Page 44

Tears trickle down my face. He was just a little kid. He had no idea what was happening to him and had no one to help him. I feel as if my heart has been ripped in two. I want to find Blackstone and kill him with my bare hands. How could this monster have gotten away with this for years? Years!

“Eventually, I learned to ignore the rats and sleep. I still have all my toes.” The slight hint of humor in his tone surprises me.

“It’s horrifying,” I mutter.

“I know. But I had to get through it. I wasn’t going to die down there.” Determination enters his tone. I wonder if he was always so strong or if it was a trait he had to develop over time.

“How long did you live there?”

“Eleven years.”

“Oh, my God.”

“I’m not a good man. I’m all messed up. That’s why I don’t date. That’s why I’m not married. Those things are for normal people. I’m so dark and twisted inside you have no idea. If you knew me, you’d run. You’d run so fucking fast, and you’d never look back. And I wouldn’t blame you one bit. Most days, I can’t even look in the mirror because, unlike you, I know what I’ve done.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. What Blackstone did to you …thatwas wrong. You were just a kid.”

“Right.” His dismissive tone worries me. He’s shutting down, but I don’t blame him. He’s revealed more to me tonight than he’s ever told anyone else. He doesn’t know how I’m going to respond to things once I’ve had time to really think about them, and he probably thinks I’m going to run screaming from the house, but he’s wrong. He’s exactly the kind of man I need in my life right now.

After surviving the unthinkable, he must have skills he can use to help Max. Scar battled a predator and won. I want to know how he eventually escaped, but Scar’s struggling to keep his eyes open. He’s probably emotionally exhausted, so I want to give him time to recover. I need to know the rest of his story, but that will have to come later. Right now, I want him to know that he’s safe and that I care for him deeply.

I caress the edge of his jaw before tipping his chin up. I press a soft kiss against his lips. He sighs and holds me against his scarred body. There are stories associated with every one of those scars, but I’m patient. I can wait until he’s ready to talk about Blackstone again. Until then, I’m going to give him all the pleasure he deserves after enduring years of torment.

Chapter 13: Scar

I’m suddenly so tired all I can do is curl into a ballwhileshe slowly strokes her fingers down my arm. The repetitive motion is rhythmic and soothing, and it makes me fall under her spell. I still can’t sleep, but I don’t have to. I have this brave, gentle, sweet woman by my side, and somehow, she’s exactly what I need right now. I’ve never wanted to talk about what happened at the mansion with anyone. Until now.

I gave her a hint of what had happened, and she didn’t crumble. She didn’t try to console me for something that was inconsolable. She could handle hearing about some of the darkness I lived through for eleven long years. She listened and asked questions but didn’t try to make me reveal more than I wanted to say. Because of that, I want to tell her more. I’m tempted to tell her everything. Talking about it was never an option before I met her. Now, I can share some of my demons with her, and she won’t run from me. I never felt this comfortable with anyone else, but I feel it with her. Maybe that’s why I can tell her things I’ve never told another soul.

Her warm breath brushes across the back of my neck. Goosebumps rise, and I resist the urge to slide between her silky thighs. It would be so easy to lose myself in her softness, but she needs to rest. Tomorrow will be a long day. We need to make progress on Max’s situation before we can even think about what’s happening between us.

I still can’t believe she hasn’t run from me. Other women have. They couldn’t handle the nightmares. But Julia’s not like other women. She’s special. Unique. And baffling. I haven’t quite figured her out yet, but I want to know everything about her.

She’s the bravest woman I’ve ever met, standing up for Max how she did. I wish someone had stood up for me like that. I hoped and prayed someone would come and save me, save us, but no one ever did. We finally had to save ourselves. So many people knew what Blackstone was, what he was capable of, and yet they did nothing to stop him. No one dared to cross him. Not then. Not now. I’m going to take him down. It’s just a matter of time. The club has been working on it. We have him under constant surveillance. He just needs to slip up once, and we’ll destroy him the way he destroyed us. My need for vengeance sparks rage deep in my soul. Every muscle in my body tenses. I’ll make him pay for what he did.

Julia shifts in her sleep. Her lips brush against my earlobe, sending tendrils of desire through my body. My toes curl, and I press against her. My fingers glide down from the edge of her neck, across her collarbone, then up to her shoulder. All I want to do is be inside her. This attempt at self-control is killing me, but she needs a break after hearing my story. I need to relax too, but sleep is elusive, as always.

I move my hands off her and take a shuddery breath. Wanting her like this will drive me insane. I’m obsessed with her curves, with her scent, with the way she sighs in her sleep. I could watch her all night but being so close is making my dick too hard and my self-control too soft. If I don’t get my shit together, I’m going to fuck her until she’s worn out and ruined for all other men. I can’t even think about her with another guy without becoming enraged. I just hope the rest of my story doesn’t scare her away.

Morning comes too soon. I’ve only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, but that will have to be enough. Julia’s still curled up under the sheets. Her round ass pokes out to tease me, but I reluctantly pull the edge of the blanket up to cover it. If I wake her up with my cock in her ass, she’ll leave me for sure. She’s a good girl who probably has no idea how depraved a man can get. I don’t want to scare her away, so for now, I’m going to leave her perky little butt alone. Soon, though. Soon, I want every inch of her open and available to me. Soon she’ll be begging me to fuck her in every way possible. Soon …

A text pings on my phone. I’m reading the details when she stirs. Her lashes flutter as she opens her gorgeous emerald eyes.

“Morning, Scar.”

“Morning, gorgeous. I just got a text from Matrix. He got a list of Bonnie’s friends from her social media. We’re going to pay her best friend a visit later today.” I brush her hair from her cheek and caress my thumb over her rosy skin. When her lips part, I can’t help but swipe my thumb into her mouth. Her eyes darken as she sucks it between her lips. My cock jerks hard. There isn’t enough time for me to do everything I want to do to her right now, so I pull my hand away. “Get dressed. I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

I get out of bed before I can lose my last thread of self-control. All I want to do is tie her to the bed and fuck her all day. These impulses scare me. Some women don’t care what I do to them, so I fuck them like animals. But these dark desires don’t feel right with Julia. She’s too innocent. Too pure. I could break her. I could ruin her forever. I can’t take that chance.

After throwing on a black t-shirt and jeans, I grab my leather jacket off the back of the chair I threw it across last night. I glance at Julia. She stretches like a cat, letting the sheet slide down to reveal her full, luscious breasts. A sly smile spreads across her lips. She knows exactly what she’s doing. My cock is thick and heavy against my zipper. The little minx.

“Later,” I promise before leaving the room. Later, she’s going to fucking get it. But right now, we need to ride over to Bonnie’s friend’s place and find out what she knows about her best friend’s whereabouts.

Several minutes later, Julia joins me in the kitchen. She’s wearing a white lace floral spaghetti strap shirt that’s so see-through her tits are on display. I can’t decide if I love it or hate it. I love that I get to see her in it. I hate that other guys will, too. I’m tempted to send her back to her room, but then I remember all the times Blackstone dictated what we could and couldn’t wear, and I keep my mouth shut. I’ll just have to make sure she stays close to me. If another guy so much as looks at her, I’ll kill him.

She stands on her tiptoes and reaches up to get a bowl from the cupboard, giving me a glimpse of her rhinestone-studded jeans. The way they hug her curves makes my mouth water. I want to lick every inch of her body. I walk up behind her, grab her hips, and pull her hard against my cock.

“Are you trying to kill me, woman?” I growl into her ear.