Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 73153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I wasn’t just anyone.
I pulled her into my arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head. I could feel her heated face against my chest as she blushed at my affection. "You need to get comfortable with yourself. Your scars are a part of who you are. You need to embrace it, instead of being ashamed of it. They will understand."
"I don't want them to have to understand. They shouldn't have to. It's part of the darkness, and I won’t drag them into that."
"I know about them, and you haven't dragged me into your darkness."
"But you know what it's like." She finally wrapped her arms around me. My body relaxed instantly as her slender frame pressed against mine. "You know what it feels like to be consumed by it. Just because what you did to escape it and deal with it is more beautiful than my ugliness, doesn't mean I can let them see."
"Your scars are not ugly. You are not ugly." I meant every fucking word from the bottom of my heart—the bottom of my soul. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that they are a part of who you are. Think of them as your battle scars."
She sighed, pulling away from me. She slipped the hoodie over her head, much to my displeasure, tugging the sleeves down to make sure they covered her wrists. "You'll never understand."
I threw my hands up into the air, shoving my fingers through my hair roughly afterward. This girl exasperated me sometimes. "How can you even possibly begin to think for even one fucking second that I don't understand?” I slapped my hands back down against my sides. “I understand better than anyone. No one will think differently of you. We all fucking care about you, Tracey. Why can't you get that through your goddamn head?"
I noticed with every curse word I threw at her, she took a step back from me. I sighed, turning my back to her, running my fingers roughly through my hair again. My muscles were pulled taught with frustration. I hated that she could still be afraid of me.
She had to know I would never lay a hand on her—ever.
I turned back to her, letting my eyes meet hers. "Tracey, don't cower away from me. I’ll never hurt you, you know that, right?"
She looked away from me. My heart ripped inside my chest. I hated feeling this way. I didn't want her to pull away from me. We had made so much progress.
I couldn’t take it if she pulled away from me again.
I stepped toward her and grabbed her face in my hands. Her green eyes snapped up to mine, her face paling slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. It's okay.”
She drew in a sharp, shaky breath. I glanced down at her lips, so badly wanting to kiss her. She bit her lip, and I groaned. I couldn't take it anymore.
My head rushed down, and my lips claimed hers.
TRACEY
I froze under his lips. My heart started beating erratically.
He was kissing me.
Trevor Varner—the sexy, badass, football player—was kissing me.
I let my eyes fall shut, and I kissed him back with everything in me.
His lips were rough against mine, slightly chapped. His left arm slid down to wrap around my waist tightly and molded me against him. His right hand slipped into my hair, forcing my lips against his more aggressively.
I moaned into his mouth.
He felt so good against me. He was all hard, sinewy muscle against my softer body, and it felt like Heaven.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers plunging into his dark, damp hair. He bit my bottom lip, making me gasp and tug on his hair. He groaned into my mouth, and taking advantage of my open lips, he plunged his tongue inside, sliding his against mine so erotically that I felt heat rush straight south.
I didn't know what was happening to me, but I was getting wet.
Was this how it felt to be treated right by a man?
All I know was that for once, I was feeling good. I didn't feel threatened. I wasn't being harmed. Trevor was being gentle with me, yet rough at the same time, and I had never felt more cared for in my life when in the hands of another guy.
He was kissing me like he couldn't get enough of me. Hell, I knew I couldn't get enough of him.
He pulled back a minute later, both of us gasping for air. His lips were red and swollen from kissing me, and I’m sure mine were in the same state. I felt something hard against my stomach when I shifted a little, and I flushed, knowing exactly what it was.
He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he tightened his hold on me. "Please don't move."