SWNOVELS Monster Of Ruin: Chapter 18
It’s a test. I need to prove to myself I can trust her. If she runs, she doesn’t want this like I do, but if she stays she’s in it.
I need her to stay.
She better stay or it will gut me.
I take a step closer to her, but not too close because I won’t be able to control myself.
“Do you want to run away from me?” I lift an eyebrow as I stare at her confused face.
She turns her head, staring out at the expansive woods behind us. My pulse is racing as I clutch my hands into fists.
She turns her head, looking at me and steps against me, wrapping her small arms around my neck.
“I’m not running anywhere unless it’s with you.”
I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding and wrap my arms tightly around her. The relief I feel is immeasurable.
She had the choice to run, and she didn’t. I can trust her and in my world that is greater than anything else.
I pull back just enough to see her gorgeous face and I grin. “I’m gonna make you so fucking happy.”
Her eyes bounce between mine and she pushes up on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I know,” she whispers.
“How about some breakfast?”
She agrees and as she walks inside, I smack her ass causing her to yelp. There’s this carefree feeling surrounding us and it’s something I’m not used to. I’m always wound so tight, but she brings out this side of me that has been hidden for longer than I even realized.
“Can I help?” she asks, watching me gather eggs and milk from the fridge.
“Sit your perfect ass at the island. I’ve got this.”
I put bacon in the pan and beat the eggs and I can feel her eyes on me. I glance over my shoulder, and her huge smile causes my heart to skip a beat.
“Elliott, this house is absolutely stunning. I don’t know how to cook but I wouldn’t mind learning in this kitchen.”
I chuckle as I put the eggs into the pan. “You don’t know how to cook?”
“I never had to. We had private chefs that did all that. When I was younger I used to ask to help but they always told me to get out of the kitchen.”
I lean over the island and grab her hands in mine. “I’ll teach you to cook, baby. My grandma taught me everything and I’ve had to take care of myself since I was a kid so I’ve pretty much perfected it all.” Her eyes dip, focusing on the ground and I squeeze her hands to get her attention. “What’s wrong?”
“We both grew up so differently even though our families had money. You learned basic life skills and I learned how to take twenty percent off of a shirt.” She shakes her head and lifts her eyes to mine. “But in the end, we both were raised by evil men,” she whispers.
“Yeah, we were, but I think now that it was meant to be.”
Her eyebrows dip in confusion as she asks, “How?”
“Baby, do you know how many people actually know what I do?” She bites her lip, shaking her head. “Trace, Phantom, Henley, and now you. Do you honestly think if your father wasn’t an evil piece of shit you’d be able to understand it? Or hell could you accept it? I don’t think so, but you do, don’t you?”
She searches my face, swallowing as she nods her head. “I can’t do it, but there is a part of me, a part I didn’t know existed until you, that understands.”
I pull her across the island and crash my lips to hers. She has no idea what that means to me. I wouldn’t just trust anyone with the secret of the Dark Angels, but I trust her. She took that trust and turned it into understanding. That’s not something most people could do, but she gets it. She understands that people need to pay for their sins. She wouldn’t have offered to help find her father if she didn’t.
“Trusting you with this is not something to take lightly. I literally risk everything letting you in, knowing you could destroy me with a simple phone call. Do you even comprehend how huge that is?”
She raises an eyebrow as she slides back into her seat. “Do you understand how huge it is to want a relationship with the guy that held you captive?”
She’s right, we both had to hope the other wasn’t going to destroy us.
“Believe me, I know.”
I get back to making breakfast while she talks about the house. She’s so impressed with it and I feel a sense of pride because of it. I haven’t told her yet, but this house is hers now too. I wanted her to love it as much as I do. She’ll be living here with me, whether she thinks so or not. She’s not leaving.
I finish making breakfast and we eat together at the island. It’s so much better than eating in the upstairs kitchen. This feels real.
“This is delicious, Elliott.”
“Thanks.” I take a bite of my bacon and turn to face her. “What do you think about inviting the guys over tonight so you can meet them?”
Her smile brightens her entire face as she shakes her head. “I’d love that.”
After we finished breakfast, I called the guys and invited them over. They were all a little too excited, so I’m hoping they behave themselves.
Clara wanted something nice to wear and said she missed having her makeup, so we went online and ordered it all. It was delivered at the gate just in time for her to get in the shower.
She’s in my shower and it’s taking everything in me not to go in. Promised her I would give her privacy while she got ready because she said it’s been a long time since she had the comforts she used to have.
It should make me feel bad, but I don’t. If I didn’t keep her locked away, she never would’ve become mine. This entire thing happened because we had time to build it. Not in a normal way, but nothing in my world is normal.
Normal is boring.
I check the time as I wait in the sitting room for her to be finished. I didn’t realize how fucking long it takes a woman to get ready. She’s been in there for almost two hours already. It seems almost unreal that she’s here on my level of the house, using my bathroom.
I’m not checking the cameras or sitting outside the door trying to get my fix of her.
She’s mine now and I will kill anyone who tries to get in between us.
My thoughts are disrupted when I hear her shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. I take a sip of my whiskey and place the glass on the bar as I stand.
I should’ve stayed sitting because as she crosses the threshold of the sitting room, the goddamn wind is knocked out of me.
Her long blonde hair is down with loose curls in it. She has makeup on, causing her beautiful blue eyes to appear bigger and clearer. Her pink-painted full lips are shining. My eyes travel down, and I need to adjust my cock. The cream-colored dress she ordered has thin straps holding it up. Her tits are hugged by the tight material, but it loosens as it flows down her body, stopping just above her knees. My eyes continue down her legs, which appear much longer with the pink heels she has on.
“Clara,” I breathe out.
Her huge smile takes over her gorgeous face as I step closer to her. The confidence I see in her body posture alone is something I’m thrilled to see. I saw it in the photo of her but it disappeared while she was upstairs this entire time. Now, I see it again and it’s sexy as hell.
I move her hair off her bare shoulders and shake my head, staring into her clear eyes. “You take my breath away. You’re gorgeous.”
She pushes up on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Thank you.”
I can’t seem to find any words as I stare at her. She’s rendered me speechless. Something no one has ever done before.
She giggles, resting her hand on my shirt. “You look as sexy as you always do.”
“Do you want something to drink?” I ask like a fucking idiot.
She shakes her head, grinning. “No, thank you.”
I get a text from Henley, telling me they will be here in five minutes. As I pocket my phone, I link my fingers with hers.
“The guys are almost here.”
It feels strange having these two worlds collide. It’s the first time any of us have brought someone else in. It’s fucking huge. It could easily blow up and not only destroy me, but destroy my brothers. I’ve made sure all these years to keep the Dark Angels hidden well in the shadows. No one knew about us.
But now Clara knows, and she holds all the fucking power.
“You alright?”
I glance down at her, and my irrational thoughts all disappear.
This woman could’ve ran, could’ve tried killing me with anything within reach down here, but she didn’t.
She accepts me for exactly who I am.
Abductor, killer, and all.
I look down at my beautiful girl and grin.
“Yeah, baby, I’m good.”