23. Raphael
Raphael
23
The scalding water pounds down on my skin as if the flames of hell are trying to take my soul. And I’m tempted to let the devil have it.
My cousin didn’t deserve to die. And when I get my hands on those responsible, I’ll make sure they feel the same pain ten times over.
In our line of business, we play with death every day. We never know when our last day could be. It’s why we do everything to the extreme—why we hate so hard and love even harder. It’s the reason we don’t let go when we find that special one.
I bow my head and watch my cousin’s blood flow down the drain until the water runs clear. The rhythmic patter of the water against the tile is interrupted by the opening of the shower stall door.
I already know who it is without turning around. We’re connected in a way that I would recognize her presence instantly.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I warn her, my voice devoid of emotion, though my heart and body scream the opposite. I crave her touch. I need it to remind me that I’m alive.
She’s quiet for a long moment, and it’s only because of our connection that I know she waits behind me.
“Do you hate me?”
Her question is so soft, I nearly miss it over the rushing water.
I turn immediately, then slam to a halt at the sight before me.
Lily stands naked as the day she was born in front of me. She’s shivering, but I know she’s not cold because the space is near boiling hot. She shakes because of how vulnerable she is at this very moment. Standing there, completely exposed, with every physical scar and mark on display for judgment.
And what a fucking sight she is.
My eyes trace over every inch of her bare skin, lingering on the subtle silver stretch marks left by pregnancy and the faint pink scars that tell the story of the past six years of torment and pain she’s endured. Breasts just the right size to suffocate in with perky pink nipples. Nipples I remember feeling against my chest the night she fell asleep outside.
My eyes drop to her bare pussy, and I about fall to my knees. Because I’m ready to worship at this woman’s feet. She’s it for me. She has been since the second she opened her eyes that night with my gun pointed at her. The moment her blue and my gold clashed and mixed into something beautiful, I was hers.
Lily drops her head, mistaking my silence as an answer. “I tried to save him, but there must have been something else I couldn’t see. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
I reach out to lift her chin, witnessing the pain and sorrow storming in her brilliant blue eyes. “I could never hate you. My uncle was wrong. None of this is your fault—” She opens her mouth to argue, but my fingers holding her chin move to her lips, silencing her. “And I know you may think it is because of Xiao, but like I’ve said before. He is a grown man capable of making his own decisions. And his decision today has guaranteed his death.”
Lily slowly nods, but I’m no fool. It will take the bastard’s head at her feet to prove my words to her. Just like how Dr. Rodriguez’s severed cock showed her that he would never hurt anyone ever again.
Actions speak louder than words.
“How’s your face?” I ask, tilting her head to the side so I can get a proper look at where my uncle slapped her and the small red cut splitting her bottom lip.
“It’s sore, but nothing I can’t handle,” she answers solemnly, reminding me she has, in fact, suffered worse.
I drop my hand to my side. “I told you I’d keep you safe and—”
Lily reaches out and grasps my face between her hands, forcing me to look directly at her. “You are keeping me safe. I am safe. Right here. With you.”
I rest my forehead on hers and close my eyes. “Tell me what you want, Lily,” I practically beg her because I need to hear her say the words out loud. “Tell me what you need.”
Lily hesitantly reaches out to place her hands on my pecs. The cool of her touch against my heated skin makes me hiss, and the pleasure causes my cock to twitch. She looks at me with pleading eyes, desperation shining in her endless blue depths. “I need to feel something. Something real. I want to forget all the bad and replace it with something good.” A sinful smile graces her lips. “I need you to finish what you started in that pantry.”
Stepping back, I enjoy how her eyes lower to my partially erect cock, widening slightly at its size and thickness. Her eyes follow every hard ridge of muscle up, tracing the curves and lines of the tattoos decorating my skin. From the way her chest blushes as red as her cheeks, I know she likes what she sees.
“I need that too…but are you sure?” She nods, so I continue. “You control every second of this, Lily. You control me. Understand?”
Skating my fingers up the sides of her smooth, flawless skin, I graze over her breasts and circle her nipples, enjoying the deep moan it draws from her throat before moving down to cup her sex. Only an hour ago, my hand was buried between her folds, driving an orgasm from her before we were so rudely interrupted.
Leaning forward, I nuzzle her neck and whisper, “You’re gorgeous. Every inch of you is perfect.”
Lily pushes back, grabs my face, and captures my mouth in a languid kiss that causes goose bumps to explode along my arms before shooting down to make my cock twitch. When she feels it, Lily hums into my mouth and sashays against me like a naughty little minx.
Nipping at her bottom lip, I pull her flush against me before releasing her mouth.
“If we do this, that’s it, Lily,” I tell her, hoping she can hear the certainty in my voice. “You’re it for me. Do you understand me?”
Lily shudders in my arms before she places a chaste kiss over my heart. “Yes.”