Page 55 of Unwanted Fate

“You! Okay? I belong to you. I don’t want anyone else,” she sobs, and I pull her into a seated position, nestling her head into the crook of my neck and rubbing soothing circles on her back and arms. Her back shakes as she cries into my shoulder, her arms coming around my neck.

“Good girl,” I murmur against her hair. “You did so fucking good. You’re mine, Princess. You’ve always been mine. The same way I’m yours.”

I stand up, holding her in a bridal carry as I walk to the bathroom. I lean into the shower, turning the water on and waiting for it to heat up. Sofia in my arms, heaving sobs all the while. I kiss her head and promise her forever.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper into her curls. “I love every part of you. I’ll never make you feel less than again. You’re my goddess. My everything. I’ll show you that we are meant to be together. That even if fate hadn’t put us together, you would be everything I could have ever dreamed of. I’ll never take you for granted.”

I squeeze her closer, tighter against me.

“I won’t push you to accept my mark before you’re ready. But I won’t let you pretend that we don’t have something special either. Something worth fighting for.”

I step into the shower with Sofia still in my arms and stand there for I don’t know how long. Five minutes? An hour? I don’t care. All I know is that Sofia’s not crying anymore, but she’s not saying anything either.

“Can I put you down and get you washed up?”

She nods against me, and I drop her legs slowly, keeping my arms wrapped around her until I’m sure she’s steady on her feet. I’ve never seen Sofia like this. She’s usually such a force to be reckoned with.

I grab her shampoo, lathering it into my hands and massaging her scalp with careful fingers. Her little sigh of pleasure cracks open my chest.

“That’s nice,” she whispers. Her voice is low, barely louder than the water from the rainfall showerhead.

“I want to take care of you in every way. But you have to let me.”

“I’ll try. Is that enough?”

My heart stutters. “It’s more than enough. Just give me a chance. I won’t let you down again.”

She nods and turns to face me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She chews on her bottom lip for a few seconds before she pushes up and kisses me. Not the wild passion of our previous kisses. This one is powerful in its vulnerability and, damn, if it isn’t the best kiss yet.

This kiss is the start of our future together.

When she breaks it and pulls back to look at me, there’s some of that Sofia fire back in her eyes. She smirks at me and grabs the shower gel, pumping a healthy amount into her hands before working it into a lather and running her hands over my body. Making me groan when she washes my throbbing cock.

“Do I really not get to come again?” she asks.

“Bad girls and brats don’t get to come, but you took your punishment like such a good girl. Didn’t you?” She nods her head and bites her lip as she brings her soapy hands to my tight balls.

“And you said you’re going to try to let me take care of you?” I ask as I pluck one of her nipples, eliciting a groan from my girl.

“I will. I promise,” she whimpers.

“Okay, one more, but then I’m going to condition your hair, and I need to feed you. Now turn around and put your hands on the wall. Ass out, legs spread.”

She turns and positions herself as directed. Her ass has lost its red glow already. Stupid shifter healing. I need to buy us some toys that will leave a mark for longer. I bend her forward more, so her face is pressed against the tile wall. I grip the back of her neck with one hand as I guide my cock into her wet heat with the other hand.

“Don’t stop being a brat completely though, I love that part of you as much as this needy slut part.”

She whimpers, and her pussy flutters around me.

I don’t deserve her, but I’ll be fucked if I don’t do everything in my power to keep her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sofia

Fates, did I really just spend the last four hours naked with Luca? I finally convinced him to go to the kitchen after all his hovering—checking in, making sure I was warm enough, hydrated enough, satisfied enough. I told him I needed a few minutes to fix my hair, but really? I needed space.

Space to try to make sense of what the actual fuck just happened. And how I feel about it. Was it the best sex of my life? Definitely. Do I want to do it again? Undoubtedly. My body is already moving past the delicious soreness, and I want more. For the first time in my life, I almost wish I didn’t have shifter healing.