“What happens if you don’t return me as your father ordered?” she asked. Elira shivered in his arms and he knew that she understood what the consequences would be if he didn’t comply with his father’s wishes.
“My father has already sent his men after us. He has resources and sooner or later, he’ll catch up with us. We’ll have to leave here to be safe. We’ll have to leave Albania and go to America. I have friends there who will keep us safe.”
“We’ll have to leave our home?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m afraid it’s the only way.”
She nodded against his chest and God help him, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She smelled like the lilac shampoo that he got for her to bathe in. “And what will happen to me if you do as your father has requested and turn me back over to the monster who kept me in a cage for three months?” she asked.
“He’ll probably sell you off at another auction or worse, keep you locked in a cell and make an example out of you,” Llir said. Either option invoked a rage in him that made him want to hurt someone. He had killed men for less than what that asshole had done to Elira. She didn’t belong to Llir and making her his was going to be a giant fucking mistake, but he just didn’t want to think about the possibilities of letting her go. That wasn’t an option for him.
Elira looked up at him and the sadness in her eyes was nearly his undoing. Every time she looked at him, she tore his heart out. Hearing what she had been through made him hurt for her, and there wasn’t any way around leaving if he wanted to keep her. And he did want to keep her, more than he wanted his next breath.
“What will you do with me?” she asked. He knew he was playing with fire but he just didn’t give a fuck, he dipped his head and kissed her. Llir started the kiss soft and gentle but when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he couldn’t help the wild animal that roared to life inside of him. He licked and nipped at her lips until she opened for him and then he consumed her. He knew that her lips would be swollen from his attentions and that thought alone made him hard. He wanted her and not taking everything that she was offering from her wasn’t something that he was willing to do anymore. He was done denying himself. Llir broke the kiss, leaving her panting, eyes closed, looking sexy as fuck.
“I’m going to fuck you and make you mine. I’m going to mark you, consume you and when I’m done, you won’t have to ask me what I’m going to do with you next, Baby Girl. There is no way that my father’s men or that fucking monster who brought you to me will ever lay another finger on you—not while I draw breath. You have my promise and pledge to keep you safe, Elira.”
“Thank you, Llir,” she whispered. He lifted her against his body and carried her to the bed. They had spent countless nights laying next to each other in that very bed. He wanted her with every fiber of his being but never allowed himself to so much as touch her. Now, he was going to do so much more than just touch her. He was going to make her his and once that happened, there would be no going back. She’d be his forever.
“If we do this,” he started. Elira covered his mouth with her small, trembling hand.
“When we do this,” she corrected, smiling up at him.
He pulled her hand from his lips, and playfully bit her fingers. “When we do this,” he said. “You will be mine. I won’t let you go, Elira. Be sure that is what you want. My life isn’t an easy one. I know what it looks like from the outside looking in—I seem to have everything a man could ever want. But my life is marred with danger and betrayal. I have to constantly be on guard and you will be too if you say yes to me.”
She framed his face with her hands on either side of his cheeks and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, not even hesitating with her answer. “I want to be yours, Llir.”
“Thank fuck,” he breathed, laying her across the bed. Elira was finally agreeing to be his and there was no way that he’d wait another second to take her.
Elira
Llir had her pinned to the mattress, half-naked, and all she wanted to do was feel again. Being with him made her feel alive and even desired, and that felt pretty awesome. When he looked into her eyes the way he did, she could see everything he was feeling. Llir was an open book and the way he watched her, made her hot.
“You okay?” he asked, making sure that she was still with him.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine, Llir.”
“Then why do you look so sad?” he asked. She couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes. The last thing she wanted was him believing that she was sad or upset about what was going to happen between the two of them.
“Hey,” he breathed, thumbing her tears from her cheeks. She rested her hands on his bare chest and nodded.
“I’m fine, Llir,” she croaked.
“People who are fine don’t usually cry, Honey,” he challenged.
“It’s just that I wish this was my first time. I wish you could have been my first,” she whispered. “They took so much from me, but the worst was them taking my innocence. I was saving that for someone special.”
“I’m not special, Elira,” he breathed.
“Yes, you are,” she said, framing his face with her small hands. “I just wish you could have been my first. I’m damaged goods,” she said.
“No,” he almost shouted. “I don’t want you to say that again. You are not damaged. If it makes you feel any better, we can pretend that I’m your first, Honey,” he offered. Hearing him say that made her heartbeat a little faster.
“I’d like that,” she whispered against his lips. He rolled over and pulled her on top of his body, letting his hands freely roam her curvy ass. Her only experiences with men were forced and painful. They weren’t gentle with her, as Llir was being. The men who used her body without her permission didn’t make her feel wanted and desired. They made Elira feel disgusting and dirty. She didn’t want to please them the way that she wanted to please Llir—she just wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.
She sat up straddling his waist, his erection jutting against her ass. “Did I do something you don’t like?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Not at all. I’m just worried that I won’t do anything you like. I, um—well, I don’t have much experience when it comes to this kind of thing.” God, she sounded like a child. She wanted to run and hide in the bathroom and Llir seemed to notice her discomfort. He ran his hands around her body and held her in place.
“I wish I could erase everything that has been done to you. I know your first experiences with sex weren’t pleasant. But I’d like to show you a different side of things if you’ll let me,” he said.
“I need for you to tell me what to do,” she whispered. She looked his body over. “I’ve never touched a man before. The men who used me—I never touched them. They took what they wanted and left me in my cage when they were finished.”
“Baby,” Llir breathed. He pulled her down on top of his body and wrapped his big arms around her. Elira felt cocooned and completely safe with him which was crazy given how they met. They had only known each other for a few months and technically, Llir owned her. But he never made her feel that way. She had known evil men in her life and their eyes were always the dead giveaway. Elira believed you could tell a lot about a person when it came to their eyes. When Llir looked at her, she saw only kindness and compassion. Sure, she had also seen pity and even sadness, but she was certain of one thing—Llir would never hurt her.