Page 87 of Scarred

His eyes close briefly like it physically hurt him to hear.

“You make it sound so simple,” he says quietly.

“Maybe it is.”

“No,” his throat bobs. “Not for me,” he says, his gaze lifting to meet mine again, and so many emotions rush at me.

Guilt.

Fear.

But under all of them is the one I cling to…hope.

The one emotion he’s too afraid to feel.

“Cayden…”

“I spent a long time convincing myself I was done with this.” His voice turns rougher as he fights his demons. “Done wanting someone. Done needing…anything. It was easy to shut myself off from the outside world. I had my daughter, and that was enough for me.”

“And now?” I whisper. His jaw flexes, and my fingers soften at his neck.

“And now…” His words trail off, and I give him the space he needs to breathe while I wait for him to gather his thoughts. “And now…now it’s not so easy.”

“I’m not going to lie and say I understand what you’re going through because I don’t. I can’t imagine the pain you went through, and it breaks my heart to even think of how much it hurt you,” I say, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “But I can tell you that I’m okay with what we have for now. I’m not asking for promises from you, Cayden.”

His brows pull together slightly in confusion, like he’s waiting for a ‘but’.

“I just want…you. In any way you’re able to give me,” I exhale shakily.

Something in him cracks…not completely, but just enough to give me a glimpse of the man behind the armor. The one I know is worth waiting for.

“Luna,” he says roughly as if it physically aches to say my name.

I run my fingertips along his jawline and smile. “You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.”

“And if I’m never able to give you more than this?” The vulnerability in his voice nearly makes me come undone.

“Then I guess we’re booty calls for life,” I force a giggle, wanting to break the tension and see that smile I adore so much.

His chuckle fills the air, and I grin wider when I see some of his tension fade away.

“What the hell did I do to deserve meeting someone like you?” He asks, looking at me in amazement.

“I don’t know, but it must have been something really, really good.”

He stares at me for a long moment as if he’s not quite sure what to do with someone who is willing to meet him where he is.

I watch a gleam set in his eyes before a curve of a smile slowly appears as he starts to kiss his way down my stomach.

“If the clock on the wall is right, I still have five minutes left of my session,” he says, running his tongue down my inner thigh before coming back to my center and spreading me wide. “I’d hate to leave without at least tasting what is quickly becoming my addiction.” His tongue touches my clit before sucking hard and releasing me.

“I must have done something really, really, good, too, to deserve this kind of treatment,” I breathe, feeling my body awaken again beneath his touch. “You’ve got quite the skill, Cayden,” I moan softly as his tongue works its magic.

“Why do you think they pay me the big bucks?” He smiles against my skin as his eyes raise to meet mine. “I’ve acquired a special set of skills over the years. In everything I do…I see and focus on the smallest details that most people miss. Which means, I’m very attentive and very thorough on anything I do.”

He lightly nips my swollen clit, studying my reaction as his teeth graze my sensitive skin. “It’s my job to know what others’ weaknesses are and to use that to my advantage,” he continues, sliding his hands down my calves before placing them on his shoulders.

“And what’s my weakness?” I ask, breathlessly, as I lock my thighs against his head, keeping him right where I need him.