allowing a few seconds to pass as her words settled into my soul. “That’s a fucking shame because you deserve to be kissed like that every single day.”

“Would you kiss me again, please?” she breathed.

“It would be my pleasure.”

It was slow, reverent, and I took my time, savoring every second like it was the first time. I hadn’t meant to lose myself in her mouth, but I did. Kissing, for me, equaled intimacy.

Intimacy often translated to commitment, so it wasn’t a part of my playtime. Lines and boundaries were important to keep. But with her? All of it went out the window. It made me think long and hard about my life and what I’d settled for.

Or maybe it was as simple as I hadn’t found the right person. Until her. Because it wasn’t even a question now. It stopped being something to avoid and became the very thing I craved.

And maybe it was because she tasted like trust and trembling hope. If those two things had a taste, anyway. I was already addicted to the way she smelled. And the way she melted into my arms?

Fuck. She belonged there. Intimate didn’t even begin to cover what this was.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and a single tear tracked down her cheek. I followed its path with my mouth, pressing a kiss to her skin, the salt lacing my lips. A small, broken sob escaped her.

I stilled, pulling back. My mouth found the soft line of her jaw, then her ear. I lowered my voice, threading it with care.

“Hey…” I whispered. “Are we doing okay?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her breath hitched, and for a heartbeat, my worry increased.

Then she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “Yes…Sir. We are.”

Her fingers caressed my chest, causing my nipples to tighten in response. Jesus, add her touch into the mix and my ass was gone. Then she spoke. And the single sentence unraveled something deep inside me.

“You make me feel beautiful,” she added, the words breaking free like they’d been waiting years to be spoken. “Like I’m not broken…like I’m still worth touching.”

I sat back, unsure if I was even fucking worth the tenderness and pureness of her confession. And at the same time something rose in my chest. It wasn’t pride. It was a hell of a lot quieter. Humbling.

She wasn’t looking for reassurance—she was offering me her truth. You make me feel beautiful. Like I’m not broken. Like I’m still worth touching.

The vulnerability she was offering stripped me bare in a way no other rescue I’d been a part of had. Whatever was happening between us, it had already outgrown my vocabulary.

But I was left with one truth. Her words made me acutely aware of how much care her trust demanded of me.