Read Dark Redemption (Broken Souls #1) Online
Authors: Sarah Marsh
He leaned down to kiss her because she couldn’t have given him a better answer. This entire thing between them was crazy. It wasn’t rational, or easy…but it was real. Eitan felt that in every fiber of his being. That day Maddy had suggested he’d meet a woman who could save him from the path he’d been going down, he hadn’t been able to believe in fairy tales anymore. The world had shown him too much darkness. But perhaps she’d been right all along and he’d just been waiting for Sofia to find him.
“There are things about me, Sofia,” he said softly against her lips. “Things I’ve done that may change the way you feel about me, but you need to know who I am.”
“Shhh…it doesn’t matter, Eitan,” she whispered back. “That was who you
were
, and I see exactly the kind of man you are. I
feel
it.”
Eitan had once read a quote, “Love is without reason,” and he’d never really understood it until now. Sofia was taking a leap of faith, deciding to trust her instincts about him, and he wouldn’t be a coward, he would do the same for her.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said, taking her hand and leading her through the dark room. He turned the music off as he walked by.
“But I’m not tired,” she teased, letting him lead her.
“Neither am I,” Eitan answered with a grin as he gently pushed her back onto the bed and crawled on after her.
He wanted to take his time savoring every inch of Sofia tonight. He hoped this was the beginning of the rest of his life. That because of this surprising woman, he might have a chance of sleeping through a night without having nightmares about the things he saw every day. That somehow, he still deserved a little bit of happiness.
***
Sofia saw the shadow of pain cross over Eitan’s face for a moment and she gently cupped his cheek.
“Hey, where did you go just now?” she asked softly, running her fingers through his thick hair.
“Nowhere I want to be while I have you naked in bed with me,” he replied, kissing her gently at first, then delving deeper when she groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him fully on top of her.
His hands slowly stroked over her skin as if he was memorizing every curve. He teased her with fleeting passes over her breasts and up her inner thighs. When she finally groaned into his mouth and moved her hands to direct his he gently grabbed her wrists and held them above her head.
“Uh uh. Remember you take what I give you, Sof,” he murmured, kissing and licking his way down her neck and chest until he slowly wrapped his lips around one hard nipple and sucked it into his mouth.
Sofia could feel his cock, hard and already leaving a wet trail along her thigh as his hips moved against her. She wanted him so badly, her pussy was wet and aching for the feel of his body inside of hers.
“Please, Eitan,” she whimpered when he moved to settle his hips against hers. “Oh God, yes, that feels so amazing.”
He threaded his fingers through hers and slowly rubbed his throbbing shaft along her folds, caressing her swollen clit on every stroke. He watched her like she was the first woman he’d ever seen and she loved how intense his gaze was. Eitan dropped more of his weight onto her and ground himself against her. Sofia had a feeling she was going to be sore tomorrow, but it felt so damn good she couldn’t bring herself to care. Finally, he began to move faster, and with one more pass of his cock over her clit, Sofia’s orgasm took her by surprise as her entire body lit up in pleasure.
“God, you’re beautiful when you come, Sofia.” Eitan said as he gently leaned in and took her mouth in a slow, deep kiss, “I want to take you slowly this time, and really savor it.”
“That was…intense,” she murmured, still waiting for the tingling to go away in her hands. Most of her blood must have been in more interesting parts of her body at this point.
Sofia watched as he reached over and grabbed a condom from the nightstand and rolled it onto his swollen cock. She’d never seen a man more beautiful than Eitan, he was everything she’d ever fantasized about and more. So much more than she ever would have hoped for.
“Are you ready for me, baby?” He kissed her again as he placed himself against her slick opening and pushed in slowly. “Damn, you feel so good around me.”
She loved the way he slowly filled her up and she wrapped her legs around him, inviting him deeper inside.
“More, Eitan,” she moaned into his ear. “Give it all to me.”
The growl and tension in his body told Sofia he was using all his self-control to hold back and take this slow, but she didn’t want him holding back. She wanted Eitan fully, she wanted everything he had to give.
“Faster, more,” she urged, running her nails lightly down his back until she was cupping his firm ass, urging him deeper.
“Is this what you want, baby?” he growled as he began to thrust harder into her, pulling almost all the way out before slamming back inside of her.
“Yes,” she moaned, the sound of their sweat-drenched bodies slapping together only making her want more of him.
“Fuck, you’re so hot around me, Sof.” Eitan pounded into her. “I’m not going to last much longer.”
Sofia grabbed one of his hands and moved it toward where their bodies joined. He didn’t need any more prompting than that as his fingers moved over her clit, causing her to tighten around his cock, making the sensations that much more intense.
“Oh God, yes! Yes!” she screamed as her entire body lit up beneath him and he pushed deep inside of her before matching her with a roar of his own.
Sofia grumbled and tried to keep him inside of her as he pulled away.
“Just let me get rid of this, babe,” he said before he got out of bed and went into the washroom.
When he came back he spooned in behind her and pulled up the thick duvet to cover them both before wrapping his arms tight around her with a sigh.
Sofia had only a few moments of the delicious feel of his strong arms around her before she fell asleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
Eitan woke up early and spent almost thirty minutes just holding Sofia while she slept. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content. It literally had been years since he could remember even a moment of happiness. His whole life had changed when his sister had disappeared. But life was all about moving forward, and his little sister had always been pushy as hell. He had a feeling that if Tara could speak to him now, she’d be cursing him out, telling him not to be a fool. That he should grab onto this opportunity with Sofia and run like hell with it…Tara always was smarter than her big brother.
“Good morning, baby,” he crooned as he kissed Sofia’s bare shoulder softly.
“Mmm, morning,” she replied, still not opening her eyes. “Do I smell bacon?”
“Yes, you do. I made us breakfast.” He leaned in for a kiss as she rolled onto her back toward him. “Then I’m going to drop you off at a safe place while I go speak to my boss.”
That had her eyes popping wide open and he could see the wheels turning in her brain as she tensed up.
“Oh…do you think there’s still a danger?” she asked. “I thought now that they had the drive they’d leave me alone.”
“I just want to be one hundred percent certain before we go back to your apartment, that’s all,” he answered, then he jumped up and pulled all the covers off before he ran with them into the other room.
“Eitan, it’s cold!” she squealed and then laughed as the cool air hit her body. “You jerk!”
“Have a shower and then come and eat.” He laughed at her squeak from the other room.
Sofia finally came out of the bedroom with a yawn and greedily took the cup of coffee he held out for her.
“Mmm, gimme,” she murmured, taking a deep inhale at the bold aroma.
“Your phone kept ringing while you were in the shower. It was your mother,” he said, placing it on the table in front of her. He was trying to keep the expression on his face neutral. “Why do you have twenty-five missed calls all from different men?”
Sofia went beet red at his question as she looked at her phone and scrolled through the missed calls and messages.
“Oh my God,” she moaned, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. “My parents are on a cruise and my mom keeps giving my phone number to single men she meets.”
Eitan almost spit his coffee out across the table at her explanation. Dear God, what kind of a mother
did
that?
“Does she do this type of thing often?” he asked. “These guys could be jerks or serial killers for all she knows.”
“Well…she’s been concerned for some time over my single status,” she explained with a shrug. “Trust me, if I know my mom, she’s taken them all through the rigorous Jewish mom interview in the first thirty minutes of meeting them. She probably has all their info, from how much money they make to whether they prefer boxers or briefs. My mom has mad skills that way.”
“Well, maybe you should text her and let her know that you’ve met someone and she can stop trying to fix you up because you’ve got a boyfriend now,” he said with a wink as he put a plate full of food down in front of her.
***
Sofia choked on her coffee when Eitan placed the food in front of her and declared that she didn’t need her mothers matchmaking services anymore.
“Is that what I have now?” she asked curiously. “A boyfriend?”
She could swear she saw him blush and cringe a bit, as if he hadn’t meant to say it quite that soon. Damn, he was adorable. Then he appeared to collect himself and nodded confidently.
“Yes, you do.” He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “I care about you, Sofia. I know this thing between us is a bit insane, but I’ve never felt this way before. I think it means something.”
“Me too,” she answered softly. She was so relieved he felt the same way she did. They may have been crazy, but at least they were going to be crazy together.
“So where are we going?” Sofia asked as they drove out of the city toward the larger rural area.
“I’m taking you to Maddy’s house,” Eitan answered as he pulled onto a long dirt driveway. “Hays doesn’t know about this place so you’ll be safe with the girls. I’ll just be gone for an hour or so. Then we can head back to your apartment.”
Sofia was so curious to meet Maddy, she was practically bursting when they pulled up to a large house in the middle of nowhere. It was an older home, with a porch out front, and a big garden along the side. Eitan parked next to an older suburban in front of the garage and came around to open her door for her. They were almost to the front door when it opened and a lovely, middle-aged blonde woman came out with a big smile on her face.
“Eitan!” She grabbed him for a big hug before pulling back, seeming to examine him for injuries. “We haven’t heard from you in two weeks, I was beginning to worry.”
“I was just on a job, Maddy, no need to worry,” he answered, stepping back and grabbing Sofia’s hand, and pulling her up next to him. “This is Sofia. I need her to hang out here for a bit while I go talk to someone.”
Sofia watched the woman’s eyes widen as she took in their clasped hands, and then a soft smile replaced the shock as she stepped aside and motioned them to enter the house.
“I’m so glad to meet you, Sofia,” Maddy said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She closed the door behind them. “We have so much to talk about.”
Sofia instantly liked Maddy’s strong personality. The other woman was clearly a survivor and the passion she had for her charges was inspiring. Almost as soon as the door had closed behind Eitan she could hear the patter of feet on the staircase.
“Girls,” Maddy yelled up to them from the kitchen, “come and meet Eitan’s girlfriend, Sofia!”
The awed whispers and giggles as the five girls entered the room had Sofia blushing again. They looked to be in an age range from fourteen to twenty, and they were all staring at her like she was the Lois Lane to Eitan’s Superman…which when she thought about it, she supposed she was. Eitan had given her a brief rundown on their way over in the car. All of these girls had been found and rescued while he was on jobs. He didn’t go into details about what he had rescued them from, but she could only imagine how awful it had been as she could see the rage in his eyes as he spoke about it. The ones who had no family to take care of them or nowhere to go stayed on with Maddy until they were old enough and ready to make their own way. It was no wonder they had a bit of hero worship going on when it came to him.
“Hi guys,” Sofia said softly.
“Come on, ladies,” Maddy sighed. “Sofia can help us make some cookies.”
That certainly got them moving. Before she knew it, Sofia was up to her eyeballs in chocolate chip cookie dough, helping the youngest girl, Clara, drop the dough onto the cookie sheets.
“So how long does it take you guys to eat all these cookies?” Sofia asked as they worked.
“They aren’t for us,” Clara said quietly as she blushed a little. “We make them for Eitan, they’re his favorite.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Sofia said with a smile to the timid girl.
“We can never repay him for what he’s done for us all,” the oldest, Eva answered. “He won’t take anything else from us…except food.”
“Our Eitan is always hungry.” Maddy laughed making all the other girls giggle along with her.
If Sofia had to guess at the exact moment she tipped over the line from lust and infatuation into love for this man she’d only known for a couple of days, that would have been it. The moment when she realised how good of a man Eitan really was. He’d almost sold his soul doing things he could barely talk about, all so he could save innocent lives.
When the cookies were all in the oven and the dishes were washed, Maddy sent the girls off to do their chores while she and Sofia sat down for coffee in the kitchen.
“It’s wonderful what you do here for them,” Sofia finally said, looking toward the other woman.
“It’s the least I can do.” Maddy shrugged. “I had nowhere to go when Eitan found me. He bought this house and made sure I always had what I needed. When he arrived one night with the first girl, how could I not do everything in my power to help her? These girls are my family now, just as much as Eitan is.”
Maddy’s declaration was a warning, Sofia could tell, but she didn’t know why Maddy thought that he’d need protection from
her
.
“I owe Eitan just as much as you do, Maddy,” Sofia said quietly. “He saved me too.”
“He’s never crossed the line before with any other women he’s rescued,” Maddy answered. “I just want to make certain this isn’t just gratitude for you. Eitan doesn’t usually let people get close. I don’t want to see him hurt.”
“Neither do I, Maddy.” Sofia looked her straight in the eye. “I won’t let anyone hurt him if it’s in my power to stop them.”
***
Eitan was almost to the safe-house where Hays had been holding and interrogating Donovan before he called his employer to let him know he would be arriving to have a chat shortly.
“Hays,” Eitan said when the other man finally answered his call. “I’m ten minutes out. We need to talk.”
“Kent,” from the tone of his former boss’s voice Eitan knew something was up. “I’m in the middle of a shit-storm right now, but I’m glad you called. I just got back on shift to find one of my agents dead and the other MIA who were watching the prisoner last night. Donovan is gone. Dammit, he must have made Miles an offer he couldn’t refuse. The bastard was one of the agents that picked up the drive from you, so your location has most likely been compromised.”
“Fuck, Hays.” Eitan was furious he hadn’t been notified right away. “When did he get out? Did he get the zip drive back?”
“No, thank Christ, I had that on me.” Hays hesitated. “But he knows, Eitan. Donovan knows it was you and Sofia that found the drive. He had some heavy-hitter all lined up to buy that information, and from what I could gather, the fact he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain meant his head’s on a pike. So it’s possible he may come gunning for you in retribution. You know how Donovan is about his reputation.”
Dear God. Eitan was terrified to ask the question again, but if Donovan had gotten their location before they left the city to go to Maddy’s house, then it was possible he had followed them there.
“
When
did he get out, Hays?” Eitan growled.
“Time of death on my agent down was approximately two o’clock in the morning,” Hays finally answered.
“Fuck!” Eitan yelled as he slammed on the brakes and swung the car around to go back to Maddy’s as fast as he could. “Oh and Hays, I’m done. This was my last job. Don’t contact me again.”
Twenty minutes later Eitan finally arrived at the entrance to Maddy’s driveway, Eitan pulled off the road and got out, making his way through the thick brush surrounding the house. Donovan was a bastard and Eitan had no doubt he wanted payback, but all he could do was pray he’d made it here before him. His heart almost stopped when he came to the edge of the trees and saw the unfamiliar dark SUV parked in front of the house.