Page 92 of Scar

She had to know… But could her mind even conjure up a modicum of reality? How could she possibly predict every scar, blemish, and missing piece when she didn’t know all of his history? He highly doubted either her father or the club had given her his military jacket to read.

While at lunch earlier, Scar had looked on her phone for someplace that wasn’t a chain hotel or a sleazy motel where he could take Tally that evening. He located a rustic, single-story cabin rental in the mountains of Indiana. It had an A-frame design and a large, covered porch that reviews stated was perfect for sunset scenic pictures. Scar didn’t care if it was facing the Gates of Heaven. It was vacant for at least three nights, secluded, and the open cliff face made it easily defensible. So he’d changed their direction and started heading north instead of continuing west.

The closer they got to theAirbnb, the higher his nerves rose. Fucking hell, he hadn’t even been this nervous when he’d lost his fucking virginity. If his brothers knew that he,Scar, wasnervousabout possibly making love to his woman tonight, they’d laugh their asses off.

As if she sensed his inner turmoil, Tally’s hand moved up to rest over his heart. She was already pressed as tightly against him as she could be without being inside his clothing. But that gesture, like she would hold his heart in her hand if she could, eased his rising anxiety.

Whatever happened, happened. He didn’t just trust Tally, he trustedinher. He didn’t need to have loved a woman in the past to know what it was he was feeling now. There was no comparison. Scar had fallen for the woman clinging to him like a koala.

Fallen. Completely and irreversibly.

And he knew without the words that she felt the same. Somehow, this incredibly remarkable woman had laid claim tohim. She’d had ‘the normal guy’ and she’d still chosenhim. Nerves or no, he would prove to her that he was worthy of that choice.

* * *

The fresh nightair smelled of pine. Leaves, twigs, and dirt crunched beneath Tally’s shoes as she dismounted. Opening up her cane, Tally clicked her tongue as she made a full circle to get a sense of their surroundings. Trees. Wherever they were had alotof trees. Very tall, very wide trees.

They were parked in front of a structure. Using her cane and her ears, Tally guided herself to the side. It was smooth and warm to the touch from the day’s sunlight. She tapped on it to verify her assumption that it was finished wood. A cabin, she would guess. From the sounds of nature, they were in the woods.

Turning, she searched until she located Scar. He was walking towards her with something large in each hand. As he drew closer, she realized it was her travel bag and she assumed the other bag was his. The fact that Scar had packed a bag seemed too domestic for the likes of him. She tried to picture him doing something as mundane as folding undies into a suitcase and could only smile. The slight clinking of metal, though, clued her in that there likely was no underwear in Scar’s bag.

Which made her smile even wider.

“You know, this is like the perfect start to a horror movie. Evil villain kidnaps mere, defenseless, blind girl and drives her around so she loses all sense of direction. Then he keeps her in a cabin she thinks is in the middle of nowhere but was actually in her parents’ backyard the whole time.”

Scar shifted both their bags to his left hand, his right arm snaking around the back of her waist. Tally’s cheeks hurt from how widely she was grinning as he pulled her against his hard chest.

That low rumble rose up again, sending vibrations through her from their close proximity. Her nipples tightened as moisture pooled between her legs. Tally shuddered, desire making her breath shaky.

“I’ve never been defenseless,” she assured him. “And you might be a villain, but you’re mine and you certainly aren’t evil.”

He dropped his right cheek down, rubbing into hers. Tally raised her hand up to cup the exposed side of his face. The pad of her thumb brushed against the jagged ridge of his facial scar and he shook against her. She heard and felt him breathe into her hair.

Simultaneous thuds behind her startled Tally as he tossed their bags onto what she assumed was a ground-level platform deck in front of the cabin. She hadn’t done a close enough inspection of the building to get an idea of the layout. Scar’s arm around her waist tightened, keeping her locked against him.

His now-free hand went to the end of her long braid at her back. He pulled the elastic band. She didn’t hear it fall and could only assume from him immediately moving his fingers through her thick locks to undo her braid that he’d placed the band around his wrist.

She’d gotten a sense over the past day that he preferred her hair down. As far as Tally could remember, he’d rarely seen her hair down during their time in Atlanta. He never came into her bedroom and her hair was always tied back for work. A braid was her preferred method of securing her hair because it was something she could do without having to verify with someone else that it looked good.

As soon as she knew that she was going to be wearing a helmet today, she’d fixed her hair back into a braid. But if he liked it down, she was fine with that too and would try to limit how often she put it up. It was a small thing that she could do for him that didn’t matter much to her one way or another.

Once her hair was free, Scar raised his hand up to the base of her skull. His fingers tangled into the strands. Tally breathed him in. The man still had no scent to him other than leather and metal. Those were external sources. She wondered if he used something like hunter’s soap to remove his natural scent.

When he turned his head, pressing his nose and lips against her, Tally dropped her right hand to his waist. He wore tight leather pants. Though he had no belt, his pants had loops. She hooked her little finger through one, working the rest of her hand under his shirt. He was wearing long sleeves again, and she had to wonder if he always did. The feel of uneven skin under her fingertips at his hip hinted that he might.

Her heart ached at what might have caused the blemish, but she equally did not want to know. As strong as she was, she was not strong enough to handlethosedetails.

“I need you to promise me something.” Her voice was low, husky almost. The desire coursing through her for this man made it hard to remember how to breathe.

Scar let out a puff of hot air from his nose. It flowed down her cheek, making her entire body quiver in need.

“Don’t hide from me.” She rubbed her hand against the marred flesh at his hip so he knew what it was she was referring to. “Promise me, if we do this, if you choose to be with me, that you’ll give meallof you. Protect my body, but not my heart or my mind. Give me everything, Julian. Show me everything. I won’t go running scared. I might be startled,” she stressed, just being honest, “but I won’t run from you. Give meyou, and I swear I’ll do the same.”

That rumble from deep in his chest rose up again, louder and more possessive than before. His fingers bit into the skin at her back and tightened in her hair. His nose at her temple, Scar pressed his mouth against her. His lips moved, but the pressure was wrong for a kiss.

They moved again. His hold tightened even more, turning almost domineering.

Tally’s mouth mimicked his, trying to figure out what he was doing.

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