Page 8 of Snow's Charming
I scoffed at him, because how could I not? He hadn’t a clue about me and he was talking about weird shit that doesn’t exist in real life. His betrothed? Who arranges marriages in the 21st century? Okay, possibly royalty, but I’m no princess! Who the fuck was hekidding? I’m a nobody! Jackie made that crystal clear for the past decade.
“I’m not sure who fed you a lie about me, but I’m nothing. In case your father and the rest of the brigade didn’t clue you in, Jackie got everything. I have nothing except a pair of jeans, two tees, and two sets of bras and panties. Oh! I’m also the proud owner of some pictures of my father from my last birthday. But that’s it.”
I didn’t want to sound pathetic—nor did I want my cheeks to heat after mentioning the unmentionables—but they did without my consent. I probably shouldn’t have talked about my underwear with the Greek god.
He smiled as his eyes darkened with desire, making me blush even more.
“I hope Josie helped you out like I asked her to.”
My breath stopped as the next words I uttered spilled out of my mouth.
“The fuck?”
He put his palms out in protest—my guess in a mock defense.
“I’m sorry! Let me start over. Hi. I’m Sylus and I’m the Lord Alpha Shifter Wolf of the Moon Rising Pack and Inn. Well, at least I will be after the coronation.”
Before I could take in another breath, he clasped my hand and brought it to his lips. Heat coursed through me again and burst like a firecracker.
He inched closer to the shell of my ear. The heat of his breath tickled my skin and did things to me Inever thought possible before. At one point, I seriously thought the numbness consuming my heart made me broken because I never ached for anyone before. And if I’m doing this now right after we’d met, I’m so fucked. Wait? Maybe I shouldn’t use that term. Too late. I’m picturing him naked again. I almost lost my balance as my knees weakened from the brush of his fingertips on my bare-skinned shoulder.
“You are my Queen, Sesi. And by the sound of your racing heart, it’s clear you are as into me as I am you. I’m all yours, but only if you grace me with the pleasure of worshiping you as the goddess you are.”
Worship? Grace? Queen? All his words melted me into a pile of sweet goo as he kissed the shell of my ear softly and pulled me into his arms.
“Are you still cold? I can take you inside. It’s my duty—as I mentioned.”
He wasn’t doing the grabby-hand thing, but that didn’t matter because I still didn’t know this guy, and I certainly didn’t have any clearer answers to what was going on. Everything he said so far had me wanting to ask more questions.
I instantly broke his hold. If this guy was going to try a move—well? I wasn’t feeling it—even if he was Chary’s kid—I had to keep my head in check so I’d get the answers I needed.
“Stop! Don’t touch me.” I shuttered.
I didn’t mean to do this to him. It was my fault, after all—not his. Still, the guy wasfreaking me out! My heart was pounding through my chest and my ears felt like they were in a tunnel—fuck. Not again.
I didn’t want it to surface. I thought I had it buried deep, but the memory of who my stepmother fixed me up with on my 16th birthday raced through my head. That was the ass who raped me. And I didn’t want to relive that fucking experience for the one thousand seven hundred and thirty-second time. Yes, I’d counted.
Who wouldn’t when you see that face every time someone sneaks up on you and hugs you from behind? Who wouldn’t when you are kissing someone and that memory resurfaces back to life? That was the best form of birth control, for sure. So was every nightmare I’ve had this past year about an asshole that made such an impact on my life that I can’t remember his name and only see the shadows of his face.
My heart pounded against my ribcage like a jackhammer, and my breathing grew shallow. Why couldn’t I get myself under control?
I looked up my symptoms online once because I knew damned well my stepmonster wouldn’t allow me to go to the doctor. She was too afraid of them finding my bruises. Not to mention the fact that I, of course, had to be at the house 24/7 for Dad. That’s why I got good at self-diagnosis.
The Mayo Clinic said I was probably suffering from PTSD because of the rape. But? Who cared? Certainly not my stepmother. At the mere mention of that guy raping me, she’d probably tell me I deserved it.I didn’t have the heart to tell Dad while he was sick. He didn’t need that extra burden. But at least I knew what happened was wrong. I clung to that as my security blanket every time I had a panic attack. But with Sylus here? This was so different. Before I could process anything, Sylus rushed toward me, but he kept a comfortable distance between us. What the fuck was this guy doing to me and why did I find it so damned attractive? His palms faced me as he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Sesi. I want you to feel you are safe here and safe with me. If I over-stepped, I apologize.”
He bowed before me. Actually. Fucking. Bowed. What was wrong with him?
I tapped his shoulder after I somewhat regained my breathing.
“Hey, dude! I’m sorry! It’s not that deep—I promise. It’s just—we just met.” I said to him between breaths, hoping he’d understand the lie.
“Sesi, I know some things that happened to you while living with Jackie. Jerry and Josie told me about the constant verbal abuse and I’m sorry you went through that. I’m trying to be respectful. I know it’s hard to talk about, but I’m here for you. We are family, and you can talk to me about anything you are comfortable with.”
My heart caught in my throat—did he get me from just one shudder? If so, I’m elevating this guy to Greek God status. He needed the uppercase letters in my book because wow!
“What?” My voice sounded so mousy it wasn’t evenfunny. And I instantly melted as he raised my chin.
