Page 55 of His Winter Wonderland

“Even so,” he told her. “I should’ve kept trying.”

“You did, Rhen. You’re the most persistent person I know.”

“I should’ve tried harder. Instead, I wallowed in pain and self-pity. I know you were okay here without me. But I nearly lost my mind out there without you. I went on killing sprees. I didn’t a lot of… fucked up shit.”

Yeah. That was guilt she was feeling.

“Then I changed, because I wanted you to see me only in a positive light. I’ve been helping motherfuckers left and right. That shit is exhausting.”

Winter giggled. Indeed, it was often harder to do good than it was to do evil.

“But I keep doing it, because I want to live up to your expectations of me. I want to be the protector you love, not the monster you hate.”

Tears filled her eyes. Hating was so exhausting. It was draining. She was tired of it. And honestly, she didn’t even hate him anymore. She was just too proud to forgive him. And that was on her, not him. She was not raised to be forgiving. She was created to cause chaos and destruction. The one time she’d let love in, it had nearly killed her.

She didn’t know if she was strong enough to do it again. But if her amazing vampire could get down on his knees and plead for forgiveness then she could push her pride to the side and forgive him. He was being vulnerable in front of her. She too would be vulnerable in front of him.

Winter climbed off the bed and joined him at the center of the room. She even went to her knees in front of him. Naked and kneeling, they both stared into each other’s eyes. The glow had left his gaze. She missed it. She wanted it back. Winter touched her hand to Rhen’s cheek. He leaned into the touch, resting his face against her palm.

“Don’t ever stop touching me, Winter. Please.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks.

“I know it’s hard to forgive,” he told her. “I’ve got people I haven’t forgiven and don’t know if I’ll ever be able too. If you can’t forgive me yet, I understand. Just please give me a chance to show you I’ve changed. I’m not a slave to my darkness anymore.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“I want to,” Winter whispered. “It’s not easy forgiving someone who has hurt you.”

Tears dripped down his cheeks. She continued talking, even though she knew the words she said would be hurtful.

“I want to hate you. I need to. You represent a time in my life when I was at my weakest, lowest point. And you brought me to that point.”

More tears dripped down his cheeks and he could no longer meet her gaze.

“Because of you, I was ashamed, embarrassed, and afraid. Over the years, I hated it when you stepped in and helped me out in certain situations. Sometimes, when I found myself wounded and surrounded, I prayed that you would appear. Each time you did it, I found myself hating you a little less. And that angered me, because I felt like you deserved all my hate, all my anger, all my fury. But after tonight, after hearing your side of things, I realize that we’ve both suffered a great deal. Hate and anger hasn’t helped either of us. Honestly, I’m tired of holding on to it. I’m tired of carrying the weight of it. I want to let it go. But, I need some more time. It can’t happen overnight. But eventually, it will happen.”

His gaze raised to hers. “You’re saying, you’re willing to try with me?”

Winter nodded. “I’m willing to try with you, Rhen Fujisaki, my vampire mate.”

That red glow filtered back into his eyes. She was no longer afraid of what it meant. She no longer hated what it represented.

“Does this mean…” He started.

Winter interrupted him. “This means you can fuck me now.”

His growl caused the pictures on her wall to shake.

Chapter Eighteen

Winter

She’d never been fucked so good in her life.

She’d never been fucked so thoroughly, so ferociously. Her poor pussy was going to be sore tomorrow. But tonight, it was taking it like a champ. Each thrust caused her to gasp or moan or cry out. He was reaching places her fingers never grazed. Places her previous lover hadn’t been large enough to explore.

Places she’d only read about in books. Like the elusive G-Spot. It was real. And it was her new best friend. Well, her second new best friend. This dick was her first. And it wasn’t just the sex that had her soaring. The words he was mumbling increased her desires.

“Thank you, baby,” he growled into her ear as he pounded her body. “Thank you for trusting me with this pussy. You can trust me with your heart. I promise to only go hard in this pussy. I’ll treat your heart with care. I’ll be gentle with it. I won’t break it. I swear.”