Page 143 of Betrayal and Vows

So fragile.

I nearly lost her.

She would have never survived Mikhail.

When I lay her down on our nest of quilts, I hover over her, drinking in the sight of her blonde hair spread across the handmade blanket. Her blue eyes are dark with want but soft with trust.

"I love you," I breathe against her lips before claiming them.

This kiss is different from all the others. Deeper. More desperate. Like I'm trying to pour my entire soul into her through this connection.

I have nothing to offer her.

Nothing but my heart.

Her good arm wraps around my neck, pulling me closer.

I'm careful of her injury, supporting my weight on my forearms as I settle between her thighs.

She's already reaching for my shirt. I help her push it off my shoulders.

When skin meets skin, we both gasp.

The sensation is electric. I trail kisses down her throat, across her chest, mapping every inch of her with my mouth.

She arches beneath me. Her soft body molds against mine.

"Anton, please."

"I want to take my time with you," I murmur against her skin. "We have nowhere to be,solnyshko. Let me love you."

And I do.

With hands that have only known violence, I touch her with infinite gentleness. With lips that have spoken only harsh words, I whisper soft devotions. Every movement is deliberate, reverent, designed to show her exactly how precious she is to me.

When we finally join together, it's with a tenderness that makes my chest ache.

She gasps my name, her fingers digging into my shoulders as I move slowly with more gentleness than I have ever given before.

"I'm not fragile," she breathes against my ear.

"You are to me," I whisper back. "You're everything to me."

We move together in a perfect symphony of love and tenderness.

Two broken souls finding wholeness in each other.

This moment only the two of us matter. The rest of the world can fuck off.

I’m with my woman.

When she falls apart in my arms, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed.

And when I follow her over the edge, I know with absolute certainty this woman is my salvation.

Afterward, we lie tangled together.

Her head rests on my chest, my fingers stroking through her hair.