With light fingertips, he caressed her soft creamy shoulder.
“When my parents and Anthony came to pick me up after I had been rescued, I thought they would act relieved that I was okay. But they didn’t. They kept their distance. Even in the car ride home, my mom was crying and telling me how I had brought shame to our family by no longer being a virgin.” Haley snorted. “She said no one from a decent family would dare marry me now.”
“What?” Jayden tightened his grip on her, his anger rising swift and hard.
“When we got home, my boyfriend told me that he wished me the best, but that he could no longer date me. First my parents disowned me then my boyfriend.”
“Fuck, Haley.” He pressed a kiss to her head.
“Then when my parents had me transferred to University of Arkansas. I felt abandoned. I don’t think I had a chance to get over my hurt and start living. And then the letters starting coming.”
She glanced up at him, the pain and fear still lurking behind those beautiful blue eyes. “I did realize through all this that even if I had been raped I deserve to be with someone who would see me for me and not who my parents are or how much money they have.”
His heart clenched in his chest. “You are worthy of love, Haley. You are to be treasured and protected and loved beyond your wildest fantasies.” He gently kissed her lips.
He lay back and cradled her in his arms. Her fingertips drifted downward.
He smiled.
When her hand trailed over to his injured thigh, he froze, forgetting momentarily how to breathe.
“Jayden?” Haley lifted her head and looked at him. “How did you get your scar?” Her fingertips lightly touched the shiny uneven skin.
His gut clenched. Lost in their lovemaking he had forgotten that he was baring himself to her. He hadn’t even thought to cover himself with a sheet.
He licked his dry lips.
“Please tell me.” Her blue eyes penetrated his, imploring him to confide in her. There was no condemnation in her gaze, only trust and understanding.
“It happened the night I tried to rescue you.”
She frowned and glanced down at his scar. He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t look at her. He knew the pattern of the scar; hell, he’d looked at it every night he’d gone to bed. The jagged edges started at his thigh and ran along toward the inside toward his balls. He should have counted himself lucky his cock and balls weren’t burned up with scar tissue as well. The red wolves had shoved salt into the wound of his thigh, making healing impossible.
“After I killed that guy that tried to rape you, two other red Weres knocked me out. When I woke up, I realized I was in a different building. They proceeded to practice their golf swing on my head while I was hung upside down.”
“Oh, my God.” Haley gasped.
There was no stopping the words now. Nope. Once he started he couldn’t stop the flood of words coming out of his mouth. Maybe having the orgasm of his life had affected his brain.
“When that wasn’t enough, they used their redneck version of shock therapy, hoping I would scream for mercy. They told me the second I screamed they were going to finish what they started with you.” Jayden clenched his jaw, acutely aware that Haley had snuggled deeper into his embrace, her eyes watching him carefully.
“I told them to go fuck themselves. They decided to shock me instead.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “The thing about shock therapy is that it locks up your muscles. Even if you wanted to scream you can’t.
“All these months I felt like I had failed you because I couldn’t rescue you. I thought they had raped you after they were done with me.” Jayden brushed her hair behind her ear. A huge weight lifted off his shoulder, knowing she was safe.
Haley shook her head and looked away, clearly shaken by what he had just said. “After you killed that red werewolf, it wasn’t fifteen minutes before a group of Guardians, Jaxon, Zane and Lucien burst through the door. I learned later they were from Arkansas. I asked them if they had gotten you out, but when they checked the building they couldn’t find you.”
Jayden nodded, his heart tugging. Even in her distress, she hadn’t forgotten him.
“I had no idea they had done that to you, Jayden.” She looked back at him. Her beautiful blue eyes were moist with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry. All of that is my fault.”
“Baby, it’s not your fault. It was those red wolves. And if I had to do everything over, I wouldn’t do anything different. I’d take the pain if it meant you were safe.”
A tear spilled down her cheek and he swiped it away.
She caressed his cheek with her hand. “So you really had no idea I was still a virgin? Yet you still wanted me?”
He narrowed his gaze. “Wanting you has nothing to do with if you are a virgin or not. I’ve been walking around with a hard-on since I saw you sitting in my Granny’s house at her damn sex party.”
“Really?”