Chapter 53 - Kiss My Bruises

André lifted her tied hand, the silk cravat digging faintly into her delicate skin. His lips pressed against her knuckles, slow and lingering, as if he were kissing away pain he had caused himself. Each kiss was tender, reverent, deliberate. He traced his mouth along her bruised wrist, gentle like a lover making an apology. His breath was warm against her skin, his eyes burning with obsession masked as devotion. Every soft kiss carried a dangerous sweetness, like poison hidden in honey, promising both comfort and ruin.