Chapter 298 - Claimed By My Stepbrother (Cadell Security Series)
Hallick’s POV
All I can focus on is the soft breathing of the woman that is sprawled across me, my arms cradling her to my chest as we lay in silence.
My softening d.ick is telling me that I need to move, go and get Seona a towel or run her a bath, be a gentleman, but I can’t bring myself to let her go. Once I pull out from her tight heat, it’s over, and I’m not ready to deal with that. Whilst I’m still inside her body, and she’s still curled around me like a protective shield, I can pretend that she belongs to me, that this is more than it is.
The heaviness of her breaths that fan my skin makes me think that Seona has fallen asleep, I wouldn’t be surprised, I wasn’t in any way gentle, I gave this woman everything I had.
A soft sigh issues from her lips, the lithe woman sliding slowly to my side, dragging me from her body and I immediately miss the connection. I go to move, starting to slide my arm from beneath her so I can stand up and head to the bathroom, suddenly feeling like an intruder, but delicate arms tighten around my waist holding me to her.
‘Stay’ she whispers, and that is all it takes for me to settle back into place, one arm under her neck, the other bent above me, supporting my head.
‘That was . . . wow’ Seona murmurs tiredly, and I glance down to see a smile tugging at her lips, as she peeks up at me, that cute blush that I love so damn much staining her cheeks.
‘Yeah it was’ I agree gruffly, bringing up my eyes to stare at the ceiling, ‘that’s how it should always f.ucking be.’
She giggles, the sound making my dick twitch which is a damn miracle as I thought that I might have broken it from how hard I came just now.
I stiffen as I feel the light touch of fingers on my skin, gently tracing one of my scars across my chest. Dragging my eyes back to my woman, I finger her turned slightly toward me, tentatively feeling the raised lines that mar my skin.
Pulling back from me slightly, Seona props herself up, her gaze trailing over my chest, taking in each of the prominent marks before she gingerly moves her hands upwards, toward my face. The tips of her fingers graze over each scar on my cheeks, then my neck, before trailing down my torso again. The woman is careful, but determined, tracing some of the larger ones, making me unintentionally suck in a breath as she skims over the ugly burn marks from where one of my guards used my body to extinguish each of his cigarettes. The sick b.astard made a smiley face out of his burns, a permanent reminder of just how much he had enjoyed my pain.
‘Do they hurt anymore?’ she asks gently, still studying my body, her delicate touch a caress over the ugly skin that covers my torso.
I shake my head, ‘no’ I reply simply, mildly surprised that I’m allowing this woman to study my scars and that, for what must be the first time since I came home, I am not feeling the gripping urge to cover them.
I study Seona’s face as she studies me, there is no pity there, or fear, this woman doesn’t feel sorry for me nor does the sight of me scare her. What I do see, as she brings her gaze slowly to mine, is understanding, she sees through my scars just as I see through hers and I feel as our strange connection to each other deepens even further than before.
‘You’re not disgusted by them’ I mutter quietly, it’s not a question, I know she isn’t.
Seona licks her lips as she slowly shakes her head, holding my gaze, ‘no’ she replies, her answer as short as my own but holding so much meaning.
‘Why?’ I ask, not even sure why I need to know.
The blonde smiles sadly, ‘because each one just shows how brave you are’ she whispers, trailing her fingernail along a badly healed cut that runs from my armpit to my hipbone. ‘They didn’t break you Mark, did they? They tried with everything they could think of, did unspeakable things that no man should ever suffer, and yet you still came home.’
She swallows as I stare, my gaze rivetted to her face, soaking in each individual feature, trying to commit every damn eyelash to my memory.
‘You don’t know how amazing you really are do you?’ she asks softly, continuing to explore my chest, now playing with the small amount of hair that covers my pecs. ‘You are possibly the bravest man I’ve ever met, and I . . ‘ she peeks up at me, that cute flush spreading across her cheeks as her lips tilt up slightly, ‘I don’t understand what a guy like you would see in someone like me’ she finally adds.
My voice fails me as I stare at her, beautiful, vulnerable, watching me closely as she bares her insecurities to me.
‘I’m nothing like you’ she murmurs, ‘you are everything a woman can only dream of, strong, dependable, brave, caring . . I’m weak, fear driven, always the prey that attracts predators . . . ‘
I reach out, grabbing her chin as a tear slides down her cheek, ‘you are not f.ucking fear driven’ I growl angrily, hating every damn word she just spilled from those pretty lips. ‘You are not prey and you sure as f.uck aren’t weak.’ I hold her gaze firmly, refusing to let her look away. ‘You listen to me, and you listen good, you are a fighter, a God damned survivor and no f.ucker is ever going to tell you different. You pulled yourself out of a f.ucking shit situation, YOU! Don’t tell me that I’m brave for facing an enemy, we can all do that, you faced down a monster who was supposed to protect you, someone you trusted, that’s true f.ucking bravery Love.’
Seona stares at me, another tear falling and if that doesn’t f.ucking kill me to watch.
‘You got me out Mark’ she whispers, ‘you and the others, I wouldn’t have left on my own, I was too frightened, too . . . broken.’
I snarl loudly, my eyes darkening, ‘you took the help that was offered to you’ I retort hotly. ‘You realised that you were not alone, that people out there cared and loved you, that they wanted to help you. That’s half the battle Love, realising that despite what your piece of s.hit ex said, people cared! We could stand on the edge of the river, and hold out a branch over the rising water to you, but only you could decide to let go of the slippery rock you were clinging too and grab onto the branch with no idea if it would break and let you wash away. That was bravery Seona, grabbing onto that damn branch and kicking with everything you had toward us was bravery so don’t you ever let me hear you say that about yourself again.’
My chest heaves as we stare at each other intently, energy buzzing between us until I can’t stop myself and I lean forward, crashing my lips to hers, pulling her back on top of me. Seona comes willingly, plastering herself to my body as she grips my face, meeting my tongue, duelling for control, showing me just how right I am, my woman is a damn fighter through and through.