Page 125 of Cruel When He Smiles

Natesubmits,andfuck,it’s beautiful.

It’s not forced or out of reluctance. No—this time, he chooses it. His muscles lose their tight coil, his spine softens, his fists unclench, and I feel the moment he stops holding back and lets me in.

There’s a particular high that comes with breaking someone. I’ve ridden it more times than I can count. But this isn’t that; this is deeper. It doesn’t buzz through my veins; it settles in my chest, heavy, warm, and all-consuming.

Because he didn’t cave.

Hechoseme.

He chosethis.

So, I decide to reward him.

“Oh, there’s my good boy.”

A soft, helpless sound slips past his lips, something caught between a whimper and a sigh, something that makes my blood run hot.

I drag my fingers down his throat, over his collarbone, tracing his skin. His body reacts without thought, head tilting slightly, and lips parting. That subtle little instinct makes me smirk.

“See?” I murmur, feeling how his pulse hammers against my fingertips. “All you had to do was let go and trust me.”

His throat bobs as he swallows. “Liam—”

“Shhh.” My thumb brushes over his bottom lip, pressing down just slightly, watching the way his breath catches. “Let me take care of you tonight, okay?”

A tiny, breathless whimper slips from his throat, and my stomach tightens.

All of it is mine.

And then, in the smallest voice he whispers, “Thank you.”

I pause, and my eyes widen. That was real. Just pure fucking gratitude.

“Why are you thanking me, Pup?” I whisper, gently brushing the hair from his forehead.

He holds my eyes, his green eyes hazy and soft. “For looking after me. I was… I was just scared,” he whispers. “I didn’t know what this meant. Didn’t know whatwemeant.”

His voice is honest in a way I’ve never heard before, stripped of the armor he usually hides behind. There’s no fire, and no bite. That trust is dangerous. It coils around my throat tighter than a hand ever could, making me want to protect it with the same viciousness I use to ruin things.

I brush my lips over his, making him chase the contact. “You don’t have to know what this means right now,” I whisper. “You don’t have to figure out what we are tonight. You just have to let me be the one who keeps you steady when you can’t do it yourself.”

I feel the shaky breath he exhales. For all the times I’ve imagined him yielding, I never thought it would feel like this—heavy in my chest instead of just hot in my veins.

“Liam,” he breathes, and fuck if that doesn’t make my chest ache. “Please.”

When I kiss him again, it’s deeper,slower. His mouth parts under mine, soft and unsure, and I take my time. I explore the shape of his lips, the taste of his tongue, the way he gasps when I suck gently on his bottom lip. His hands leave the sheets, sliding up my arms, gripping at my biceps; he’s still unsure what to do with this side of me. The one who touches him like he’s something precious.

That makes two of us.

I slip my hand lower, fingers skimming his bare skin underneath the shirt he’s wearing—my shirt—and feel the goosebumps that rise in their wake. His body is so fucking responsive, every breath, every tiny movement telling me exactly what he needs without him having to say a word. But I don’t rush him. I don’t shove him onto his stomach and take what I want, and I don’t force him into a pace he isn’t ready for.

I know he’s still sore, and the injury leaves him moving slower than usual. I’m careful too, because I want this to be something he remembers when he’s back to bristling at me, when the brat comes out again.

I ease the hem of the shirt up, and his skin is bared in slow inches. He lifts his arms a little to help, but his eyes stay on mine, waiting to see what I’ll do next. I don’t break eye contact, even when I pull the shirt over his head, because I want him to feel seen in every second of this.

“You’re beautiful like this,” I murmur, my hand sliding over the ink on his waist, fingers tracing the outline of the black panther etched into his skin. “Especially this.”

I drag my thumb along the curve of the cat’s jaw, the detail inked so well it almost feels alive under my touch. I press my mouth to the spot, kissing along the length of that predator, and he shivers.