Her throat tightened, words lodging there. She wanted to deny him, to spit back that she wasn't his possession. But the way his arms enclosed her, the way his voice carved into her heart, left her too raw and too shaken to refute anything, after all, she had seen what his love could do...
Instead, she whispered brokenly, "You'll destroy me if you keep holding this tightly… what if all my bones break because of how tight you hold me?"
His hand smoothed over her damp hair, his lips brushing against her temple in a whisper-soft kiss. "Then I'll destroy you gently, until you no longer resist and accept this fate.."
Her knees weakened, her body betraying her pride, leaning into him even as her heart screamed in defiance.
For a moment, silence reigned, save for the muffled sound of her uneven breaths against his chest. And then he pulled back just enough to study her face, his thumb brushing the lingering tears from her cheeks.
