Page 139 of Thorns of Silence

I wanted to tell her it was better she never saw my body, but fuck if I knew how to start explaining something I couldn’t remember. Besides, I didn’t want to see the disgust on her face once my scars were exposed.

The beast inside me was leashed, but the fears weren’t.

“Tomorrow we leave for our honeymoon,” I said, knowing there were so many more important things to discuss.

She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest, her wedding dress pooling around her. “I’m not leaving Skye.”

I expected that. “She’s coming too.”

Her delicate eyebrows pinched as she tilted her head, studying me. “Isn’t that strange?”

I shrugged. “We make our own rules, dandelion. The three of us will dance through life together and nobody will stop us.”

Something passed through her expression, but she quickly masked it. “Where are we going?” she signed.

“Lake Tahoe.”

She winced, her face turning a few shades paler.

Resting my knee on the mattress, I reached for her and raked my fingers through her hair while my other hand snaked around her waist and tightened. “What are you hiding from me?”

The hypocrisy didn’t escape me. I demanded to know what she was hiding but was unwilling to reveal my own secrets.

Her lips thinned and her palms came to press against my chest. “Nothing.”

“I want all of you, Nix. I need you to trust me in every single way.”

She looked at me with such vulnerability in her eyes that I heard the crack of my heart. Tension coiled beneath my skin, and I wanted to give in and have a cigarette. Let my lungs burn and nicotine spread through my veins so I could relax.

But I’d thrown all of them away. I wanted to keep my word.

“I’m already yours.” She put her hand between us, the diamonds on her ring finger glimmering under the low light. “See.” I couldn’t distinguish from her expression whether she was scolding me about it or just stating a fact.

My fingers moved up from her waist, over her ribs, until they were tracing the underside of her breasts.

“No. Not yet.” I cupped her face, my thumb brushing over her lips. “But you will be. You’ll learn to trust me.”

“Not before you trust me.”

In all honesty, she had a point. She was a part of my every thought, every breath, every fucking heartbeat. I was in so deep, I didn’t think I could find my way out. But then there was this fucking fear that once she touched my scarred flesh, she’d let her imagination run wild and abandon me out of uncertainty.

Truthfully, my own mind did the same thing and often shut down following that train of thought. It was a lose-lose situation.

“I want you brunette,” I whispered, rubbing my thumb over her soft bottom lip, tabling the discussion of my demons for now.

Her lips parted, and my dick stiffened painfully when her tongue darted out to lick my finger. She looked so fucking sexy with her hair tousled and falling down her back, still wearing her wedding dress.

“I want you naked,” she signed with a pout, her expression stubborn. I stiffened, unsure where to go from here. If I showed her my scars, she’d be repulsed by them. If I didn’t show them to her, I’d risk losing her.

“You’re all I’ve been thinking and dreaming about,” I whispered.

She leaned in hesitantly, her lips brushing against the edge of mine. The moment our lips touched, my groan vibrated through my chest. Her tongue tangled with mine and my cock twitched. Her hands roamed over my chest and biceps with the same need and urgency I was feeling.

She moaned, her hands lowering down my body and cupping my erection, and my control snapped. I pushed against her shoulder, making her fall back onto our bed. The outline of her breasts pushed against the thin material of her dress.

She was panting, her lips slightly swollen, and she’d never looked more beautiful. I leaned over her, my cock pressing right against her pussy as I held myself up on my forearms.

Her moan traveled between us and her eyelids were heavy and searching.