Then one night, when he’d been so exhausted that he’d fallen asleep on her, she had brushed his hair back from his face and found what bothered him most. That scar was so deep, she could feel where the wound had left a deep groove in the bone underneath it. So deep that she wondered if he might not be blind in his left eye from whatever had caused that injury.
No, he couldn’t be. His aim was too perfect in battle. If he only had sight in one eye, his depth perception would be off and he’d be at a serious disadvantage. Still, there was no denying the savage ferocity of the injury that had caused a scar like that.
Her heart aching for the pain it must have caused him, she’d pressed her lips to the scar he’d always hidden from her. That kiss had awakened him instantly.
He’d turned his face and pulled away. “Don’t. I’m disgusting.”
“You’re not disgusting.” She’d felt his pain in the darkness and it had broken her heart. “We all have scars, Kere. Inside and out. Wounds that go so deep, they leave a permanent mark on us. But that doesn’t make them ugly or revolting. They were hard lessons learned and for better or worse, they changed us. No matter how hard you try to hide them, they will always be there. And I think your scars are beautiful because they are what have made you the man I care about.”
After that, he’d allowed her complete access to his body. But only under the protection of full darkness.
He still wouldn’t let her see any part of him in the light.
Could he, who stood fearless before the scariest of enemies, be afraid of her rejecting him for his looks?
Was that even possible?
“Your features don’t matter to me, Kere. I’d love you even if you had three heads and a split nose.”
“You say that because you don’t know who and what I really am.”
“And again, it doesn’t matter. I will stand by you forever. How could you doubt me?”
He laughed bitterly. “Almost everyone you’ve ever loved has died on you. Almost everyone I’ve ever loved has put me in harm’s way. Not one of them ever failed to throw me to the wolves to protect their own ass. Whenever it was a choice between them and me, I was the one who paid for it. Once I show you my face, Z, I can’t go back. You will have the power to completely destroy me and everyone I hold dear. All of our lives will be in your hands.”
She stared at what she hoped was his eyes so that he could see her heart. “I would never hurt you.”
“You’re the only one I’ve ever trusted this much with my real thoughts and beliefs. You know me better than any creature alive.”
“And I am forever yours. You can trust me, Kere. I swear I will never betray you. Not ever.”
“I believe you,” he whispered in her ear before he captured her lips again. Then he slid himself deep inside her.
Zarya groaned at how good he felt there. She cradled him with her body as he thrust himself slow and easy against her hips. “I love you, Kere,” she breathed.
“I love you, too. I always will.”
She smiled and tightened her hold on him. It was the first time he’d ever said that back to her. In the past, he’d always remained silent or said that he was glad that she did.
But tonight…
There was no longer any doubt whatsoever that she was more to him than an easy lay whenever he was horny. For the first time in their two-year relationship, he finally confirmed that he loved her and that he intended to stay.
Running her hands over his scarred back, she delighted in the way his muscles played against her palms as he pleasured her. If she could, she’d stay right here, like this, forever.
She lifted her hips, bringing him even deeper inside until her entire body was rife with ecstasy. “Tell me again that you love me,” she breathed.
“I love you, Zarya. And I have never said that to another woman.”
Most of all, he never said anything he didn’t mean.
Her heart singing, she threw her head back and screamed as she came again. Still he kept that steady, deep pace until she was completely sated and begging him for mercy. Only then did he join her in that one perfect moment of intense pleasure. She held him close against her entire body as he shook in her arms. Unlike her, he was always quiet whenever they made love. He would suck his breath in sharply from time to time whenever she did something unexpected, but overall, he seldom made any sound whatsoever.
Yet another strange quirk of his. One that made her wonder if he, like many assassins she knew, was keeping his guard up in expectation of an ambush. Did he, even now, fear she’d stab him in the dark?
I hope you know me better than that.
His breathing ragged, he lowered himself to cover her and to nibble her neck and ear. “What time do you have to be up in the morning?”
“Nine, why?”
He brushed his whiskers against her breast, tickling her in a way that should be illegal. “Good. I have plenty of time to play with you and still let you get a good night’s sleep.”
She smiled at those words and at the fact that by his hunger, she knew he didn’t cheat with other women. Whenever they were together, he was a powerhouse of testosterone—like he stored it all up just waiting for a chance to be alone with her.