Beneath These Scars

by Meghan March

“An accident is exactly what it was, Lucas,” Jerome interjected.

  “No. When the rope slipped and shredded on that rock, I had time. I could’ve grabbed it. I waited too long—”

  “And then went over a cliff to try to save him, nearly killing yourself in the process and landing in the hospital for three weeks.”

  My eyes jerked to Lucas. The scars on his forearm that I’d never asked about, because I didn’t like to talk about mine. The slice of a scar that ran through his eyebrow and up into his hairline. It was all coming together.

  I touched the raised white line on his forearm now. “No one makes it through life without scars. It’s impossible. But they’re not signs of shame; they’re badges of honor showing that you fought and survived. That’s why I’ve never hidden mine, but you’ve never moved on.”

  Lucas’s words came out sharp. “And you have?”

  “I have now. And you’re the reason why.”

  “I’m the worst reason.” Lucas shoved to his feet and strode out of the room.

  I started after him, but Jerome’s voice stopped me.

  “His father tore him down at every opportunity, made him believe he was unworthy—of affection, love, of anything. He’s spent every minute of every day proving him wrong, and yet he still doesn’t believe he’s done enough. He persists in seeing himself as the villain.”

  “If his father were alive, I’d throw him down a mountain myself.”

  “He was not a good man. But his son is.”

  I headed for the door. “You don’t have to tell me that. I already know.” I reached the hallway, but there was no sign of Lucas.

  I stopped at the nurses’ station. “You see a big, black-haired man stomp through here?”

  She smiled. “That hot one? Oh yeah. He headed for the elevator. Said he needed some air and to call if anything changed.”

  “Thank you.” I skipped the elevator and went for the stairs. By the time I reached the bottom—four floors—I realized I’d made a mistake. Hot. Damn. My side and neck burned.

  I pushed open the heavy door, and Lucas was walking through the exit.

  “Wait, damn it!” I huffed, leaning heavily on the wall.

  Lucas spun and strode toward me. “What the hell are you doing?” he growled when he reached my side.

  I wheezed out a breath. “I ran down. The stairs.”

  He looked around. “We need to find a nurse. Make sure you didn’t tear open your stitches.”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

  “Stubborn.”

  He squatted and lifted me into his arms. My hands went around his neck as I held on.

  “Take me outside. I want air too.”

  “You need—”

  “You. I need you, Lucas,” I interrupted. “That’s all.”

  His arms tightened around me. “I’m not—”

  I slid one hand to the side of his face and forced him to look at me. “Do you care about me?” I asked. It was time to lay it all out.

  “What the hell kind of question is that? And we’re taking this conversation somewhere more private.” He turned and carried me through the exit and down the sidewalk to a bench. It was after midnight, and the place was deserted. He lowered me and began to pace.

  “It kind of hurts my neck to keep swinging my head back and forth, so if you could just hold still, that’d be great.”

  Lucas froze. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

  “See? You do care about me,” I said, forcing my tone to be lighter.

  Lucas came toward the bench, towering over me in my seated position. “Of course I fucking care about you, Yve. I’m in love with you.”

  The words sounded strange on his tongue, as if he’d never spoken them before—and suddenly I was confident he hadn’t.

  “Good, because that makes it a lot less awkward for me to tell you that I’m in love with you too.”

  He dropped to a crouch in front of me. “That’s not possible.”

  I reached out and skimmed my thumb along the stubble shading his jaw. “Nothing’s impossible, Lucas,” I said, throwing his words back at him.

  He covered my hand with his, holding it to his face as he shook his head. “I had a plan. Keep you in my bed, in my house, in my life, until you couldn’t remember what any other life was like.”

  “You were going to trick me into staying?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.

  Lucas’s frown deepened. “See, I’m not a good guy. I was going to do whatever it took to keep you, regardless of whether you wanted to be kept.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “So if I were miserable, you would have forced me to stay?”

  His brows dropped into a deep V. “I would’ve never allowed you to be miserable.”

  A smile played about my lips. “But if I had been?”

  He bowed his head, still not releasing my hand. “I would’ve let you go,” he murmured.

  “Like the goddamn Beast, right down to the library.”

  Lucas’s head snapped up, confusion creasing his forehead. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “You’re clearly lacking in the Disney cartoon movie department. But it doesn’t matter. My point is you’re not the villain in this scenario, Lucas. You’re the hero—and I’m not leaving your side until I make you believe it.”

  He reached out a hand to cup my cheek. “Then I’ll never believe it.”

  I shook my head. “Stubborn man.”

  “Smart man.”

  “Then kiss me.”

  “Demanding,” he said softly as he lowered his lips to mine.

  “I learned from the best,” I said, but the words were lost in his kiss.

  For the first time, he didn’t devour and conquer. Instead, Lucas kissed me softly, carefully, as if I was rare and precious—something only he had ever made me feel.

  When our mouths finally broke free, Lucas pinned me with that gorgeous green stare again.

  “You love me.” It wasn’t a question. But then again, from him, I didn’t expect it to be.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank God.” And then he kissed me again. And again.

  For the first time in my life, I was the girl who was going to get her happily ever after.

  THE AFTERMATH OF SHOOTING AND killing someone was a lot messier than the blood you spilled. There was questioning, charges, lawyers, and a hell of a lot of paperwork. Yve and I spent nearly all of the next day at the police station. Hennessy tried to smooth things over as much as he could, but even he couldn’t change the facts.

  I’d killed a man. It was a clear case of self-defense, but the formalities still had to be followed.

  Through it all, I never let go of Yve’s hand. I didn’t know what exactly I’d done to make her love me, but I would figure it out so I could keep doing it for the rest of my life.

  I would not lose her.

  I’d Googled beast and library and Disney when we’d gone back inside the hospital last night, and had to be shushed by the nurse when I’d laughed so loudly that I’d nearly woken the entire unit.

  Beauty and the Beast. And I was the Beast. It was fitting, I supposed. At least Yve wouldn’t be surprised when I really wouldn’t ever let her leave my castle. And if she tried, I’d distract her in the library.

  I smiled, turning to stare at the woman beside me, and was startled when the door to the interrogation room flew open and a familiar woman stormed in, black hair swirling around her shoulders.

  “Is he really dead? The bastard is really, truly dead?”

  Hennessy stood to face Valentina Noble, and I struggled to make the connection of why the hell she’d be standing here.

  “Ma’am, you—”

  “Don’t ma’am me, Detective Hennessy. Just answer the question.”

  Yve stood beside me. “He’s really dead, Valentina. He’s never going to hurt anyone again.”

  Confused, I looked from one woman to the other. I was missing something. And then Johnson Haines’s rant came to mind. The daughter of a
judge.

  Valentina Noble had been victimized by Jay Haines too. The man had deserved every bullet he’d gotten, and I was glad as hell I’d crushed his nuts too.

  Valentina rushed over to Yve and enveloped her in a hug. Yve winced and the other woman pulled back. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. Did he—?” Her question hung in the air.

  Yve shook her head. “His bitch of a fiancée. Don’t worry about it.”

  “That bitch. We need champagne. We need to celebrate.” Her head swiveled around. “Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Can Yve and I get a moment alone?”

  My fingers were still twined through Yve’s, and I squeezed.

  She grinned. “Lucas isn’t exactly letting me out of his sight yet.”

  Valentina smiled. “Good for him. Smart man, and he picked a good woman. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you never caved to my father’s demands to ask me out. It would’ve just bruised your ego when I said no.”

  The chuckle worked its way out of my lips unexpectedly. “I have to say, I’m glad too.”

  “Ms. Noble, I’ll be happy to escort you out,” Hennessy said. “We need to get back to settling the formalities surrounding Mr. Haines’s death.”

  Valentina released the grip she still had on Yve’s other hand, and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. “Be well, Yve. And don’t be a stranger. I think this whole bullshit can be over, about no one knowing how we’re connected. It’s a new day, and neither of us has anything to fear anymore.”

  Yve nodded in agreement, and Valentina turned and headed toward the door. Flipping her black hair over her shoulder, she stared Hennessy down. “I’ll see myself out, Detective.”

  Hennessy’s eyes never left her as she strutted out. Finally, he shook his head. “I’ll be right back.” Then he was out the door and after her.

  Interesting.

  Once we were alone, I lowered back into the incredibly uncomfortable interview chair and lifted Yve sideways onto my lap.

  She looked up at me, eyebrow raised. “I don’t think this is proper interview procedure.”

  “Like I care.”

  “Make your own rules wherever you go?”

  “Is that even a question?”

  “I guess not.” She leaned into me. “I’m ready to go home now, though. Can you work that into the rules?”

  “Regardless of whether we’re done or not, we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

  “Good. I’m tired. Hospitals suck for sleep.”

  Which was why Jerome was happy as hell to be out of there. His sister’s flight had landed this morning, and she’d made her way to the hospital immediately. When he’d been released, she’d clucked and fussed over him relentlessly. Knowing he was in good hands, I’d agreed that we would come to the station to get everything squared away.

  Hennessy came back in the room and shut the door. I raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing.

  “Let’s make it quick, Hennessy. Yve’s had a rough couple of days, and I want to get her home.”

  “Well, that’s convenient because I’ve just been informed that the DA has officially dropped all charges.”

  “Perfect.” I stood, lifting Yve to her feet, and held out a hand to Hennessy. “You ever need anything, just ask.” I had no problem making the offer to Hennessy, because he wasn’t the kind of guy who’d probably ever use it. Too much pride. Like recognizing like, I guessed.

  “Don’t be surprised if I take you up on it.”

  With a nod, we left, and I took Yve home.

  Did I mention I wasn’t letting her leave?

  “YOU CAN STOP CARRYING ME everywhere, you know that, right?”

  “Eventually,” Lucas replied as he hauled me into the house and carried me up to our room.

  Wait, but was it? Ours? It seemed a little crazy for me to call it that. We’d said the words, but we hadn’t worked out the details.

  Could I just move in with Lucas? Well, stay moved in? Just like that? Doubts crept in, even though I knew what I wanted.

  Him.

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” I asked.

  Lucas set me on the bed. “What?”

  “You and me? Being an ‘us’? Are you sure that’s what you want? This is all really . . . big and sudden.”

  Lucas studied me. “Are you changing your mind?”

  “No, not at all. I just want to make sure you’re cool with it.”

  He pressed a hand on the mattress on either side of my hips. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you?”

  “What?”

  “I play for keeps. I don’t let something go once it’s truly mine. That’s not going to change, and you—I’m keeping. You had your chance to run, but you didn’t take it.”

  “I had my chance, did I?”

  He nodded. “You didn’t take it. And for some unknown reason, you love me.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s an unknown reason.”

  “Good, because that means you’re not going to argue with me when I tell you you’re not finding another place to live, any clothes you buy are going in our closet, and you’re getting a new car. The Blue Beast is history.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “If you think you’re just going to lay down the law and I’m going to roll with it, we’re going to have problems.”

  “This is the law of Lucas Titan, and if you don’t like it, then fight me, Yve. Challenge me, push me, keep me on my toes. God knows you’re the only woman who could—and it just makes me want you more.”

  “You want me to . . . what?”

  “Be you. Only you. The sassy, beautiful spitfire who would never back down from me.”

  I smiled. “Now that, I can absolutely do. But if you touch my car, we’re going to have problems.”

  Lucas grinned as he lowered his lips to mine. “Then I guess I’m already in trouble.”

  A FEW MONTHS LATER, I waited in the courtyard of Brennan’s, a favorite restaurant of ours in the Quarter, wondering if she’d show. Wondering if she’d kill me once she got here. Wondering if the engagement ring and wedding band in my pocket would go unused tonight.

  I crushed the thought almost as soon as it entered my brain. Yve was the best part of my life, and I needed that part to be permanent. I hadn’t been lying when I told her I played for keeps.

  Most people didn’t do surprise weddings, especially when they weren’t even engaged. But Yve was a special case. If I gave her too much time to think, I was afraid she’d see nothing but the pitfalls from her first marriage. If I were a different kind of man, I might have taken a different route. But I wasn’t. And yet she still loved me.

  Only a few guests were present, most notably Con, Vanessa, Elle, Lord, Simon, Charlie, Jerome, Levi, Hennessy, JP, Valentina Noble, Geneviève Haines, and Harriet.

  Con wandered over from the bar and handed me a drink. If someone had told me a few months ago the man I’d once considered my enemy would be at my wedding—at my invitation—I would have told that person he was fucking crazy. I guess it was more proof that life took us on a crazy-as-hell journey, and all we could do was hold on and enjoy the ride. Although, from the way Hennessy’s eyes were following Valentina around the room, it looked like he was hoping to take a whole different kind of ride tonight.

  “Got you a Sazarac. Fancy enough for you?” Con asked.

  I accepted it and sipped. “Not poisoned, I’m assuming.”

  “Nah, Yve would kill me if I killed you, and then Vanessa would be pissed. I do my best to avoid pissing her off. Have you even thought about how much you’re risking pissing Yve off with this little stunt?”

  From beside me, Levi chuckled and sipped his own drink. “He wouldn’t listen. Trust me, I tried.”

  When Levi had returned from New Zealand, he’d been surprised to find Yve still staying at the house, but had given his wholehearted approval. According to my little brother, she was the only woman he’d ever met who he thought could stand up to me.

  I glared at them both. “It’
s time, and she won’t be pissed. For long,” I added as an afterthought.

  Con didn’t look convinced, but he left it alone, moving on to another subject. “So I hear congratulations are in order on the business side too. The feds passed some regulation that makes Titan Industries’ technology the be-all-end-all solution to compliance?”

  I nodded. After Johnson Haines and several other Louisiana state senators had been recalled due to suspicions of accepting bribes for sponsoring legislation, the lobbyist firm I’d originally worked with had switched focus to the federal government and been successful. As a business owner, I wasn’t generally in favor of more regulation, but when we were talking about something that helped more than it harmed, even I could get in line. And my technology that exponentially increased the efficiency of alternative energy used in industrial applications was certainly a good thing.

  Con lifted his glass. “Then cheers. I heard about that open-source shit. That’s pretty cool, and makes me think you’re marginally less of a prick than I’d originally thought.”

  “I’m surprised you’d heard about that.”

  “When a billionaire decides to offer up a game-changing piece of technology for free by posting the hows and whys on the Internet, even a guy like me hears about it.”

  I shifted, still a little uncomfortable with this image of being some do-gooder. “I didn’t give it all away, don’t worry. Businesses that aren’t savvy enough to implement it themselves will still come to Titan Industries for consulting and troubleshooting because we know it better than anyone.” I thought even my father would have approved of that solution.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. No one’s going to mistake you for being a selfless bastard anytime soon.”

  Even without Johnson Haines and the bill I’d been trying to push through the Louisiana legislature, I’d been able to see my dream come true—but on a bigger scale. The lobbyist firm that had dropped the ball had called in favors at the federal level as a move to get Titan Industries’ business back. It had been the next step in my game plan, but I’d been working on the state level first. This just accelerated everything.

  But when it came down to it, my conscience couldn’t allow the feds to drop a ton of regulations on small factories and plants nationwide that could run people out of business if they couldn’t pay the price we’d put on it. So I’d made a decision. We’d put all of the information about the technology I’d spent over a decade developing on the Internet—for free—so anyone could create their own solutions with it. What I’d said to Con was true. We’d still make money, but not as much, and in a different way. I felt good about the decision, one Yve had helped me make.