Chapter 15
Scarlett didn’t imagine she could feel worse. In fact, she was sure of it.
Emily was asleep in her bedroom down the hall, and it was the middle of the night. After Emily had arrived home earlier in the day, Ox had called to check on Scarlett. Even though he’d insisted on apologizing to her profusely, Scarlett had tried her best to make him understand that she wasn’t mad. She was hurt, very much so, but she knew it wasn’t Ox’s fault. She told him she would see him Friday at the wedding, and he’d expressed his excitement.
He’d even joked about being her date, but truthfully, Scarlett wouldn’t have had it any other way.
After that, Emily had tried her best to convince her to let Limit go; the words dick weed, ass hat, and cock gobbler were once again thrown around.
Emily told Scarlett about her and Limit’s confrontation and although she appreciated her best friend sticking up for her, Scarlett knew it was a lost cause.
She may be naive, and she may have been a virgin, but she knew a thing or two about heartbreak. Someone had broken Limit’s heart before, and even though she’d never intended on doing it herself, somewhere between his bedroom and the great room, he’d convinced himself that she could.
Which told Scarlett that he cared about her on some level.
Didn’t change the fact that she was done with him playing games with her.
She had more important things to focus on than whether or not Limit wanted to see her or fuck her again.
So, after she spoke with Emily, she’d called her mom.
Maddie had always given good advice, albeit a little flat. She didn’t like emotions, so Scarlett had done her best to reign in her tears while she spoke to her mother. She didn’t dare bring Limit up, and instead steered the conversation towards her father and her mother’s latest round of chemo. The doctors didn’t see much hope for Maddie, but that didn’t mean that Scarlett and Carter hadn’t convinced her to try her hardest to beat her cancer.
The conversation with her mother had eased her romantic turmoil the slightest bit before it reminded her of how utterly fractured she would be if her mother didn’t survive.
That had led to more crying, which led to ice cream and terrible romantic comedies, which eventually led to her napping for most of the day while she ignored her phone and the outside world.
As Scarlett closed her eyes to try and get some rest, she heard a familiar rumbling sound creep into her driveway. She’d know that sound anywhere.
Someone riding a bike was parked outside, and they were obviously there for her or Emily.
She waited for a few moments to see if Emily would wake up, but when she heard a soft knock on the door, she knew she’d have to be the one to answer it.
Hurrying to answer it before whomever was waiting on the other side did wake up Emily, she quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, only pausing to stare open-mouthed at the person standing on her doorstep.
There, covered in bruises, stood Limit.
His left eye was swollen shut and his mouth was split. His right cheek was cut wide open, and covered in a butterfly bandage. His right eye was ringed with purple and it looked downright painful. If his face looked that bad, she couldn’t imagine what the rest of him looked like…
“What? What the hell happened to you?,” She whispered.
He was leaning hard against the door jamb, his muscular arm stretched over his head.
Limit tried to smile, but he only managed to wince when the split skin of his mouth stretched too tightly.
“Nothing I didn’t deserve, princess. I know it’s late and I’m sorry for waking you, I just…I needed to apologize.”
Scarlett blinked at his unexpected arrival and apology.
“Okay…”
She didn’t know what to say, and he looked like he was about to pass out cold, so she hesitantly reached for his hand and led him inside.
He stumbled twice, but she caught him around the waist and led him to the couch.
Limit wouldn’t look her in the eye by the time she got him settled, and she imagined it was because he was embarrassed.
“Do you want to tell me who hurt you?”
“Ox warned me not to hurt you, Scarlett. I didn’t listen. Fury sided with Ox.”
Scarlett gasped.
“Ox and Fury…beat you up?,” She murmured.
Limit’s eyes barely opened as he nodded.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t ask them to do that-”
He stopped her by placing a large hand on her bare thigh- she’d forgotten pants in her haste to answer the door- and nodded.
“I know you didn’t. I deserved it. That’s why I didn’t fight back.”
Scarlett swore under her breath before she shook her head.
“You could have called. You didn’t have to ride all the way here…like this,” She said as she gestured to his limp form.
“I did call. You turned your phone off.”
Scarlett sighed.
“I’m sorry. Scott wouldn’t stop calling me, so I shut it off to get some peace and quiet.”
The mention of Scott had Limit wincing in her direction.
Limit’s gaze didn’t leave her face as he gently gripped her thigh.
“I should have asked you about that instead of assumin’ shit. I truly am sorry about the things I said. I didn’t mean them,” He spoke softly.
Scarlett’s cheeks flushed as she nodded slowly, her hair falling into her face as she looked away from him.
“You really hurt my feelings.”
Limit leaned forward, his big body pressing her deeper into the cushions of the love seat they were sitting on.
“I really am sorry, Scarlett. I wish I could take the words back.”
When she didn’t look at him, he swept her hair out of her face and turned her so he could see into her eyes.
“Don’t hide from me. I hate to think that I did that to you, made you feel ashamed enough to hide your beautiful face.”
Scarlett’s eyes filled with tears as she lifted a hand to caress his bruised eye.
“You didn’t have to let them wail on you, Limit. That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“I thought it might.”
Scarlett scoffed.
“I know the reason you got mad is because someone obviously hurt you in the past. I don’t want to hurt you, Limit. That’s the last thing I want, to see you hurt.”
Scarlett was cupping his face in her small hands and he closed his eyes completely, leaning in to her touch.
“I don’t deserve your kindness. I don’t know what I can give you in return, baby. Emily was right, you deserve much better than me.”
Scarlett knew that, too; but she couldn’t deny that she wanted Limit.
“We all make mistakes. Today you made a couple. Next time, you won’t make the same ones.”
Limit lifted his own hands and clasped hers close to his chest.
His pained expression didn’t leave her feeling confident, but it was somewhat relieving to see that he did actually have feelings.
He brought one of her palms to his mouth and kissed it.
“If I show you the real me, you’ll run.”
Scarlett shook her head.
“I promise that I won’t. But, you have to give me the opportunity to choose for myself.”
Limit dropped her hands.
“What do you see in a man like me, anyways? I haven’t exactly been on my best behavior with you.”
Scarlett shrugged.
“Esme told me about how you saved her and Prettyboy. Green told me a little bit about your past adventures with the club. You put your life on the line for those people all the time, and you don’t ask for anything in return. I saw the medals in your room, Colton. I saw your dog tags hanging around your bathroom mirror. You don’t get awards for being a shitty person, trust me. I know.”
Limit didn’t say anything for a long while before he looked up at her in the moonlight.
“I have nightmares sometimes. Sometimes I blink, and I’m right back over there, my boots buried in the sand. I can’t- I don’t want to hurt you.”
Scarlett tried her hardest not to cry when she scooted closer to him.
“You haven’t talked to anyone about it?” She asked.
Limit shook his head.
“I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to be a liability.”
She sighed sadly and caressed his uninjured cheek.
“I don’t think any less of you, Limit. Honestly, I don’t.”
“How can you not think less of me? I think less of me. I was trained to be stronger than that.”
Those words almost broke her heart, but Scarlett tried her hardest not to let it show. It wouldn’t do him any good, and he would think that she was pitying him, which she wasn’t.
Scarlett nudged his chin up and made sure he was looking at her before she spoke again.
“You’re not a robot. You’re a man. No man is perfect. You went above and beyond the call of duty. That’s why they gave you those medals. You earned the right to be a little messed up, okay? You won’t find judgement from me, only understanding.”
As she watched him closely, Limit’s entire face crumpled right before her eyes.
He buried his battered face in his hands and sighed.
“You don’t know what I’ve seen. What I’ve done.”
Scarlett decided right then and there that she didn’t need to know the specifics in order to care about him. She was walking a fine line, one that felt an awful lot like a tight rope…but, Scarlett felt like the inevitable drop back to reality would be worth it.
“I don’t care. One day, if you decide you want to talk about it, I’ll gladly listen. Right now, though? Right now, I would love it if you would just let me get to know you, Colton.”
Limit lifted his dark head and surveyed her silently before he swept her hair out of her face and traced her bottom lip with his thumb.
“Why are you bein’ so nice to me after the way I acted earlier?”
She shrugged.
“You let my father and his VP beat you up, and you drove all the way here to apologize in person. I’m inclined to believe you’re really sorry.”
Limit’s mouth lifted in a ghost a smile.
“I didn’t expect to like you even more after this visit.”
Scarlett gently lifted his arm and curled up on his lap, her purple silk nightie nestled against his leather clad chest.
“Ditto,” She whispered as she leaned in to kiss him.
Limit may be a little fucked in the head, and he may have the social ques of a cave man, but now Scarlett understood why.
He’s given her a glimpse of what was going on in his head, and it only made her like him more. He wasn’t like every other man that played tennis at her country club, or the pretentious dicks she’s gone to school with.
He’d experienced things she couldn’t even fathom.
He’d lived in ways many people never experienced.
“Can I ask you something?,” Limit asked.
She nodded.
“At the bar that night, why me?”
Scarlett trailed one finger along his cheek before she stopped at his mouth and leaned in to kiss his split lip gently.
“Your mouth. I couldn’t stop thinking about your perfect mouth,” She whispered.
“Oh yeah? Did it live up to your expectations?,” He asked huskily.
Scarlett nodded as he deepened the kiss, his tongue darting out to touch hers.
She felt his cock swell against the zipper of his jeans and reached down to cup him through the blue denim.
“Is that your gun, or are you just happy to see me?”
As he chuckled, she warmed at the sound.
Limit wrapped his arms around her waist and moved her so she was straddling his thighs.
“My dick is definitely more impressive than the gun I have on me, Scarlett. But, I would much rather take you to bed and hold you for a while.”
She blinked in confusion.
“You, a hardened killer, just wants to cuddle?”
She hoped she wasn’t crossing any boundaries by joking so soon after their serious conversation, but she wanted him to know she wouldn’t treat him any differently.
Limit smoothed her hair out of her face and kissed her gently.
“No. I want to fuck you so bad right now, I can practically taste your orgasm. Still, after what happened earlier, I think we both need cuddling more.”
Scarlett’s heart melted in her chest and she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him again.
“Alright, you keep pressin’ those perfect tits against me like that and I may change my mind.”
She giggled under her breath and nodded towards the hallway that led to her room.
“My bedroom is that way.”
Limit picked her up bridal style and caught her lips again as he started walking.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
She smiled, her hazel eyes locked on his.
“Not today, you haven’t.”