Page 140 of Wild Tangled Hearts

And for the next several hours, he shows me just how much.

Completely sated and exhausted, we sit in front of the crackling fireplace, wine in hand, and Damien's fingers trace patterns along my arm, his touch even now sending shivers of desire down my spine.

“Thank you for bringing me. It’s beautiful here.”

“This place has a lot of memories.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek. “But this one is my favorite.” Something dark flickers in his eyes. It’s a darkness I’ve seen often, one he’s become an expert at dismissing. “I’m hoping together we can erase the other ones.”

"What do you mean?" I probe.

He takes a deep breath, a battle raging in his stormy gaze like he’s debating how much to share. “I dreaded coming here for a long time."

I place my hand on his arm, hoping he’ll keep opening up. That he’ll finally show me some of the demons I know he’s been fighting.

“When I was a kid, this place was barely a shack in the woods.” His gaze drifts to the flickering flames. “When my grandfather died, he left it to me. I thought about selling it…” His brows are drawn, and he shakes his head, sighing. “But then I figured it would just be letting the bastard win if I did. So, I decided to fix it up. I’ve spent the last several years trying to update it, make it a better place.”

He turns to look at me, his eyes filled with vulnerability. "This cabin was the site of some of my worst nightmares, Bella. It's where my dad used to bring Stacey and me when he wanted to hurt us.” He pauses, then adds, “A place where the neighbors couldn’t hear our screams.”

My breath catches in my throat as his revelation sinks in.

“The “last time I was here with the bastard…” Damien drags a hand over his neck, jaw clenching, then continues, " It was the only time I ever dared to fight back."

I can feel the weight of his words, the pain and anger he must have carried for so long. I squeeze his hand again, urging him to go on.

"He’d already taken his anger out on me, and I thought his cruelty was over.” His gaze is distant and unseeing, and fear flashes there as if he’s reliving the moment. “Stacey had upset him somehow. He hit her. Then he hit her again and again. So fucking hard her eyes rolled back in her head, and I thought...I thought he was going to kill her.”

“Oh my god, Damien.”

“I grabbed a cast iron frying pan. Shit, I could barely lift the thing, but I managed enough strength in that moment to hit him with it.” He snorts, shaking his head. “Knocked that bastard out cold. Thought for a hopeful moment that he was dead.”

A shiver runs down my spine as I imagine the scene playing out in this very spot. The darkness that must have haunted him, that still haunts him.

“What did he do?”

"I thought he’d beat me senseless when he finally came to. But he didn’t remember a thing when he woke up the next morning. Acted like it never happened."

I take Damien’s face, making him meet my gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

He offers a faint smile. “It was the last time he laid a hand on either of us and took off not long after. But the damage had already been done. Stacey felt it the most. She never really recovered from the shit he’d done to her. Started spiraling by the time she was thirteen, got messed up with drugs, then started dating assholes who were fucking clones of our father. I thought having Lexi would change things, but it just got worse. Child Services were going to take Lexi away if my mom hadn’t stepped in.”

I wrap my arms around him, pulling him close, my heart breaking for the pain he and his family endured. “You and your mom have provided a stable home for Lexi. I’ve seen her, and I know she’s thriving.”

He nods, resting his head against mine. "We're doing our best.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“I hate that I have so much fucked up shit in my past, Bella. You deserve better.”

I climb onto his lap and straddle him, placing my hands on his face. “I love you, Damien Blackwood. Demons and all. And if it takes months or years, I promise that we’ll fill this place with laughter and love.”

“And sex,” he says, grinning, that playful smirk back on his lips.

I laugh. “Yes, lots and lots of sex.”

Reader’s Choice:

What should Bella do next?

Be adventurous. Make new memories with Damien with a midnight dip in the lake. Turn to this page.

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