The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(51)

“Shh.” Disco didn’t stop, continuing down my body, leaving kisses along the way. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll never hurt you again. I swear.”


My entire body was shaking when he parted my thighs and took the place I once adored between my legs. He enjoyed going down on me—always had—until the night I’d f*cked it all up. Until then, I had relished his expertise. Now, it was something I dreaded. A reminder of my betrayal, something I’d done to ease another’s pain that had torn us apart.

“Gabriel.” My teeth were chattering, desire warring with terror. “Wait.”

“Shh,” he repeated and lifted his eyes. Our gazes met and he reminded me, “We’re together now. Nothing else matters.” He licked me in the next breath, all the way from bottom to top, taking his time. Then he closed his eyes, inhaled, and growled, “You’re mine. Only mine.”

I had a cheesy comeback, something along the lines of, “I always have been,” when his lips closed over my clit. The man was a master with his tongue, looping circles around the bundle of nerves before flicking the area with fast motions. My anxiety settled as he licked and sucked, allowing me to relax and enjoy his oral worship as I once had. As soon as my thighs went soft, parting wider to give him more room, he gave a hum of approval.

The vocal vibration caused the heat in my abdomen to build. Butterflies in my stomach became licks of fire. It has been so long since I’d fallen over the cliff, since I tumbled into ecstasy. If I’d had claws, the sheets would have been shredded.

I raked my nails over the linens, over and over again, in harmony with the deliciously smooth and hard rasps of his tongue. He waggled his head, humming as he paid attention to my clitoris, and pressed two fingers inside me. I jerked when he brushed the pads of his fingers against my G-Spot, gasping for air. Knowing he’d found the right spot, he moved the digits a come-hither motion. He applied pressure, moving in a steady pace, using his wrist to time the thrusts.

I screwed my eyes shut, grabbed a pillow next to my head, and wailed into it as I came long and hard. Even though the sound was muffled, it was still loud enough to please my lover. He continued lapping at me, extending my release for as long as possible, prolonging the moment as much as he could. When the tingles zinging through my body subsided, he softened his touch, cleaning me gently.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured against my twitching thigh, rubbing his chin along the muscle. “It’s been agony staying away.”

“Me too.” I had missed him, more and more each day. The anger I had felt was gone. There was only love, acceptance, and absolution. I would always remember what he had done, but I had found it in my heart to forgive and move forward. He wasn’t the only person at fault. What transpired was a series of horrible events that spiraled out of control.

A thought came out of nowhere.

Had the amulet bolstered my feelings of resentment? Making it impossible to let go of the past? My feelings were so different now, no longer guided by hatred.

He moved from the bed, discarded the remainder of his clothing and crawled up my body. He left kisses along the way, brushing his lips along the scars on my abdomen, his mouth skimming across my breasts and along my collarbones. I rested my hands on his arms, comforted by his nearness, eager for his touch. When we were chest to chest, he placed his hands on each side of my body, rose above me, and gazed down.

A lot can be communicated through the eyes—if a person is remorseful, if they are in pain, if they are happy. I couldn’t see myself through his gaze, but I thought Disco could view my feelings on the surface as I witnessed his. There was definitely love and hope. There was also a healthy dose of lust and need. His fangs had descended, the tips resting against his lip. His blue eyes were darker than normal. We remained just like that as he shifted his legs, placed the tip of his cock against my sex, and pressed inside.

Connection. Need. Want. Desire. Devastation. Loss.


Fear.

We both felt those things as we came together, becoming one. Disco had opened the mark between us, allowing us to share our emotions, so there was no barrier, no secrets. In that moment I understood the magnitude of his regret for what he’d done. It wasn’t as simple as being angry at me or Paine. Yes, he’d been jealous. But he’d also been furious.

With himself.

If he’d cared for me as he should have—if he’d never let me leave the morning I’d made a bargain to sever his debt to a demon—none of the horrible things I’d faced would have transpired. He felt responsible. As my lover, it was his place to protect me. He’d failed. And knowing that chipped away at him.

As he filled me completely, stretching me to take his cock until I could feel him nudge the softness of my womb, I knew I’d finally found the place I was meant to be.

“I was a fool consumed by jealousy.” Disco didn’t move, keeping us locked together, as close as a man and a woman could be. “What I did was wrong. I’ve agonized over it. Every single night I wished I could take it back and do things differently. Forgive me for taking things too far.”

I brought my hands up and cupped his face. “I already have.”

And I had. Holding on to my fury, devastation, and betrayal held no place for either of us. Loving him meant I had to take a risk, to jump into a freefall and trust he’d be waiting with open arms to catch me.