Page 38 of Saving Tracey
"Out." Kaleb sent me a hard look, but Krista scampered out of the room.
"You don't get her all to yourself." I arched an eyebrow at his sudden hostility. “I'd like to make sure she's okay, too."
Suddenly realizing Tracey’s arms were bare when she tightened her hold on me, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it uparound her shoulders so that her arms were hidden from Kaleb’s view. She buried her face into my chest. I sent my best friend a harsh glare. "You know she's not going to let you near her." He scowled at me. "You know damn good and well that I'm the only person she trusts enough to let near her."
Kaleb pointed at me, glaring harshly. "This," he pointed between me and him, "is not over."
He stormed out of the room, slamming Tracey’s bedroom door closed behind him, making her jump in my arms. I sighed. I didn't understand what Kaleb’s problem was, but lately, he seemed to be a little pissed every time I got close to Tracey, but he was going to have to get over himself.
Tracey was mine, and I was the only person she trusted.
I grabbed her arm lightly in my hand and pulled her scarred wrist up to my lips, placing a gentle kiss over each line. She shivered under my touch. "I'm surprised you left your arms exposed.”
She moved away from me, crossing her arms over her stomach. I let my eyes trail over her. She was wearing a black spaghetti-strapped tank top. I could see the fullness of her breasts and the dip in her waist. Fuck, she was gorgeous.
My cold shower just went to complete fucking waste. My imagination hadn’t done her body any justice.
She jumped out of bed and snatched her hoodie off the floor. I scrambled from the bed, gripping her wrists before she could yank the hoodie over her head. "Don't," I said softly, swallowing hard as I ran my eyes over her curvy figure. "You know you don't have to hide from me. I've told you over and over again that you're perfect."
She bit her lip, and I sighed, releasing one of her wrists to tug her bottom lip from between her teeth. She wasn't going to do much for the hard-on I was currently sporting if she continued to do that.
"But I can't let anyone else see this."
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'twantthem 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.Youare 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.
