She studies me closely, picking apart every detail that makes up my face. My hair has grown, and my beard has thickened, but I wonder if she can see someone different beyond my appearance.
Can she see a man falling in love with a little thief? Can she see that I don’t want to but will submit to it anyway? Just as I’m submitting to her now.
“You’re not the one who broke me, either,” she whispers finally, settling back onto my eyes.
“No, but that didn’t stop me from trying.”
I reach out and grab her hand, enraptured by how tiny it is compared to my own. How delicate and soft she is on the outside, but on the inside, she’s a force to be reckoned with.
She’s so goddamn resilient.
She’s better than me—stronger than me.
I wanted to take all her broken pieces, and fucking shatter them—turn them into dust so she could never be whole again.
I realize now how foolish it was when I could take those pieces and give them a home amongst my own.
“You are good enough, Sawyer. You’re nothing like I said you were, and everything I said you weren’t. You’re strong and brave, and above all else, you’re admirable.”
Her eyes become glassy, and she looks away, blinking rapidly while crooking her finger beneath her eye. “Can you, like, not make me cry right now, please? I’m trying to look like a badass.”
The corner of my lip tips up. She makes me smile, too, but that’s something I’d rather show her than tell her.
“Will you forgive me, bella?” I ask, my tone hushed.
She refocuses on me, her eyes not any less wet. “No,” she declares, but the corners of her mouth curl, and there’s a mischievous glint swirling in the depths of her irises.
“I want you to kiss my favorite toe first.”
I quirk a brow, and she lifts her left foot and points to her pinkie toe. “Kiss it, Enzo.”
I lick my lips, curling my bottom lip between my teeth as I sweep my gaze back up to her. Her mouth parts when she notes the heat in my eyes.
“If worshiping you is what you ask, I’d be happy to spend the rest of my life on my knees,” I tell her, my voice dipped so low, it’s nearly unrecognizable.
Her throat bobs as she works to swallow while I grab her dainty foot, bringing it to my lips. Gently, I kiss her pinkie toe, feeling her shiver beneath me.
Then, I replace my lips with my teeth, delivering a soft bite and earning a gasp. She will bring me to my knees, and I will bring her pain.
For extra measure, I kiss the other four, too, before straightening my spine and meeting her stare. Her pupils are dilated, and her chest heaves as she drops her foot, attempting to appear collected.
But I can still smell her sweet cunt, and how it weeps for me.
“I don’t forgive you yet,” she says quietly.
I keep silent, feeling the challenge weaved in her statement. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be so easy, and it only makes me want to dig my knees further into the ground and stay in this place until she allows me to stand.
“Would you like me to crawl to you, bella?” I question, gravel lining my throat. “Bow at your feet and find a home beneath you? Or would you like to climb onto my back, where I will serve you and take you to places with a point of your finger?”
“Would you?” she volleys back, lifting off the table and circling me until she’s at my back. I keep still, though I can feel her every move, every breath. “Would you cater to my every need, no matter what I ask of you?”
“You will need for nothing, amore mio. Ti darò tutto.”
I hear her sharp intake of breath, then feel her coming closer, bending at the waist until warmth fans across my ear. My fists curl, clenching tightly to abate the need to grab her by the hair and fling her over my shoulder so I can show her just how well I will cater to her.
“Good boy,” she whispers, her voice sultry and teasing.
My bottom lip rolls beneath my teeth again, and I bite hard while my cock thickens. A growl forms deep in my chest, but she knows I won’t unleash it. Not until she asks me to.
Standing, she circles around until she’s before me once more, and there’s softness around the corners of her eyes. She’s at peace, and I hadn’t realized how much I needed to see that.
“Does this mean you’re going to be nice to me now?” she asks, giving me another mischievous smile.
I feel my lips twitch again, but I manage to refrain. I do plan on giving her everything, just not today.
“I will never be nice to you, bella ladra,” I swear, raking my eyes over her profile. Her nipples are pebbled beneath her ratty t-shirt, and a flush forms low on her neck, traveling up to her cheeks.