The Scars of Us

by Nikki Narvaez

  When she saw me, her face reddened in anger as every feature tightened. Pointing her finger at me, she screamed, “You! This is all your fault.”‘

  My fault? Is she fucking serious? “None of this is my fault. Kaleb did this to himself!” I shouted.

  “Mom, you need to leave,” Kamden replied stiffly.

  Our mother ignored him, and instead of doing as he requested, she lunged for me. Ryker stepped in front of me as Kamden grabbed our mom around the waist and pulled her out the front door.

  “No! This is all her fault. My baby is stuck in there because of her! He’s devastated!” she wailed before Kamden slammed the door.

  I could still hear them arguing outside the apartment as my face burned with a combination of rage and sadness. How can my own mother blame me for what Kaleb did to me? How is it my fault?

  Hot tears ran down my cheeks as a small sob burst through my throat. Ryker turned around, abandoning his defensive stance to cradle me to his chest. “Don’t cry, baby. She doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about.”

  The feel of his smooth, bare skin against me was soothing, helping calm my ragged emotions. My mom and I were never that close. Kaleb had always been her favorite, but her words still stung regardless.

  “She hates me,” I cried into his chest.

  “She doesn’t hate you. And if she does, then it’s her loss.” He rubbed my back softly. “For her to choose that monster over you is ridiculous. You’re a beautiful, amazing woman.”

  Hearing the door open and shut, I peeked under Ryker’s arm to see Kamden walking towards us. I pulled back and wiped my face when he reached us.

  “You okay?” he asked with concern.

  I sniffled as I nodded. “Yeah, hurt and confused, but I’ll be fine.”

  Ryker continued to rub my back as Kamden said, “I’m not condoning her actions or anything, but she’s just having a hard time dealing with all this. I don’t know how I’d cope if my son had molested his twin sister for most of their lives, especially when I hadn’t known.”

  “But it’s not Kaiya’s fault. There’s no reason for your mom to blame her, especially after everything Ky’s been through,” Ryker defended with a scowl.

  Kamden gave him a death glare before focusing his attention back to me. “I’m not trying to justify her actions, I’m just trying to help you understand why she’s acting the way she is.”

  “I know,” I sighed. I couldn’t help but feel a little pang of pain in my chest because it did seem like he was defending her. I knew it must have been difficult for her to deal with the issues within our family. My dad had left after Kaleb was committed, making it worse, but there was no reason for her to start pointing fingers, especially when they were being directed at the wrong person. It was too early for me to try to make sense of what had just happened, so I opted for escape. “I’m going back to sleep.”

  Ryker followed me back to my room, where we cocooned back in the warmth of my bed. Facing him, I placed a kiss on his collarbone as his arms came around me. His lips pressed against my forehead as he draped my leg over his thigh, fitting the lower half of our bodies together. He pulled the blanket over us, and as we lay there, entangled in my bed, I never felt safer.

  After Kaiya’s confrontation with her bitch of a mom, she stayed in bed, pretending to sleep, long after I knew she was awake. I lay there with her, faking sleep, too, until I figured out a plan I thought would cheer her up. Then, I got out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

  Kamden was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee when I walked in. Remaining silent, I walked to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a few items and setting them on the counter.

  “How is she?” Kamden asked. I could feel his eyes on my back as I began making Kaiya breakfast.

  I didn’t turn around. “Not good. She’s laying in bed, pretending to sleep.”

  “I’m going to go talk to her,” he stated. The sound of his chair pushing against the tile followed his words, and then I heard his footsteps leaving the room.

  Kaiya loved French toast. Luckily, it was one of my favorites too, especially since it was a cheat day only meal, so I knew how to make it.

  After I fixed a plate for Kaiya, I poured her a small glass of milk, grabbed the syrup, and put it all on a tray before carrying it down the hall toward her room. Kamden exited, leaving the door slightly cracked. He didn’t say anything as he walked past me, but I caught the smile that crept over his face when he saw the tray in my hands.

  I gently kicked the door open and walked in. Kaiya was still in bed, facing the window. When I rounded the bed, her puffy, red eyes locked on mine, and I wanted to punch something because of the pain in them. I never wanted her to feel pain again now that her bastard of a brother wasn’t getting released.

  Her gaze traveled down to the tray in my hands. Those pretty lips curved slightly as I sat down beside her, placing the tray over her lap. “I made you breakfast,” I said, hoping the gesture would brighten her mood.

  As she focused on the plate, her smile widened and her eyes lightened as she looked back at me. “Baby, you didn’t have to do this.”

  Leaning toward her, I kissed her temple. “I wanted to cheer you up. I know how much you love French toast.”

  “I do. Thank you,” she replied genuinely, her voice losing most of the sadness present earlier. Picking up the fork and knife, she started cutting the bread into small squares before pouring syrup on top.

  As she ate, I stole bites from her plate, getting my fingers sticky with syrup. After I took my fifth piece, Kaiya smacked my hand and playfully scolded, “Stop taking my food. Get your own.”

  Chuckling, I slowly sucked the syrup from my fingers, making sure she was watching me. Those beautiful blue eyes heated with desire as she focused on my mouth, her lips parting slightly as she swallowed deeply. Fuck me.

  As I moved toward her, I heard her breath stutter right before our lips met. Her mouth was slightly sticky and sweet from the syrup as my tongue parted her lips, meeting hers and tangling languidly.

  I nibbled on her bottom lip before pulling away. Her cheeks were flushed as she peeked up at me from beneath her dark lashes. I loved when she looked at me that way, so innocent and seductive at the same time.

  “French toast is definitely my favorite,” I joked as I licked my lips.

  Kaiya burst into a laugh from my words. “Mine too.”

  After Kaiya finished eating, she seemed to be in a much better mood. Her face was no longer weighed down with sorrow as a smile replaced the frown from earlier. Her eyes returned to their normal, vibrant hue instead of being tainted with redness and tears, but I could still see a trace of unhappiness in them, no doubt from her mother’s harsh words. I hoped she’d be able to get over it soon—there was no reason for her to be upset over her mom or Kaleb ever again.

  We took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, where Kaiya insisted she make me my own plate of French toast.

  I sat at the breakfast bar as she cooked, inhaling the smell of cinnamon and vanilla as it wafted through the kitchen. “You excited about tonight?” I asked as I watched her.

  She nodded as she flipped a piece of bread in the pan. “I can’t wait! I’ve never been to the opening of a club before.”

  A new club was opening in downtown Boston, and I planned to take Kaiya out to a late dinner at an upscale restaurant before heading there. I hadn’t told her where we were going, and the anticipation was eating her up.

  “Why don’t you just tell me where you’re taking me for dinner?”

  “Nope. That would ruin the surprise.”

  Letting out a frustrated groan, she flipped the bread again. A few minutes later, she brought my plate, and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how I could get used to being this way with her. Sleeping in before making breakfast together on the weekends. Waking up to that gorgeous face every morning. Going to bed with her wrapped in my arms each night.

&nb
sp; “What?” Kaiya asked as she sat next to me.

  I wanted to tell her how I felt, but the words were stuck, caught in my throat. Clearing it, I replied, “Nothing, babe. Thank you.” Pussy.

  She smiled sweetly back at me, kicking my heart rate up. Just her smiles made me crazy. “You’re welcome.”

  After I ate, I helped Kaiya clean up the kitchen. Then, I got dressed, and went back to my apartment to get ready for work. I planned to pick Kaiya up after my shift ended, and the day passed by sluggishly since I was excited about our date, thoughts playing in my head of what I wanted to do to her once we were alone afterward.

  When she opened the door to greet me, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to wait until after the date. The dress she was wearing—fuck, it was so hot on her, but the only thing I wanted to do was rip it off, revealing that creamy, soft skin underneath. I needed her right there and then.

  Her expression told me that she felt the same. Nibbling that full, bottom lip, it basically looked like she was fucking me with her eyes as they traveled down my body.

  “You want to come in?” she asked seductively. “Kamden’s not home. He should be gone for a while.”

  Fuck yes. “Yeah,” I answered, my voice already thick with lust as my eyes greedily devoured her body, taking all of her in.

  When she turned around, leading me into her apartment, my eyes focused on that sweet ass swaying back and forth as she walked. I wanted to bend her over the bed, lift that dress up and sink into her from behind. And that’s exactly what I planned to do.

  “Like what you see?” Kaiya asked, interrupting my thoughts, a sinful gleam in her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

  Reaching her bedroom, I smirked. Hell yeah I do. “Yeah, baby, just wait till I show you how much.”

  Then, I was on her. Our hands were everywhere as our mouths crashed together, nipping and sucking as we consumed each other.

  Backing her up toward the bed, I turned her around when I felt her legs hit the mattress. Bending her over, I roughly pressed my dick against her ass, causing her to moan.

  Kaiya pushed against me, rubbing that perfect ass on my cock, which was straining through my jeans.

  “Yeah, baby, lift that sweet ass for me.”

  My hands slowly inched the bottom of her dress up over her hips, revealing her lacy thong. Unbuttoning my jeans, I pulled my dick out before rubbing it over the soft skin of her ass.

  Reaching between her thighs, I moved her panties to the side as my fingers found her pussy, which was soaked. “Fuck, baby, you’re so wet for me. So fucking wet.”

  I continued to play with her clit as my cock neared her entrance. Teasing her, I rubbed it back and forth along her pussy, causing strangled cries of pleasure to sound from her.

  “You like that, baby? You want my dick inside you?”

  “God, yes,” she groaned.

  In one, hard thrust, I sank myself into her until she was completely full of me. Her pussy clenched me tighter from our position as I gripped her hips, pumping in and out of her.

  Our skin slapped together as I pounded into her. She fisted the sheets in her hands, moaning loudly as I fucked her. My pace increased as I felt her pulsing around me, knowing that she was close to coming. One of my hands reached around, my fingers finding her drenched clit before rapidly stroking it, causing her to tremble beneath me.

  Seconds later, Kaiya came, her pussy throbbing around my cock as she gutturally cried out my name. I loved how it sounded coming from her lips, loved that I made her as out of control as she made me.

  Gripping her hips tighter, I thrust roughly into her, shooting my cum inside her. Fuck, I loved coming inside her, claiming her pussy as mine. And she was mine—my drug, my addiction, my high. Kaiya was my everything.

  Rolling to the side, I pulled her with me, keeping my dick inside her. I nuzzled her neck before kissing her, murmuring against her skin, “You like that, baby?”

  “Mmm, hmm,” she mumbled in pleasure as she lazily traced her fingertips along my arm.

  Pulling out, I got off the bed to grab a towel. Once we were all cleaned up, Kaiya straightened her dress before fixing her hair and make-up.

  “Ready to go?” she asked when she came out of the bathroom.

  I couldn’t help but notice the rosy flush on her cheeks from our sex. Smirking, I nodded and grazed my knuckles over one of her cheekbones before taking her hand in mine and walking down the hall.

  I had made reservations at a fondue restaurant. Neither of us had ever been to one, but I had heard that the experience and the food were one of a kind.

  When we entered, the room was dimly lit, each table had a trio of candles, and soft, romantic music played in the background. Kaiya smiled widely as she took in the environment, squeezing my hand in excitement.

  Once we were seated, a waiter came to take our drink order. We decided to get a bottle of wine for the special occasion, and after our server left, Kaiya was beaming with happiness. I loved seeing her like that, especially when I was the cause.

  “You excited, baby?” I asked as I rubbed her thigh softly.

  “Yes! I’ve heard amazing things about this place. I can’t wait!” Her voice came out as a squeal as she smiled giddily.

  When the waiter came back with our wine, he poured both of us a glass before asking, “Have you ever dined with us before?”

  “No, this is our first time,” I answered.

  “Okay, well thank you for choosing us to spend your evening with. Let me explain your options. If you want the full experience, I suggest all four courses, which is cheese, salad, entree, and dessert.” His tone was formal and polite as he continued to discuss our choices. Once he finished, he questioned, “Which option would you like go with?

  I glanced at Kaiya, who still had a huge smile on her face. “I think we’ll go for the four courses so we can get the full experience.”

  “Excellent choice, sir.”

  After we made our selections for cheese and salad, the server left to put our order in. When he returned, he had the ingredients to make our first course and prepared it tableside. Kaiya watch with enthusiasm, her eyes wide and the same huge smile still overtaking her whole face, as the waiter crafted our cheese fondue. Just the sight of her so happy made everything right in the world.

  Once dessert came, we were both already getting full, even though the portions in each course were small. We had chosen a white chocolate Crème Brulee, and it came with sliced strawberries, bananas, cheesecake squares, marshmallows and other small cake and dessert bites. The spread looked too good to pass up.

  When Kaiya dipped a strawberry in the melted chocolate, I suddenly wished we were at home. Grabbing the elongated fondue fork from her, I guided it to her mouth before feeding her.

  Our eyes met as it slipped into her mouth. Some of the chocolate dribbled on her lip, and I used my thumb to wipe it before bringing it to my mouth. She licked her lips when I pulled the utensil away, keeping our gazes locked.

  “I wish we had this at home. I know so many places I would love to lick chocolate off of, all of them on your body,” I said huskily.

  Kaiya flushed, pinker than the Moscato in her glass. “Then, we’ll have to buy one. Like tomorrow.”

  She giggled as she mimicked my action, feeding me a piece of banana dipped in chocolate.

  The rest of the course continued that way, with us taking turns feeding each other, giving seductive glances, and basically fucking with our eyes.

  After the waiter cleared the table of everything but the wine that we had left, I reached in my pocket and grabbed the small box I had brought with me. “I have something for you.”

  Kaiya’s lips curved and her face lit up. “Baby, you didn’t have to do that. This amazing dinner was enough.”

  Taking out the box, I handed it to her. “I wanted to. Go ahead, open it,” I urged. Sweat began to line my forehead as I waited for her to open it. I hope she likes it.

  Her gaze left mine to look
at the box. Slowly, she took off the top before taking out the small, velvet pouch inside. She carefully removed the bracelet from the bag before examining the piece of jewelry with both hands.

  “I hope you like it. It took me so long to decide what charms to get for it.”

  Her eyes watered as she darted them back and forth between me and the bracelet. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. Even though her voice was soft, it was still full of emotion. “I love it.”

  She looked at it a few seconds longer before asking me to put it on her. After I clasped it around her slender wrist, I admired how it looked on her. The charms I had chosen all signified something, showcasing our relationship since it began.

  The one closest to the clasp was a martini glass. I ran my finger over it as explained, “I got this one to symbolize our first kiss and first date since alcohol was involved in both.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “Almost all of our dates involve alcohol.” She pointed to the charm a few links away, a seal. “And this one?”

  “This one is for our trip to the aquarium. My favorite of all our dates.”

  She sniffled and smiled up at me. “Mine too.”

  The third was an open book. “I know you love to read, that it helps you escape sometimes.” She had told me that when thoughts of Kaleb overwhelmed her, sometimes she read to help get her mind off him.

  Her voice was choked by emotion as tears began to rim her eyes. “This one.”

  She was pointing to the charm on the opposite end, a pair of boxing gloves. “Ah, this one… this one is my favorite. I picked it because we got closer once you started taking self-defense.” I tucked a loose curl behind her ear as I looked into her eyes. “I don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t walked into my class.”

  “I’m glad I did,” she whispered.

  My fingers moved to the script letter K for her name. “This one explains itself.”

  The last charm was in the center, a heart that I had engraved with the word “Warrior.” I gripped it as I spoke, “This one signifies that you’ll always have my heart. I’ll never be the same without you, Warrior.”