has these playing cards . . . Anyway, you won’t scare me.”
Indeed, I would.
Sliding his hand below her waist, he petted the soft mound of hair between her legs. Her expression slackened, eyes going dreamy. Christ, he loved the way she looked right now. Lips swollen from his kisses, skin glowing from exertion. Muscles lax with pleasure. He wanted to keep her here for eons.
“You’re trying to distract me.”
Her observation startled him enough that she was able to get him on his back. Leaning over him, she stared at him as if trying to unlock all of his secrets. “Tell me.”
Heat crawled up his neck. Shame. He hadn’t allowed himself to experience it in years. “There are scars, cara. I only look perfect from the neck up.”
She didn’t appreciate his attempt at levity, apparently, because she gave him a fierce scowl. “I neither asked for nor expected perfection. What I want is you.”
He swallowed. The life he’d lived—dangerous and precarious—showed on his naked skin. He avoided looking at it whenever possible. “You have me.”
Her gaze flickered between his eyes. “No, I really don’t.” Leaning in, she brought her hand to his cheek, their foreheads touching. They paused, trading breath back and forth. “Trust me enough to understand, Jack.”
Indecision warred while he closed his eyes. He hadn’t trusted anyone, not like this, in a long time. Justine wasn’t just anyone, however. She was kindness and generosity, selflessness and light. She hadn’t judged him for the way he lived his life. He’d shown her parts of himself that he hadn’t revealed to anyone else. What was one more secret uncovered?
And what if he horrified her?
Then whatever this is between them ends sooner rather than later.
Above all, he couldn’t stand to disappoint her. Whatever he had in his power to grant her, he would. Full stop.
Shifting, he slid out from under her and sat up. “Be careful what you wish for,” he said as he started unbuttoning his union suit.
She said nothing and he could feel her watching. He kept going, trying not to think about what she was about to see. The knife wounds that became jagged scars. The bullet wounds. Razor slashes. They started at his knees and kept going to his collarbones.
He stood and stripped off the thin fabric. Now naked in front of her, he kept his gaze on the wall just above her head.
He heard her move. Clenching his muscles, he prepared himself. Now she’d try to tell him the marks weren’t so horrible and then make excuses to leave. It’s for the best.
A featherlight touch swept over the worst of the scars, the one on his chest. He sucked in a breath and held perfectly still. Then he felt another gentle caress over his stomach. His hip. All the way up to his shoulder. Bold fingers explored, not shying away from the ugliness on his skin.
Pressure built in his chest, an emotion stronger than anything he’d experienced before. It was overwhelming and confusing. How was she not horrified?
Her lips followed the path of her hands and Jack’s knees wobbled. His heart hammered as she pressed soft kisses all over him, as if she were soothing those old injuries. “You are a warrior,” she whispered. “A survivor. Never be ashamed of that, Jack.”
His lungs refused to pull in air past the knot in his throat. She made him feel normal, that he hadn’t lived a life of cruelty and violence. That he didn’t deserve every one of these scars to atone for his sins. The tenderness he felt in that moment was larger than him or this room; the feeling threatened to consume him. His cock was already hard, her touch and proximity all that was required for it to swell between his legs, but this was about more than easing his lust. He wanted to devour her. To crawl inside her and never leave.
Grabbing her hair, he tilted her head back and captured her mouth with his. The kiss was hard and frantic, his lips moving over hers desperately. She met him eagerly, matching his frenzied pace. And thank God for that. He needed her. Now.
He cupped her breast and gently squeezed a nipple. “Are you sore?”
“No.” Panting, she arched her back to give him better access. “Please, Jack.”
Placing her down on the bed, he stood on the floor between her splayed thighs. She watched through hooded lids as he pushed inside her, the moisture at her entrance easing the way. Tight heat surrounded him as he