Page 59 of Ugly Truths (The Veiled Truths Trilogy #2)

My hands find the edge of her skirt, hiking it over her hips to reveal the panties hugging her perfect ass. Scars disappear and reappear around the edges of the fabric. I nudge her heels apart with my foot, and she shifts obediently, granting me the space I need.

I admire the view and squeeze the base of my cock.

Pressing my chest to her back, my fingers slide between her legs and over the soaked material that hides what I want. I have to stifle another groan. “All this for me?”

A soft whimper escapes her lips in our silence as I apply just a hint of pressure. She's such a good listener like this. Always willing to take whatever I give her.

My thumbs hook into the sides of the panties, yanking them down her legs until they reach her knees. Only then do I use the tip of my shoe to press them down to her ankles and fit my cock to the seam of her ass. A tremor racks her body.

I pull back just enough to line myself up, savoring the wet heat that greets my tip. With a firm hand, I guide myself home in one long stroke. Her cheek falls to the cool surface of the desk, fogging up the shiny wood as she tries to contain her initial moan.

Fucking stunning.

My rhythm is sudden and punishing, needing to feel her grip and slide around me like I need my next breath.

Elena’s body glides up and down the desk before she plants her hands firmly on the opposite edge, bracing herself and pressing back into my strokes.

The champagne glass chimes faintly, vibrating with the movements.

When I pull her back and impale her fully on my cock, her mouth opens in a silent scream.

I curse, stars dancing behind my eyelids, trying to think of anything to stop myself from emptying into her too soon.

My fingers dig into her flesh as I touch every part of her.

But even as I grab her ass, her hips, her thighs—whatever I can reach—I'm not sure I’ll ever be fully satisfied unless I'm living under her skin like a parasite.

Hooking a hand under Elena’s ribs, I pull her up until her back is flush against my chest. She obeys, allowing me to take whatever I need. One of her arms loops around the back of my neck to draw me down until our mouths meet over her shoulder.

My hands greedily roam up and down her sides, kneading her breasts through the thin fabric of her dress and bra. Each little gasp Elena lets escape only fuels me further.

I raise a hand to her throat, my middle finger and thumb clamping just below where her jaw hinges so she can't even think about looking away. “Eyes, Lena,” I demand on a hiss. “I want to watch you.”

She inhales shakily, her breath mingling with mine, and that small, vulnerable noise completely shatters any pretense of restraint I have left as I roll my hips and drive up, plunging in and out.

“You're always so good for me.” The words come out in a harsh whisper. Her neck bobs against my palm when she swallows. “Do you feel how well you take me? It’s perfect.” Her eyes are locked on mine, mouth slightly agape, spellbound.

The fingers near my neck curl into the base of my hair.

Goosebumps erupt just as the tingle sets down my spine and into my balls. “Fuck—you’re perfect.”

Elena fights to keep her eyes open, those beautiful cheeks flushed with the effort of holding back her sounds as her walls clench around me like a vice, hurling me over the edge with her. My vision goes white as she shudders, milking my cock with each convulsion of pleasure.

I release her jaw and chase the tail end of our highs, fingers finding her clit through her dress to lure every last drop of it out of both of us before eventually stilling inside her.

My forehead topples forward to rest against her neck, and I struggle to catch my breath. Her chest heaves. Neither of us moves. We just stay there, tangled and silent and sated.

This is the only celebration I wanted .

While my heartbeat has finally started to slow, the throb of her pulse is still so pronounced that it brushes against my lips with each delicious beat. I can't help but lazily descend on the vein, drawing the tender skin into my mouth, teeth grazing the surface before gently sinking in.

Elena's head lolls, granting me unrestricted access to the expanse of her throat. My arms slide up her body, tracing lines across her chest and stomach, pulling her even tighter to me.

She laughs softly as I work up to the sensitive space just below her ear, leaning harder into me with each bite and kiss. The sound of her breathy giggle and the scent of her skin overwhelm me just as my thoughts converge into a moment of intense clarity.

I’m keeping Elena Cross.

The calm that washes over me is visceral and fast, seeping into me until it settles in the center of my chest.

The remaining fragments of resentment I’ve been worried about suddenly seem so small. Insignificant, even. They barely matter when nothing outweighs the way this feels.

I’m going to take it, even though I don’t deserve it.

Not after everything I ignored and rationalized.

For all of the ways I made excuses for my father’s decisions, thinking it was for the greater good.

Elena saw my father for who he was, what he did, what I allowed, and she’s still here, wrapped around me like I’m worth something.

She’s flawed. No question. Complicated, guarded, but wholly good.

It’s in everything she does, even when she’s not trying.

I shouldn’t be allowed that kind of good, but I’m a selfish bastard, and if the way to keep her here is to let her believe I’m worth the risk, then so be it.

I’ll manipulate her commitment to winning me back if I have to.

Anything to stop her from realizing that she’s better off without me.

“Christ, I love you,” I murmur, nose skimming the red mark I just left behind.

It’s only the third time I’ve said it out loud to her.

The first was raw and frantic, thrown out like a lifeline the night she left.

The second came just the other week, whispered as she held me together, still laced with unease even as it slipped free.

But this time, it feels right. No fear. No desperation.

Just truth.

The breath Elena releases sounds like it came from the depths of her soul. She turns her head, a hand sliding from my nape to the side of my chin to lift my gaze to hers. The way she looks at me is like—God, is that the way I look at her?

Her fingers slide gently up and down my stubble. “Careful,” she answers, scanning my expression from top to bottom. “Saying things like that will get my hopes up.”

My heart begins to pound again, but there’s no hesitation in my movements as I place my mouth against her ear.

“Let me be very clear about what I mean.” My voice is deathly quiet, so she has to listen to every single word.

“There is no place on this earth, no dark corner or safe haven where you can ever hide from me again.” Elena’s entire body stiffens.

“I’ll drag you back here by your hair, kicking and screaming if I have to. This is it. There is nothing else.”

A tremor wracks her body. I pull back to find tears shining in her eyes. She arches an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth kicking up as she only says one word in return.

“Promise?”