'I Do' For Revenge-Chapter 234: Where You Ache The Most

"Don’t speak," I said in a low voice. "Just feel."

I pushed her gently until she fell back onto the plush duvet, her brown hair fanning out like a halo against the white sheets. She looked up at me with wide and dark eyes, filled with a mixture of desire and trust that made my chest ache. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The way her lashes fluttered, the slight part of her lips... it was all I could do not to devour her right then.

The moonlight streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows bathed her in a silver glow, turning the deep red of her dress into a pool of shadow.

It clung to her curves like a second skin, hinting at the treasures beneath, and I felt a wave of possessiveness deep inside me.

She was a vision... a queen... my queen.

And tonight, I would claim her in ways that went beyond words or vows.

I crawled over her, bracing my hands on either side of her head, caging her in. I wanted her to know, in no uncertain terms, that there was no escape, not that she wanted one.

Her hands came up to rest on my biceps, and it sent a thrill through me, even through my shirt. Her fingers flexed, testing the muscle there, and I imagined them digging in deeper soon enough.

"Axel," she whispered again, but this time it wasn’t a question. It was an invitation, filled with a breathy need that shot straight to my core.

"I need to see you," I murmured, my eyes tracing the line of her throat down to the swell of her breasts where the silk dipped low. The fabric strained against her, her nipples peaking faintly through the material, begging for attention. "All of you. I need to erase every memory of him, every memory of the fear... until the only thing you know is my hands. My mouth. My body owning yours."

I sat back on my heels, reaching for the zipper at the back of her dress. The sound of it unzipping was the loudest thing in the room. I peeled the fabric down, revealing inch after creamy inch of her skin, watching goosebumps rise in the wake of my touch.

Layla lifted her hips, helping me slide the dress down her legs until I could toss it onto the floor, leaving her exposed and vulnerable in the best way.

She lay before me in nothing but a scrap of lace panties and the gold locket Silas had given her, which rested between her breasts like a talisman from another life.

My breath caught in my throat.

I had seen her naked before. I had touched her before. But tonight felt different. Tonight, she wasn’t just my wife on paper; she was the partner I had chosen for the end of the world, the one who saw through my armor and still wanted me.

Her skin glowed in the moonlight, and I could already imagine the taste of her, the way she’d arch and moan under my ministrations.

"You are magnificent," I groaned, unable to keep the reverence out of my voice.

My gaze lingered on the flat of her belly, the flare of her hips, the way her thighs pressed together in anticipation.

I tore off my jacket, throwing it aside. My shirt followed, buttons flying in my haste... I didn’t care about the threads popping or the fabric ripping.

I needed skin-to-skin contact, needed the friction of her softness against my hardness. My pants strained uncomfortably, but I ignored it for now, focusing on her.

When I lowered my body onto hers, the contact was electric.

A shockwave went through me, grounding me and setting me on fire all at once. Her bare breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples hardening into tight peaks that rubbed against me with every breath.

Layla gasped, her back arching to meet me, her legs tangling with mine, pulling me impossibly closer.

"You’re warm," she sighed, burying her face in the crook of my neck, inhaling sharply. "You smell like... safety. Like pine and spice, and something darker, something that’s just you."

"I am your safety," I swore, pressing a kiss to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. "And I am your danger. Tonight, I’m everything... your protector, your lover, your undoing." My voice was rough, edged with the hunger I could barely contain.

I captured her lips in a kiss, my tongue sweeping into her mouth, claiming her breath as my own. She tasted like wine and sweetness, her tongue meeting mine in a dance that grew more urgent by the second.

My hands roamed over her curves, memorizing the dip of her waist, the softness of her hip, and the tension in her thighs. Her body was like a map I had been dying to explore, and I was determined to leave no territory unmarked, to mark her with my touch until she forgot everything else.

She wasn’t passive.

Her nails dug into my shoulders, scraping lightly down my back, sending sparks of pleasure-pain that made me growl into her mouth.

Her hips moved in a rhythm that matched the pounding of my heart, grinding against me, teasing the hardness pressing against her through my pants.

She was fire, just as I had told her. A wildfire that I had foolishly thought I could contain, only to realize I wanted to let it consume me entirely.

"Axel, please," she whimpered, her hands sliding down my back to grip my waist, her fingers dipping just under the waistband, tugging insistently.

"Patience, my love," I whispered against her skin, trailing kisses down her jawline to the sensitive pulse point of her throat.

I felt her heart beating there, erratic and fast, matching my own. I nipped gently at the skin, soothing it with my tongue, tasting the salt of her sweat. "We have all night. And I intend to use every second of it, to make you beg, to make you shatter."

I moved lower, intent on worshipping her, intent on showing her that while I might be a manipulator, a liar, and a ruthlessly cold businessman... for her, I was just a man on his knees, desperate to please.

My mouth found her collarbone, then the swell of her breast, lingering there with soft kisses that made her breath hitch.

My hands slid down her sides, my thumbs grazing the curve of her hips.

I felt her shiver beneath my touch, a tremor that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. It was desire, pure and unfiltered, and it fueled my own.

"You’re trembling," I observed as I circled one nipple with my tongue without touching yet.

"I’m not cold," she managed to say, sounding breathless, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I know," I replied, looking up to meet her gaze through my lashes. Her eyes were hooded, lips swollen from our kisses. "You’re anticipating. Your body’s already responding." I blew a soft breath over her damp skin, watching her nipple tighten further.

"Is that arrogance talking, Mr. O’Brien?" she teased weakly, though her fingers were tightening in my hair, guiding me closer.

"It’s experience," I countered. "I know your body, Layla. I know how you react when I touch you here." I brushed my thumb over her hip bone, pressing firmly. "And here."

My hand drifted inward, skimming the edge of the lace, feeling the heat radiating from her core. I cupped her gently through the fabric, and she bucked against my palm, a soft moan escaping.

"Axel..." Her head fell back against the pillow, exposing her throat, and I leaned up to kiss it again, sucking lightly to leave a faint mark.

"Tell me what you want," I demanded softly, my fingers tracing lazy patterns over the lace, feeling her grow damper beneath my touch.

"I want you," she said, her voice breaking on the words.

"Too vague," I murmured, leaning down to kiss the soft skin of her stomach, nuzzling against the slight quiver there. "Be specific. We’re couples, aren’t we? Couples communicate. Tell me exactly how you want me to touch you, where you ache the most."

"I want you to stop teasing me," she gasped, her hips lifting toward my hand.

"I haven’t even started teasing you yet," I whispered against her skin. "I’m just admiring the view, savoring how you respond to me."

I hooked my fingers into the lace of her panties, slowly peeling them down her thighs, exposing her fully. The scent of her arousal hit me, intoxicating, and I had to clench my jaw to maintain control.

I paused, taking a moment just to look at her. In the moonlight, she looked magical, her folds glistening, and her body flushed with need.

For a fleeting second, the guilt of how our marriage started pricked at me, the manipulation, the hotel room, and the chess moves, but I shoved it down.

I would spend the rest of my life making it up to her. Starting now, with every kiss, and caresses.

"Beautiful," I breathed. "So wet for me already."

"You’re making me shy," she whispered, trying to cover herself with her hands, her cheeks flushing a deeper pink.

I caught her wrists gently, pinning them to the mattress above her head with one hand. "Don’t hide from me. Never hide from me. I want to see everything, every flush, every quiver."