Page 6 of Wounded Hero

He looks at me and pauses.

"Oh my God? Does it go to a manor?"

"Not a manor. And I don't even know if it's all still connected, it's far too dangerous to go exploring tonight."

I stare at him in wonder till he gives me the slightest, gruffest of upturned half smile. "I'm not Batman."

As we get settled with blankets to sit on, including one for Dog, and blankets to cover ourselves while sitting against the wall, Owen explains that we were in an old mine shaft he used to use as a kid to get out unseen from his family home.

"When did you fit it out with blankets and all this stuff?"

He gives a shrug of those broad shoulders. "Always good to have a secret hideout in case the villagers come with pitchforks one day."

He says it as a joke but I wonder if he really does see himself as some sort of beast feared by society. Is that why he lives all the way out here all alone?

"I'll fix the window in the morning once the storm has blown over, but we will be safe and warm here for tonight."

We are sitting next to each other, arms touching. I’m not about to sit here all night in silence. Not when I am so fascinated by this man. I shift in a little closer to him.

“You might need to talk to me to get my mind off the storm. Tell me everything about yourself, Owen.”

Chapter 7

Owen

It is a question I hate. I was a normal kid. A bit quiet but I was an only child growing up on a mountain. Dad was military, mom was a nurse. We were happy. And then everything changed. My parents died in a car accident leaving me alone. I joined the army as I knew I always would. A bomb exploded. I was discharged. Wounded. Scarred. And that's the end of the story.

"Did you like the army?" Cora's quiet voice echoes around the space.

I shrug.

"Did you always want to live in a cabin on this mountain?"

I don't answer her. After almost losing control earlier in the evening. Having my hands on her body. It's all I can do to keep calm sitting this close to her.

She is quiet for a minute.

And then. "Are you Batman?"

I crack and look down at her with a half smile. Dog comes over and sits beside me and I give him the pats he wants fromme. I let out a long sigh and then start to tell Cora about moving back here after the army.

"You're not really scared of the townspeople, are you?"

What to say. Of course I'm not scared, they are good people. After my parents died I lived in town near the school and all the mothers brought me food and made sure I was okay. But coming back here, with my wounds fresh, I didn't want to be seen. Didn't want their pity.

"I just prefer to be on my own. I don't need anybody"

She is quiet for a bit and I wonder if she is thinking about how I held her against my erection. I needed her in that moment. A primal need. But also the connection with a woman. My hands on her soft curves. Squeezing at her breasts. Feeling her ass rub up against me. Yes. I needed her in that moment.

But we weren't face to face. She couldn't see my scar. I could have taken her like that. Had her out of her clothes and bent over the armchair. And she wouldn't have to look at me. Wouldn't be disgusted by my face.

Strong emotions are bubbling up in my chest and twisting my gut. But when Cora lays her head to rest on my shoulder, after a moment, I put my arm around her and hold her close. Comfort. Something I haven't felt in the longest time. I even stroke her hair as she drifts off to sleep. Just this one night. Here in the mine shaft I can pretend it is a different world. And I hold her tightly to me. Letting the sweet smell of her hair lull me into a calm state.

There is something special about Cora. If she would have me, scars and all, I could be a happy man. But she is a nomad, moving from town to town, job to job. A free spirit with her whole life ahead of her. If I could bring myself to let down mywalls and trust her, I wonder if she could do the same and let me in.

Chapter 8

Cora

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