She thought she could turn him away? He was made of stronger stuff than that. It was time to turn his back on his marriage. That had been crap but he’d seen real love. He saw it when his father looked at his mother. And he fucking saw it in the mirror because he was in love with her and that wouldn’t stop. It was a terminal condition. He would love her forever. “It doesn’t matter because I love you.”
“Derek, you don’t understand. It was bad. My rehab was awful. I couldn’t keep anything down for days. I wanted to die.”
“I’m glad you didn’t because I love you.” There was only one truth and he was going to make her believe.
“When Kevin found me I was living in a house where they cooked meth and ran drugs, and I was two steps away from selling my body because I didn’t care. The drugs were all that mattered.”
He pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. She was his love. So brave. So smart. “I love you.”
Slowly, so slowly, her arms wrapped around him and they were together in a way they had never been before. Halves of a whole. He was the boy who had everything and still felt hollow and she was the girl with nothing who had so much to give.
Together they were complete.
She started talking. She told him about how alone she’d felt, how she’d been kicked to the curb at seventeen and found herself in a meth house. She’d had nowhere to go, but somehow she’d helped the people around her. She talked about the deal she’d made with Kevin. It sounded easy, but he knew damn well how much strength it had taken.
She’d conquered something so few people ever did. She’d faced it and come out stronger. Her words made him think she thought less of herself because she needed to go to meetings and talk, but he was in awe of her resilience.
Karina fell silent, her head against his chest. After a long moment, she spoke in hesitating tones. “Derek, I understand if you need to think about it.”
“Marry me.” He didn’t need to think about it. He loved her. He needed her to react emotionally before she really thought about the fact that he didn’t deserve her. He would worship the ground she walked on, would feel blessed for every day he lived with her.
“Derek? Did you hear a word I said?”
Brat. Little fucking brat. Did she think he’d drifted and decided that the only way he could appease her was to ask her to marry him? She’d walked out naked. She’d meant something by that. She’d offered her submission by offering her body. “Knees, Karina.”
She slid off his lap, getting to her knees in front of him. He touched her hair and forced her to look at him.
“Karina, listen to me and listen well. I love you. I want you to marry me. I want you to call me husband in front of the world and Master in our safe places. I want you to trust that I will always take care of you.”
“I love you, Derek. Master. I love you but for a long time that felt wrong because I loved him, too.”
“I’m not asking you to forget about him. Tell me your stories, but, baby you have to let me be a part of them.” It was so hard to remember. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “No, baby. I’m sorry. He called me that and I felt guilty because I wanted you to call me that more than anything. I loved Kevin. I did. But I’ve never wanted a man the way I want you.”
“That’s good because god knows I want you.” His cock pulsed and there was no way he left her alone for the night. “How much do your arms hurt, baby?”
Her lips curled into a sexy grin. “I don’t think you’ll be tying me up for a few weeks, but I can handle whatever else you want to throw at me, Master.”
“I’m glad you said that because I’m dying here. Help me out.”
Her hands went to the fly of his jeans. She made quick work of the button, releasing his cock. Her hand went around him, holding him in a tight grip. His girl wasn’t tentative. She knew what he liked and she gave it to him. He liked her rough, strong, giving as much as she took.
Yeah, he’d been an idiot and he’d wasted so much time, but he wasn’t going to waste another second. She stroked him, her eyes on his dick as she licked her lips. That made him feel about twelve feet tall. “You’re going to marry me, baby.”
“Yes I am,” she replied. “I’m going to marry you because I love you and you keep a really clean house.”
Brat. “I would spank you if you hadn’t already been through hell.”
Her eyes came up as she licked the head of his cock. “I think you can come up with a way to make me feel better. I know I can make you forget about our crappy night.”