Chapter 48

Chloe's Point of View

I knew I would regret it. Still, here I was. My body just reacted. I couldn't stop myself from dropping my bag and wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his face to mine. It was like I had been craving his touch, and now I had it. I wasn't letting go. I swear when it came to him, I was like an alcoholic.

His lips were moist and inviting. He tasted of mint and cigarettes, and I just wanted more.

His hands ran down my back and I curved into him. His hands gripped my ass and he lifted me up. My legs wrapped around his waist, and he started to move us through the dining room and kitchen.

"God, there is nothing left of you." His lips left mine and he grumbled.

"Shut up and kiss me." I really didn't care about my weight right now. So what if I've been starving myself and exercising intensely, I treated my body like crap and I knew that, but when you were being abused, it was easy to neglect yourself as well. In fact, it was the only thing I had control over.

So I didn't eat.

I did exercise.

I pushed myself to passing out.

No one was going to stop me, not even Jenkins could so Chase voicing his concern fell on deaf ears. I gasped as his tongue ran down my neck and stopped at the base of my neck. He sucked on my skin as he walked up the stairs.

I knew he was marking me. I just didn't care. I wanted to be marked; marked by him. As if I was his. I knew my problems hadn't been magically solved, but I was yelling at my brain to shut up and let myself enjoy this. I was giving myself this.

Chase was here. Right now. That was all that mattered. This moment. This hour. I would deal with my problems tomorrow.

My fingers ran over his neck tattoos. I was happy to see them again. The last memory I have of him, they were covered. I locked my fingers together behind his neck and arched my neck as he continued to suck.

One of his hands left me and searched for something behind us. A door. We were against a door and he opened it.

I grabbed his head and broke his grip on my neck and kissed his lips.

He pulled back. "I wasn't done," he huffed. Like I had taken something from him.

"I think you made your point," I smiled. It felt so unnatural to smile. I hadn't smiled in…how long? I frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I brought my forehead to his, planting a small kiss on his lips. He didn't need to know the inner workings of my mind.

He kissed in between my eyebrows, exactly where I had been frowning. His lips left me for a second, and then he was planting kisses on my cheeks and my mouth. I groaned and pressed firmly into him. I needed him. Enough teasing.

He lowered me to a bed as if I was fragile. I looked around the room.

"Where are we?"

"My room."

This was not Chase. It was modern, with crisp lines. There was a television built into the wall behind him, the black leather couch facing it. The silver bedside tables and matching chest of drawers. The black leather bedhead. I swore this bed was bigger than a king size.

"This doesn't look like you," I said, looking at him as he stood in between my legs. He leaned over me, grabbing my arms and pushing them above my head, making me fall back onto my back.

His hands were on my stained and bloody tank top as he moved it up my stomach.

"Maybe," he kissed my stomach, "I didn't decorate it," his breath tickled my skin as he kissed next to my belly button. "For me."

God, his mouth on my skin. My hand went through his hair. Wait a sec. I sat up.

"What do you mean you didn't decorate it for you?"

His hands went beside me, locking me to the spot, the bed dipping. He leaned forward, smirking. "Been waiting on you, baby girl."

"So you did this for me?" I looked at him, amazed. "But I still had years to serve and you don't put down roots." It was one thing about him I did know well. He liked that his charter moved from club to club. He didn't like connections and ties. The only tie he had was to his mom and sisters.

"Do you really think I was going to let you serve six years?" He arched his eyebrows at me and then grinned. "Really baby girl, you thought that less of me?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You were always going to get me out, weren't you?"

The grin didn't fall from his face and he kissed my lips, slowly pushing me back to the bed.

I felt his hands push my shirt up. His lips were off mine and back on my stomach, slowly working his way up. The tank top was up to my breasts and I was ready for him to take it off when he stopped.

I opened my eyes. What was wrong? He was looking down at me with a blank expression.

"Chase?"

He just stood there, staring at me. What was with that look?

"What's wrong?"

"You're..." He stopped and shook his head, finally meeting my eyes. "You're black and blue."

That. I quickly pulled my tank top down and sat up. "What did you expect?" My ribs were worse, especially my sides. Joe had a mean hook. I'd love to say it was just his right, but he had a pretty mean left as well.

"I knew things were bad, but Chloe this…this isn't acceptable." He just looked lost for words.

I couldn't do anything about it now, could I? There was something dancing in his eyes, anger maybe? I chewed my bottom lip. "Well, it's just how I am, okay?" I ran a hand through my hair, which had dried blood in it. "I'm damaged, alright? I'm covered in bruises and guess what; I still don't have last night’s yet so you can be as disgusted as you want."

I went to get up, but his hands clamped down on my shoulders and he forced me back down.

"Chloe, look at me."

I glared at the carpet.

"Chloe."

I dragged my eyes off the carpet and looked at him. He was so dominant, staring down at me like I wasn't a disappointment. Why was he bothering? Could he not see how scared I was? I had hardened during our time apart. I didn't flinch when I got hit and I took the pain willingly.

"I'm not disgusted." His hand reached out for me, but I pulled my face away.

"What then? Angry that I'm not the happy, giggling thing you thought you liked?" I laughed mockingly, running a hand through my hair. "For Christ’s sake, Chase, I'm covered in blood! What the hell did you expect?" I pushed his hands off my shoulders and got up.

I was beaten. I was bloody. Hell, I was a wreck. My body was covered in bruises and where I wasn't bruised, the bruises were coming and if they weren't, I was bleeding or stitched up. My pink tank top was covered in blood; it was more red than pink. My gray shorts were crimson. I had just stabbed someone to death and nearly bled out myself.

The boys being boys, didn’t think that Chloe might want to change out of her blood soaked clothes. No, they were too focused on getting me here. To Chase. That was the only thing on their mind. I remembered for a second how the guy at the gas station looked at me. He didn’t even give me a second glance, like it was normal to walk around with this much blood on you. Most likely though he thought I was some homeless kid, that hadn’t changed her clothes in years.

I went to walk around him, but his hands were on my hips before I could take a step.

I went to shove them off, but he lifted me off the ground. He flung my legs out from under me.

"What are you doing!?"

He held me to his chest and carried me bridal style, walking across the room.

"Chase, put me down!"

He slid open a door and the lights came on. A bathroom. It looked like it had recently been renovated, with dual shower heads on one side of the wall. An oval bath and tap that was matte black was on the other. “Chase, put me down.” The gray tiles were warm on my feet, which told me there was heating underneath them. Chase had really gone to crazy on this place.

"What are you doing, Chase?"

"Arms up." He stood in front of me, demanding it.

"You won't like what you see." I put my hands on my hips and dropped my eyes. "Nobody wants to see this." Or should have to.

The next thing I felt was his hands replacing mine on my hips. "I want to see you, all of you baby girl, always will."

I looked up and looked him in the eye. "Then what's with the look? Why are you looking at me like that?" I could see the tint in his eyes. I didn't know what it was, but I saw it.

His face softened, but the tint was still there in his eyes. His hands ran down my sides. "Someone didn't just touch something that was mine, they have beaten you, abused and neglected you. You’re mine. I'm not disgusted by you, I'm pissed off. I should have been there. I should have stopped it. Not my brothers, me, and you shouldn't have that cut on your arm." He twisted my wrist so it was face up. "You shouldn't have had to handle it like you did." Chase frowned. "How did a knife get involved?"

I wasn't ready for that conversation. "I…umm…well..." I swallowed. "Things got complicated."

"How?"

"He wanted something and I wouldn't give it," I blew out.

"What?"

I closed my eyes.

"Chloe."

"He thought I was his," I staggered out. I had escaped with my life at the cost of taking his. I'd have to live with that for the rest of my life. "I should have let him have me." Tears ran down my cheeks. "It was stupid. It's rape. I should have just taken it. I took everything else. Instead I…I killed him. It wasn't worth it. I shouldn't have fought it." Regret was suffocating me. Chase's hands tightened on my hips, making me look up.

He was furious and his grip just got tighter. I knew his hands would be leaving an imprint. I had to get him to calm down.

"Chase." My hands ran up his chest. I didn't want him to be mad. I didn't even want to talk about this. I never wanted to say it out loud.

"If he…"

I went up to my tippy toes, and my fingers ran across his stubble. "It didn't happen." I didn't know how to calm him down. He looked like he was ready to smash walls. I kissed his lips, but he didn't kiss me back. "Chase, please come back to me."

I stepped out of his grip. I knew one way to get his attention so I gripped my tank top and pulled it up over my head, dropping it on the floor, pushing down my shorts. He took a short breath in, his eyes running up and down me.

I stepped back into his reach. Slowly, I ran my hands up his chest, and then I reached up and whispered in his ear. "Make me yours again."