Page 40 of Beautiful Beasts

“Each of the scars on my chest was put there because I sinned,” Harley explains.

Tears build in my eyes, and as the first one falls, Harley cups my face in his hand, using his thumb to brush away the stray tear that fell. I lean into his touch, closing my eyes as the pain from his words spills from my eyes and rolls down my cheeks.

“Don’t cry for me, Bella,” he pleads.

The pain in his voice increases, and I can’t tell if it is because his memories are flooding his mind by my question or if it is because I’m crying.

“I can’t help it,” I whisper.

I open my eyes and watch him closely. He tightens his grip on my hand and takes another deep breath. “We all have a past, baby,” he says softly. His eyes glisten with unshed tears he won’t let fall.

“Who did this to you?” I ask.

“Someone that can never do it again. I took care of it,” he whispers, gently brushing his lips against mine, making me ache for him.

We have been playing this cat-and-mouse game, and neither one of us knows what we are together. He has become my friend, someone I trust, but right now, in this moment, I don’t see a friend; I see a lover.

I know I have been in love with him for a while, and I have seen it in his eyes; he feels the same. The question has never been if we will give in, but when.

Are either of us ready for this next step?

I have no fucking idea, but I do know I need the escape that only he can give me. I need to know that he wants me the way I want him, and even though I am still being used and abused by another, he will be here to pick up the pieces.

He has no idea he is doing it, but I need what he’s unknowingly given me.

I need both of my Beasts.

28

Harley

I stand still as we get lost in each other’s eyes. Hearing the pain in her voice as she asked me who hurt me, fuck man, I have never felt so much ache in my heart before.

I told her the truth, though; I took care of it. I might be a sinner, but he was a disgusting man who needed to be stopped. He is the reason I am the way I am, but now Bella is why I want to be different and more than the Beast he created.

I was a boy who didn’t understand that I wasn’t the sinner; he was. He hated himself, and in return, he hurt me to make sure I was just like him. Even though I have covered them with the ink on my skin, the evidence of my past can still be seen underneath it all, and nothing will ever make them disappear.

My heart continues to race as I search her eyes. I don’t want her to feel sorry for me; it isn’t her fault that I have my scars, and I am not the reason for hers, but together, we can heal each other.

Dante, Bella, and I are forever intertwined together now. The three of us complete each other in different ways. If it weren’t for Dante, I wouldn’t be here right now in this moment with Bella; I would be in prison or dead. He saved me from myself, and at the same time, I saved him.

“What can I do?” She asks softly.

“Don’t go anywhere,” I confess to her in a low, shaky voice.

She is the only person who has seen me like this. Weak and vulnerable, open like a bleeding fucking wound, and if I am being honest, it is scary as fuck. But with her, it feels so fucking natural to be open like this, to allow her to see my pain and darkness.

If they were smart, anyone else would turn and run away, but not Bella. She is standing firmly in front of me, looking me right in the fucking eyes. She is breathtaking, and not just because she is physically gorgeous. Oh fuck no, it is because she is just as beautiful on the inside.

She should be fucking cold and distant after everything she has been through, but instead, she is as open and vulnerable as I am right now. We are allowing the other to see the pain and darkness that hides right beneath the surface.

“I won’t. I’m right here, Harley,” she reassures me.

It should be me reassuring her, but I don’t have the strength to do so right now. I need her to reassure me that she is real, that all of this is fucking real.

“Promise?” I ask with a little more confidence.

I hate that I feel this way, like I am the one who is about to shatter into pieces. After everything she has been through, I am supposed to be strong for her, but right now, she is the one who is being strong for me.

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