by KL Donn
“Do I need to worry about those bruises?” she asked him pointedly.
Their gazes held, almost in a stand-off, before he answered, “No.”
“You want to tell me about them?” she asked.
“No.”
“Are you ever going to?”
“Yes.”
“You’re safe?” Levi shrugged. “Be careful,” she told him with a frown. He nodded. Her gaze moved to Loch. “Anything you wanna share?”
His youngest brother looked like a deer caught in the headlights—eyes wide and skittish, body frozen, looking for a place to run. “No?” Nox had to fight back his laughter.
“You sure?” she asked him.
“Yes?”
“Your answers are more like questions, Lochlan,” she pointed out. He finally remained silent by stuffing half a sandwich in his mouth. “You’ll speak about her when you’re ready.” She nodded in satisfaction. As if she’d known all along there was a woman.
“Her?” Levi asked. “Who, her?”
Loch remained quiet. Nox knew there was a girl. He would be surprised if Loch spoke to her, though. He was one of the shyest people Nox knew. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if his youngest brother was still a virgin.
“No one,” he finally answered Levi with a scowl.
There was a protective gleam in Lochlan’s eye that Nox saw, and he understood it so much. Respected the hell out of his brother for being so honorable about the whole thing. He worried that it would eat away at him eventually.
Warmth and healing invaded Sophia’s sleep. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the moon high in the sky through the window surrounded by stars. It was one of her favorite things about living so close to the mountains. Even being in the city, nature was still present.
Soft snoring behind her had her slowly turning around to see Lennox sleeping softly. The covers bunched around his hips, one strong muscled arm lay under his head while the other lay across his bare chest.
She watched as he slept. His face soft without worry of who was trying to hurt her. Though she figured the answer was her mother. Sophia hated that he was wrapped up in her drama. She wanted so much to run away, let him be free of the stress that seemed to follow her around, but she was selfish. She knew that the emotions he made her feel would never be found again in her life.
The tattoo on his arm drew her eye as she traced the moon and star with a light touch. Seeing their family name inside the crescent wasn’t shocking. These brothers were as close as could be. A hint of jealousy fired her insides thinking of never having that with anyone herself. All her life she’d wanted a sibling. Someone to share her hopes and dreams with.
“I wish I’d met you sooner,” she whispered to Lennox. Knowing he wouldn’t hear her words while he slept made her confession easier. “I’ve always wanted someone else with me, to understand me.” She closed her eyes and laid back down on her pillow. “I never wanted my mother’s wrath aimed at anyone else, that would be cruel, but to have a kinship with someone who wholeheartedly understood would have been nice.”
She paused thinking about what life would have been like if she’d had another person there to be with her through the pain. “I used to think I’d done something wrong to have my parents hate me so much. There was even a point in my life where I wished I was dead. I didn’t want to wake up with all that hatred anymore. I only wanted to be loved.”
Her eyes popped open wide when she felt a finger trail down her cheek. “You are loved, Soph,” Nox whispered leaning over her body gently. Cradling her face in his large palms, he leaned forward, kissing her lightly. “I love you so fucking much it’s scary. You consume every thought I have, direct every action I make.”
She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say she loved him too. She did. She felt it wholly in her heart, but would he believe her?
Clearing her throat, she muttered, “I wish I’d known you sooner.”
“I heard that.” He smiled. His dimple came out to play, making her melt.
“I love that you understand me,” she said looking through her lashes. “I’m afraid you’re going to be hurt, though, and that terrifies me.”
“I’ll be fine, baby.”
“I’m too greedy to let you go,” she confessed.
“That’s real good, Soph, ‘cause even if you tried, I’d never leave. You’re it for me, and there’s nothing in this world that could rip me away.” She believed him. With everything she’d been taught in life, she knew he was the one thing she would always be able to count on.
Hearing Soph’s confession of wishing she were dead instead of being around to take the torment inflicted on her nearly had Nox screaming for the injustice of her life.
Almost as soon as she’d woken, he had too. Suspecting she needed a moment when she didn’t immediately try and call his name, coupled with her light touch to his skin, he’d remained silent.
Hearing her confession made him hurt for her. He wished they had known each other sooner, too. He’d have taken her away from that hell hole. She never would have known such hatred so long as he was there to protect her.
With their age difference, though, he suspected he’d have gotten into a lot of shit for it. But she was worth it. She was worth everything he would have suffered had they met before.
“How’s your pain?” he asked her, needing to think of anything else. This topic wasn’t optimal, but it was all he had at the moment.
“It’s okay, I suppose. Mostly just my wrist hurts, but the stitches in my leg itch, too.” At that word, she reached to the leg and scratched around the bandage.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her, getting up and going to the bathroom where he knew there was a cream his mother used to give to him and his brothers when they got into their scrapes and wound up with stitches.
Digging under the sink, he knew he was making noise, and his mother would probably come give him shit any minute, but he didn’t care. Finally finding it, he was a little bummed out to find it was nothing special and only Vaseline. He’d have sworn it was something else.
Walking back to his old room, he watched from the door as Soph leaned into the spot he’d vacated. Rubbing her face into his pillow and closing her eyes, her entire body relaxed. It was as though his scent calmed her.
Grabbing his shirt from earlier, he quietly closed the door behind him. “Here we go.” His voice low so as not to scare her.
“You were loud,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “It was in the back of the cabinet.”
“What is it?” she asked softly.
“Vaseline. I’ll rub it around the wound, it’ll help with the itch.”
Taking her leg out from under the covers and easing back the bandage covering her stitches, he was pissed all over again. Seeing the evidence of her injury, thinking of the things that could have gone wrong, left him with a feeling of helplessness.
Soothing the ointment into her skin, she tensed at first, only to relax upon realizing it wasn’t so painful. “That feels wonderful.”
Once finished, he fetched the shirt he’d tossed on the end of the bed and gave it to her. “Thought you might be more comfortable in this.” He hadn’t taken her bra and dress off when they got home, so he figured she might be uncomfortable enough to let him help her change.
She looked down to what she was wearing then back to his shirt. The need to remain modest warred with her want to be comfortable.
Want won out.
“Yes, please.” Her cheeks went fire engine red when she realized he was going to have to help her.
“I’ll close my eyes if you like,” he offered. Even if it would kill him not to see her soft curves.
“Not like you haven’t seen me nude before.” She laughed lightly.
Helping Soph to her feet, she had to hold her good hand on his shoulder to remain steady while his hands wrapped around to unzip her dress. The snick of the claws was loud in the otherwise quiet room. Their breathing picked up as each
inch of skin was revealed. His knuckles brushed her flesh every chance he got.
A shiver wracked her spine when he peeled the fabric back from her body. She moved closer to him as he pushed the straps off her shoulders, baring her creamy skin. Leaning forward, he kissed one shoulder as he dropped the material to the ground.
Her head turned towards his as he went to kiss her neck, their lips meeting in a soft brush. “Lennox.” Her breath caught as he sucked her lip into his mouth.
“I can’t get enough of you, Sophia,” he cooed, loving the sound of her name across his lips.
She mewled against his mouth as he pulled her to him. Their bodies were flush as he ran his hands over every piece of flesh he could reach.
“Lay back, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear. She did as he commanded. Nude, except for her little white lace panties before him. Her light hair spread across the bed like a halo, highlighting her innocence.
No matter what happened with her crazy ass family, this girl owned his heart, and he had every intention of owning hers as well.
Sophia’s body vibrated with anticipation as Lennox’s eyes roamed her naked flesh, devouring every single inch of her he could with a seductive gaze. With one simple yet scorching look, he made her melt for him.
The heat his gaze emitted as he watched her body ready for his touch made Sophia feel more in those moments than she ever had before. He played her body like a finely tuned instrument, and she loved every second of it.
“Nox?” She questioned when he still hadn’t made a move towards her.
Kneeling on the bed at her feet, his large callus-roughened hands landed on her knees. Holding her, squeezing as if he weren’t sure she was real or not.
“You’re every fantasy I’ve never had, Sophia.” His words were sincere, coming straight from his heart. She didn’t need him to tell her, his strategic movements spoke volumes. He was worshipping her every curve with barely a muscle moved.
“I’d like to be,” she replied back quietly. Her lashes hid her eyes as she watched his hands slide slowly up her thighs.
His big body leisurely covered hers, his stare locked on her eyes gauging her reaction to his every move. Bracketing his arms around her head, he was basically boxing her in. She should feel trapped, scared. What she felt instead was…cherished. Safe. With Lennox, she knew she never had anything to fear in her combustible world. There was nary a doubt that he would let anything happen to her if he could help it.
“I need you to be mine, Sophia. Every inch of your curvy little body. Every thought. Every breath. I need everything you are to belong to me.”
The intensity of his words, the reverence in his tone, it all spoke to her. “I already am.” His gaze widened at her words. “Whatever you want from me, Lennox, it’s yours.” Placing a hand over her heart, she whispered, “My shattered heart, you healed it.” Bringing her fingertips to her temple. “My broken mind, you made me believe.” Finally, touching her lips. “You made me feel, Nox.”
Both of his hands delved into her hair, cradling her head lovingly as his mouth descended on hers gently. As they met, there was no rush, no hurry to reach some end goal. They savored, enjoyed. Gave to each other what no one had been able to before.
“I’m going to marry you, darlin’.” His tongue licked inside her lip when she gasped. “You’re going to have my babies.” Her eyes flew open with shock. “I’m going to be your everything.” Her face lit up.
“I’d like that,” she told him. His huge grin was enough to know they were meant for each other. There were very few things in her life that she was sure of, but Lennox was her real deal. The one thing she knew she could count on. His words cemented it.
A creak outside the door alerted them to his mother’s possible spying. He didn’t scramble away from her, though. He smiled like he’d known she would do it.
“Don’t worry, Ma, I ain’t about to jump her when she’s hurt!” he shouted towards the door. Her jaw dropped to her chest, and he just laughed.
“Lennox,” Sophia hissed at him.
“She took longer than I thought she would.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
With her good hand, she covered her face, completely embarrassed that they could have been caught. “Oh my God.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He continued to laugh as they heard Lorraine’s retreating footsteps and the closing of her door.
“Calm down, Soph,” he told her, grabbing her good hand to pull her to her feet. Helping her slip into his shirt, she immediately calmed as his scent surrounded her in a comforting embrace. Cuddling into bed, he held her tight in his arms as exhaustion took hold of her again.
“I can’t wait for our forever,” she mumbled as her body succumbed to slumber.
H.O.P.E
Hold on, pain ends.
The ringing of his cell phone woke Nox from sleep before dawn had broken the sky. Searching behind him for the device, the name flashing across the screen shocked him.
“Hang on,” he mumbled into the receiver as he struggled to break free of Sophia’s hold around his waist. Clearing the bed without waking her up, he stepped into the hall with a brisk, “What do you want?” to her father. The man made it extremely hard for Nox not to snap on him whenever they spoke.
“We need to meet,” the man replied. “Without Sophia.”
Shocked, it took him a moment to reply. “I won’t hide a meeting with you from her.”
“I don’t want you to, but we need to discuss something without her around. Sophia is so strong, and just because I was an absent father doesn’t mean I haven’t recognized her strength. She’s also extremely fragile, Mr. Hogan. What I need to discuss with you, it will hurt her. And that is the very last thing I want to do.” The man sounded tired and remorseful.
“Fine. I can be at your house in an hour.” He hung up before Anthony could respond.
Quietly ducking back into the bedroom, he grabbed his clothes and snuck back out. He didn’t like having to slip in and out. Hide something from her. But by the sounds of it, he would need to figure out how to break whatever it was Anthony had to tell him to her in a way that would have the least impact.
Not that he believed that was possible.
If it was bad, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to tell her. Seeing hurt in her gaze from words being delivered by him was not high on his list of things to do.
Writing a quick note for Soph and his mother, he placed it on the counter by the coffee pot, knowing that’s the first place his mother went to when she woke up. He was out the door in under five minutes and on his way to his shop to check in, and then to Sophia’s childhood home with dread lining his gut.
A peaceful pain filled Sophia’s body as she slowly woke up to the sun streaming its warm rays through the window. It was one of her favorite things, feeling the heat relax her tense muscles.
Gingerly raising up from the bed, she knew Nox was gone. Not just from the bedroom, but from the house. He had this commanding presence that couldn’t be missed when he was in the same space as her, and it was missing.
Where he was off to was the question.
Going to the washroom and cleaning up, it wasn’t long before Lorraine was knocking on the door calling for her. “Sophia?”
“I’m up,” she responded, entering the bedroom as the woman walked in.
“Oh, you look so much better!” Nox’s mom exclaimed happily. “A good night’s rest does wonders for the wounded.”
“I do feel better.” She gave a warm smile back.
“How about we go for breakfast?” At Lorraine’s suggestion, Soph frowned, wondering if it was a good idea.
“Where did Lennox go?” She couldn’t bring herself to leave the house without him. It wasn’t even about him being protective and not wanting her to go. She truly didn’t feel safe without him. The thought was surprising and had her frowning. She couldn’t be a wuss. She had to get over her fears, not let them own her.
“He had a meetin
g early this morning,” she explained.
“Did he say when he’d be back?” Sophia didn’t want him coming home and them not being there. He’d freak right out.
“No, but we can leave him a note, and Levi will be with us.” That shocked Sophia. He had been pretty tight-lipped and seemed to be avoiding his mother. “He just doesn’t know it yet.” A devious grin graced the woman’s face.
“I’ll be right down.” Lorraine nodded and left her to dress.
Looking for her small bag, she saw it sitting limply by the closet door. Walking over, she wasn’t shocked to see her things hanging with Nox’s own clothes. It was silly, but she beamed like she’d won the lottery. Seeing their belongings together made her insanely happy.
Choosing the cherry red dress that matched the color of Nox’s car, she quickly struggled into it after more cursing than she would ever admit to. Seeing her cute black ballet flats with the tiny red ribbons on the floor, she grabbed them as well as a small sweater to ward off any chill.
Once ready, she headed downstairs just as the doorbell rang. Descending the staircase as Levi walked in, he smiled at her. She returned the expression and was about to greet him when she got a look at his face.
“Oh, Levi,” she sighed, worried about the man. Stitches lined his jaw surrounded by bruising. He grimaced when she was on the last step and reached for his face, turning it so she could get a better look. “What happened?”
So much pain lingered in his eyes as he responded flippantly, “Don’t you worry about it, sugar.”
“I don’t doubt that. I’m worried about the damage your body is suffering.” He looked away. “And your mind.” Their gazes clashed, his own so much like Lennox’s and Lochlan’s but filled with more hurt and longing than she feared anyone understood. “I know Nox has said it, but I’ll listen, too, Levi. No judgment, I swear.” Her words were quiet as his mother walked in the room.
He nodded before greeting the older woman. “Hey, Ma.” His entire demeanor changed. He didn’t look hurt or lonely. He was happy, at peace. A peace she knew wouldn’t last longer than it took for Lorraine to turn away rather than scold him for his newest injury.
