Beautiful scars
It was easy to forget all of the world's worries, locked away on this island which I never wanted to leave. It was our own little slice of perfection, our guarded haven inhabited by just the two of us. I had not felt this free—this happy—in so long, even in my time spent with Aiden and Abby.
The air still lingered with the savory and tangy scent from lunch—a mixture of potato salad, chicken, and a bowl of fruits accompanied by a glass of red wine that Lucas whipped up.
Shocking because I had never seen the man do more than make himself a coffee.
It melted my heart to see how far he was going to make this perfect.
The orange-yellow of the sun slowly setting beyond the horizon glistened over the water as it rocked back and forth in slow waves. It was a near hypnotic sight.
After lunch, Lucas had suggested we got sunbathed before swimming, he said it made the water better when we got in.
So now, we were laying on the beach, watching as darkness slowly take over.
Despite his protests, I still had the yellow bikini I had packed for the trip, it was the single most sexy thing I could think of carrying along.
And while it was enough to have a good effect on Lucas, it was no comparison to the reaction he was inciting from me.
Lucas had been a shameless tease by taking off every piece of clothing he had on, with the exception of his black briefs that left nothing to the imagination.
Rolling to my side, I popped my head on one arm to take a full good look at the delicious man next to me.
Lucas lay on his back over the spread towel, hands propped under his head as he watched the sunset slowly.
His strong, muscled, tanned body was on full display and the fact that he was almost completely naked did not do much to help keep my imaginations in check.
I could not help the way my tongue darted out to lick my lips as my eyes roamed his body carefully.
"Seen something interesting?" he asked with a smirk, eyes still closed.
I bit back an embarrassed blush at being caught ogling him and lay back down. "You're going to burn,"
"I have sunscreen on," he chuckled.
'You should re-apply," I reached for the bottle next to me and added teasingly, "We don't want your perfect body getting marred by the sun."
Popping his eyes open, he regarded me with that smile that said he knew exactly what I was admiring, "I'm sure." His strong muscles flexed as he sat up, and I straddled his legs, giving him a wry smile as I smeared the sunscreen over his body.
"You sure are something," his words vibrated against my skin as he pressed a small kiss on my shoulder.
Lucas twirled a loc of my straight brown hair in one finger as his eyes searched my face briefly and his expression morphed into that familiar hunger as they roamed lower.
My tongue swiped across my lips, and I offered him a knowing smile, letting my fingers drag lower down his chest to his abdomen.
"Have I ever told you how sexy I think you are?" he asked, as his hands reached out to pull me closer until we were barely an inch apart.
I worked to keep my breath steady at the now rigid feeling of his cock pressed against my thighs. With my eyes fixed on his, I shook my head briefly. The stern look in his eyes though, forced a more verbal answer from me, "No..."
"Damn fucking sexy."
His answer made my cheeks thrum shamelessly and I bit my bottom lip, trying and failing to hold back a shy smile. "That means a lot coming from the sexiest man I know."
His laugh was low and deep, it sent depraved thoughts running through my head and desire pooling low in my belly. "You know you never did give me a second massage."
"I thought that was just a facade for us to get closer to each other?" I quirked my brows, amused at all the times we both played cat and dog with our feelings.
"Who said I no longer want an excuse to have your hands on my body?"
"You don't need an excuse to have my hands on you Lucas." he was that irresistible and I let my fingers sink to his lower back for emphasis.
The wind picked up, blowing my hair over my face and Lucas caught it, tucking the stray locs behind my ear.
His eyes roamed my face, searching for what I could not figure yet and it was not until I felt his thumb soothing across a sore spot that I was not yet ready to revisit. "Is this a birthmark?"
I jerked back away from his arms, withdrawing to myself sharply, as I rearranged my hair to cover the long deep scar left on my scalp. Months had passed since I got that scar but like every other invincible scar on me, it was a vivid reminder of who I was and all I had been through in the past.
"Hey," Lucas said carefully, inching closer, "I did not mean to upset you muffin, what's wrong?"
"It's not important," I shot back more defensively than I intended to. "Just please don't ask what it is."
"Okay, I won't ask if you don't want me to but you should know everything about you is important to me Chris, even the seemingly unimportant.
" His tone was much more calm and comforting than I needed it to be right now.
There was no pressure in his words, just love, and concern and despite myself, all I wanted to do was bare my heart out to him.
We spent the next few minutes in awkward silence, watching the waves sweep back and forth and the sun get replaced by the glistening moonlight.
My hand was over my hair, pushing it against the blowing wind.
I could not see him, but I could feel Lucas's gaze bore into my skin and when I turned to meet his eyes, they were filled with worry.
Finally, I found the strength to speak about my terrifying experience with Baron. It was ironic because that single event in my life had brought me where I was with Lucas today.
"It's a scar," I said in a soft tone, so low my words could easily be washed away in the breeze, yet he heard me.
"From the foster home?"
"No," I said with a sad smile, "they were horrible to me, but thankfully it never went past the physical boundaries. It's just one of the many ugly scars from my fucked up life before I met you and the twins."
"Scars are not ugly," he countered with a disapproving frown.
I scoffed, "and you would know that because you have a lot of scars?"
"I carried the burden of loving Sarah for six years with no hope that she would ever return, so yes Chris, I know very well what it feels like to have scars.
And with or without this scar, you are still the most beautiful woman in my eyes.
" he pushed my hand holding my hair to the side, and I could not find the strength to resist as he pushed my hair to the side, examining the deep cut.
He was doing a good job at keeping his annoyance hidden, but I could still see the fire of rage in his eyes as he spent the next few seconds just staring at it. I blinked back tears of disappointment, looking away and feeling more stung by his reaction. "I know, it's terrible."
"That's not what I'm thinking." from his tone, I could tell he was seething. "I'm thinking about how I want to murder whoever did this to you," Oh. "And not just them, every other person that has ever hurt you, Chris."
"The list is pretty long," I said drily, "you might want to start from my father, though after Sarah's confession at the engagement, I'm no longer sure if he was ever my father.
" After Mia's engagement, I had barely gotten the chance to think about Sarah's words.
Between trying to fix my relationship with Lucas and this vacation, everything had been on such a whirlwind and I almost totally forgot I had a sister.
Half-sister actually. A sister I despised more than anyone else on the planet, a sister that was chosen for most of life's best things, while I was tossed away like garbage with not so much as a goodbye.
I hated her. Maybe it was because she had threatened what Lucas and I shared, maybe it was how she hurt Lucas and his family in the past, maybe it was because she hated me just as much but I knew one thing for sure Sarah and I would only ever remain sisters by words and words alone.
I turned to Lucas, the second good thing that had come out of my life before this.
For the first time since I came face to face with Sarah, I needed more than anything his reassurance.
He had given it to me more times than I could remember but today, I needed to hear him say he was choosing me.
"Does it bother you that Sarah and I are.
.." I paused, swallowing hard at the bitter words, ". ..that we're sisters?"
"Why should it?" he shrugged, without giving it a second's thought.
I tilted my head, unable to give a good reason. I had none. "Just 'coz."
Pulling me into his chest, he placed one warm palm on my back and smoothed the other through my hair, circling briefly over the spot Baron's goon had struck me with his gun.
"If you had asked me this question two days before I met you Chris my answer would be very different.
But knowing you, knowing that you are nothing like that monster, I don't think anything would ever be able to change how much I love you, Chris, even if she's your sister. "
"You don't know how much I needed to hear that," I whispered, burying my face in his chest as I willed my emotions to reel back. I was also failing at that too. I had to keep my emotions in check if I was going to 'not fuck up' this vacation.
"That Sarah is a monster?"
"That you love me," I sniffled, then chuckled, "but yes that too and I'm glad she's right where she belongs."
His warm and gentle fingers held my chin, bringing my face to his until I could no longer hide the tears. Cradling my face with one free hand, he wiped the streaks of tears on my cheeks smoothly, "I hate seeing you cry Muffin, I cannot stand it."
"These are not sad tears," I said, not sure if that was a lie. "I don't even know why I'm crying right now. but I know these are good tears. I'm just so happy to be here with you," I tilted my head and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I love you, Lucas,"
"Not as much as I adore you. Do you think a swim would help right now?" he asked, rubbing my back soothingly.
"Are we done sunbathing?"
"I think the moonlight spreading over us right now answers that. But I understand if you are not up for it right now."
"I am," how could I not be when I had a mischievous idea already crawling up my brain from just the thought of swimming up here with Lucas.
I tore my body from him, digging my knees into the sand as I sat on my heels. It was not hard to peel off the straps of fabric holding my breasts together.
His mouth quirked into a sexy grin, the curiousity now gone from his eyes. "I like where this is going."
The gruff and lust-filled edge in his voice sent heat spreading through my skin and fueled my confidence as I pushed the matching thong down my thighs and dragged it further down.
A sense of wanton and triumph coursed through me as his gaze dropped attentively to the pink hue of my nipples. I could be a tease too. Getting to my feet, I held out a hand to him, "Now we're ready for a swim,"
"We sure are," I loved that look in his eyes as he took my hand, but what I was not expecting was the way hauled me over his shoulders when he got to his feet. Loud squeals and excited cries erupted from me as he ran toward the shoreline and crashed us both into the cool waves.
I never want this paradise to end.