Beautiful Scars Part 22

Two arms came around her, hauling her back against that lean, muscled body. Marc's silken black hair brushed up against her cheek. "What are you doing, Chaili?" he whispered. "Why do you keep running?"

"I'm not. I just need some coffee." Her voice came out a bare whisper. I need to think...need to... Oh, h.e.l.l. He pressed his hand against her belly, his thumb stroking up, down.

"Every time I try to tell what I've got trapped inside me, you either run away or try to hide or change the subject. Now..." He dipped his head, nuzzled the curve between her neck and shoulder. "Now you want to make coffee. Chaili, have I ever mentioned that you confuse the h.e.l.l out of me sometimes?"

Coffee, she told herself. Caffeine. She needed to think.

"Why are you still trying to run?" he whispered.

Because I need to think! "I..."

She licked her lips. Lifting her hands, she covered his, staring down at the way her hands looked on his. And she saw her ring. That ring that Shera had made for her. You think things through too hard. And here she was, doing it again.

Groaning, she dropped her head back on his shoulder. "Maybe I confuse you, but you terrify me."

For the longest time, he didn't say anything.

Then, finally, he turned her around, his hands curved around her waist, his gaze intent on hers. Slowly, he slid one hand up, up, up...lingering over the scars hidden under her dress, tracing the tattoo he couldn't see. Along her neck until he cupped her face. "Why?"

"Because." She licked her lips, staring into his face, even though she really wanted to run and hide now. "d.a.m.n it, Marc. You're everything I've ever wanted. You're what I've always wanted. And now you're standing there like maybe I could really have you and it scares me. What if I lost you?"

He cupped her face.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Okay. He wasn't pulling away. Wasn't looking at her like he was about to wig out. That...that was a good thing, she thought.

"I spent years searching for what I wanted...and I just found her. The f.u.c.ked up thing is that you were here all along. There hasn't been anybody who has made me feel the way you do, Chaili," he said quietly. "n.o.body. You let me feel like I can be me. You make me feel real. Over the past few years, I've forgotten what it's like to feel real."

Well, that wasn't a s.h.i.+ny declaration of love, but it sounded pretty promising.

She reached up and curled her hands into his s.h.i.+rt. "You are real, Marc. You're a real boy, I promise you."

"Smart a.s.s," he whispered. His other hand came up, until he had her face cupped in his palms. "I don't feel like myself half the time. I don't feel...like me. But with you, it's different. You make me feel like it's okay to be who I am. What I am."

Her throat ached as she tugged him closer. Easing up onto her toes, she pressed a kiss to the stubbled line of his jaw. "Marc, baby...there's nothing wrong with who you are. What you are. I adore the man you are. Well, except when you're being sneaky and trying to find ways to take care of me."

"I can't help that," he said sourly. "I want to take care of you. I kind of need it." He fisted a hand in her hair, tugged her head back. "And there's this way you look at me that makes me...even better than I know I am. Makes me want to be better.

"Chaili..." His gaze roamed over her face. He squeezed his eyes closed, dipped his head until his brow rested against her. "I'm going to screw this up."

Burrowing in close, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, if it helps, I've already screwed up a little. I'm sorry I jumped on you. I...um. I panicked. I'm sorry. I just keep thinking something's going to fall apart and I just want to run away before that happens. I'm terrified something will fall apart and that you're never going to feel the way I do and..."

Chaili gasped out as he backed her up. The wall was at her back, and the long, powerful lines of his body pressed against her front, the heat of him burning through her dress. Fire seemed to burn in the depths of his eyes.

"I love you," he snarled. "Stop worrying, and stop running. I love you, d.a.m.n it. I don't know how or when it happened, but I know it's real, and I know it's there. I love you, Chaili. Just you. Only you."

As she tried to catch her breath, as she tried to catch the heart that seemed to have fallen to her knees, Marc stood there, one arm braced on the wall by her head, his face twisted in a brooding, challenging scowl. I love you...

She'd heard that.

I love you...

Just you...

Only you...

The rest of it was still a jumble of words her brain struggled to make sense of, but those words, she understood.

"d.a.m.n it," he said, his voice a harsh, ragged demand. "Say something."

Chaili didn't know what to say. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth, but nothing wanted to come out. He'd said it...the words she'd held trapped inside her for so long, he'd just said them to her. Shaken, she reached up and cupped his face in her hands, stroking one thumb across the curve of his lower lip. The rasp of stubble scratched against her palm.

I love you...

"If you don't say something in the next five seconds, I'm going to go out of my mind," he said, his voice easy, almost level now. And his eyes were still burning as he stared down at her. "I just wanted you to know that."

A laugh bubbled out of her and she wrapped her arms around him. "d.a.m.n it, can you just give me a minute? I've only been waiting to hear you say that for half my life."

He shuddered, cuddling her close. Feeling that lean body against hers, feeling it tremble, she slid a hand under his s.h.i.+rt, stroked his back. "This is real, right?" she whispered. "You're serious?"

Marc pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. "I'm not sure if I've ever been this serious about anything. Except..."

"Except what?" She lifted her head, staring at him.

Golden eyes bored into hers. A faint grin crooked his lips and he shrugged. "Well, if you keep trying to run away from me, I'm going to do something desperate. Like shackle you to me or something."

A half hysterical giggle escaped her. "Okay. No more running," she whispered, leaning in. She lifted her hands, cradling his face and pressing her lips to his. She wanted to remember each and every moment. Treasure each and every moment. Find a way to commit it all to memory. The feel of the stubble rasping against her palms. The intensity of his eyes, even the biting impatience she could see in his gaze. "No shackles needed, Marc. I've been waiting right here...for years. I've loved you for so long, I can't remember a time when I didn't love you."

Author's Note.

Inspired by Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis and The Scar Project... www.thescarproject.org.

About the Author.

s.h.i.+loh Walker has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more...ah...serious works of fiction. She loves reading and writing just about every kind of romance. Once upon a time she worked as a nurse, but now she writes full time and lives with her family in the Midwest. She writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy under the name J.C. Daniels. For more about s.h.i.+loh Walker, please visit her Website or join her newsletter. Also, check her out on Facebook and Twitter!.

Look for these t.i.tles by s.h.i.+loh Walker.

Now Available:.

Talking with the Dead.

Always Yours For the Love of Jazz.

Beautiful Girl Vicious Vixen.

Playing for Keeps My Lady The Redeeming.

No Longer Mine A Forever Kind of Love The Hunters.

The Huntress Hunter's Pride.

Malachi Hunter's Edge Grimm's Circle Candy Houses.

No Prince Charming Crazed Hearts I Thought It Was You Tarnished Knight.

Locked in Silence Grimm Tidings Blind Destiny.

Coming Soon:.

The Unwanted.

You can always come home. Second chances come a little harder.

A Forever Kind of Love.

2011 s.h.i.+loh Walker.

Chase and Zoe were the high school golden couple. Football captain, cheerleader, prom royalty. After graduation, though, Chase couldn't resist the urge to experience life outside their small town. He didn't exactly expect Zoe to wait twelve years for him, but now that he's back, he finds some small part of him hoping she did.

It's no big surprise she's married. The kick in the face is she married his best friend.

Zoe was devastated when Chase left, but she's filed those bittersweet memories under "Moved On". She loves her life, and loves her husband. She has all she needs. And Chase keeps an honorable distance.

One cold, wet, miserable day, tragedy turns Zoe's world upside down. Chase never expected her to simply fall into his arms, but a man can dream. Except his dream doesn't include the fact that this time, she's the one hitting the road...and he's the one left behind.

Warning: This story contains heartbreak, heartache and one last chance for two lovers to find each other.

Enjoy the following excerpt for A Forever Kind of Love: Staring at the bag of books, Chase tried to tell himself to just leave it on the porch and get back in his car.

Instead of doing that, which was probably the smarter thing, he knocked on the door. h.e.l.l, he knew Roger needed a distraction and he'd just gotten some new political thrillers in that were just up the guy's alley-and two of them were audio books.

Zoe's favorite urban fantasy author had a new book out.

Books were a nice distraction at any time, right?

It wasn't like he didn't have a good reason for swinging by.

Ever since he'd found out about Roger's diagnosis, the petty anger he'd harbored against his friend... Well, Chase had realized just how f.u.c.king petty it was, and he'd shoved it straight where it needed to go, out of his heart, out of his mind.

They might never have the friends.h.i.+p they'd had in high school, but they were friends and right now, both Zoe and Roger needed all the friends they could get.

And Chase needed to be there for both of them as much as he could.

Besides, his dad was worrying about him too. Ever since Roger had turned in his resignation, the old man had come by as often as he could, but it was now re-election time and instead of visiting every couple of days, he could only get by once a week or so and Chase had promised he'd come by today.

All valid reasons.

n.o.body needed to know it was a perfectly legit cover for him to be able to look at Zoe and soothe the ragged pain inside his heart, one that gotten worse ever since the time he'd laid eyes on her again in the city square a few months back.

He couldn't help her.

She was going through something he couldn't even imagine and he couldn't do s.h.i.+t to help.

Except bring some books for Roger and offer to help out at her store as much as he could, and that didn't count for much of anything. He couldn't take this pain from her, he couldn't fix Roger-as f.u.c.king jealous as he was, he'd fix the man in a heartbeat if it was in his power, but he couldn't.

All he could do was stand by and watch as two people he loved suffered.

The door swung open and the smile and speech he'd rehea.r.s.ed faded away into nothing as he found himself staring at Zoe's face.

"Chase, hi."

Forcing himself to smile, he held out the bag. "Hey. Wanted to bring this by. And I promised my dad I'd come by and check on things."

She might have barred him from coming in but he edged past her, forcing her to back up unless she wanted him brus.h.i.+ng up against her. Which she didn't-Chase was fully aware of the extreme care she took not to let him touch her. The door closed behind them and he turned to study Zoe's face.

She looked tired.

Still so f.u.c.king beautiful it made his heart ache just to look at her, but tired. Like she could sleep for a week.

Tired and frazzled and frustrated.

He felt like a major p.r.i.c.k because he wanted to offer to hold her for the entire week.

Her husband's dying, man. Remember him? Guy used to be your best friend? Still is your friend?

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She gave him a practiced, completely false smile.

"Bulls.h.i.+t." He dropped the bag on the table centered under a mirror and folded his arms over his chest, studying her face. "Don't hand me the line you hand people in your store, people at church, whoever. I know you too well. How are you, really?"

She lifted a golden brow at him. "Chase, you don't really me that well. Not anymore."