Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)

by Lauren Roberts

But I crave the sound of my name on his tongue. I want him to shout it from a rooftop, whisper it in my ear, trace it on my skin. I want my name to form a familiar shape in his mouth, tasting of my lips. I want him to own my name and still beg when he says it. Or maybe I just want him.

He says my name like it’s been on the tip of his tongue, whispered into every breath he’s taken. “Paedyn.” Then he opens his arms. A quiet sob slips past my lips as I crawl into his lap. Strong arms fold around me before I bury my face in his bare chest. He runs a hand down my short hair, holding my neck as I shake against him. “He didn’t ruin you, Pae,” he murmurs against my ear. The nickname sends a tear rolling down my cheek to splatter his chest.

He reaches over and gently flicks the tip of my nose, making me giggle in a way I didn’t know I could. “Plagues, I love that sound,” he murmurs, making me fall silent. “I would tattoo it into my skin if it meant you’d laugh at me for doing it.” “And I would,” I say quietly. He chuckles before his lips press against my forehead, the kiss soft and sweet. Then he pulls me closer as I turn my back to him, allowing an arm to hook around my waist. “Try not to dream of me, Pae,” he whispers against my ear. “You first, Prince.”

Looking down at me, she begins threading the flowers into my hair. A smile parts her lips, the type that is concerningly contagious. “Making me pretty, Pae?” She rolls her eyes. “As if you need help with that.” As soon as the words leave her mouth, she’s pressing her lips together, regret coating her face. I smile at her in the way I know she likes, making her huff in annoyance. “I always knew you thought I was pretty.” “Plagues,” she mutters. “Tell me,” I say smoothly, running a lazy hand up and down her side, “how is it that you’ve been able to resist me for this long?”

Her laugh alone could cure the most corrupted parts of me, and that is exactly what it’s done since the day I met her.

this is pure gold

“Maybe cocky bastards just aren’t my type.” “Then tell me who you want me to be for you.”

omg

“Please just hate me.” A pause. “Asshole.” Under different circumstances, I would have laughed. But instead, I breathe, “Why?” She shuts her eyes. “Because it is easier that way. Easier to stay enemies than become anything more.” I take a deep breath. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

She shakes her head, having found her voice. “Don’t do that to me. Don’t go hiding under one of your masks so you can pretend not to see this.” I run my hands through disheveled hair, shaking my head. “You want me without a mask?” Her voice is strained. “That is the only way I want you, Kai Azer.”

“You always have a choice,” she says harshly. “Not in the life I was born into. The missions I’m sent on.” I’m practically panting as the words tumble from my mouth. “You.” She hesitates. “Me?” “Yes, you. Something else I’ve always had a thing for.” I let out a bitter laugh. “I had no choice in the matter. Do you think I could have stopped it if I tried?” She shakes her head at me. “Stop what?” CHAPTER 46 Paedyn “Stop myself from falling in love with you!”

OH SHITTTTTT

“Dammit, the minute you threw a dagger at my head, I knew I was done for. There was no longer a before you, only what I wanted with you.”

“Out here I am Kai and nothing more.” His throat bobs. “Out here I am powerless. A monster without an ability to hide behind. An Enforcer free from his masks. A man shouting his love for a woman.”

“Tell me you hate me, and I’ll still count every heartbeat, every freckle, every shiver of your body, if only you say it with a smile.” He backs away, freeing my face from his hands. “I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I’ll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you’ll break me. So, if even a sliver of your soul longs for mine, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it.”

awwwww

“Maybe you really are a poet,” I whisper. He smiles softly. “Or just a fool for you.” “Pretend?” My voice is small, soft like the breeze blowing through my short hair. “Never.” “None of it?” I ask quietly. “Darling”—he smiles—“I have never had to pretend to want you.”

awww

“I…” Words I thought I would never say are suddenly caught in my throat. “I forgive you, Kai. I think I might have a while ago. Because I can forgive you for what you didn’t even know you were doing.” His eyes flutter closed in relief.

“Oh, but you are my undoing. My deliverance. My downfall disguised as a deity.” Another slow step. “You are my ruin.” I’m dazed, unable to do anything but let a smile tug at my lips. “Call us even. Call me crazy. I don’t care. Just…” His eyes are pleading, brimming with emotion. “Just call me yours.”

EATING THIS UPPP GAH HAD TO SCREAM IN MY PILLOW

“Flicking my nose,” I repeat simply. “Something I’ve always had a thing for. Among others, of course.” Understanding lights his eyes as a slow smile spreads across his lips, accompanied by dimples on either side. “Go on, darling.” “That reminds me.” I nod. “Calling me ‘darling.’ Cocky bastards. Long, dark eyelashes…” I could melt from the heat in his gaze. “Knowing what I need exactly when I need it. Ripping my dresses. Dimples that make me—” In a single step, he’s closed the distance between us and pulled my mouth to his.

i love yall down.

I pull away just far enough to pant, “Have you really counted my freckles?” “All twenty-eight of them,” he breathes before kissing me hard. “Though, you might have more now from the sun.” Another quick kiss. “I’ll have to do a recount.”