Page 92 of Billionaire Unbroken - Asher
“My beatings were bad when I was a kid, Sierra. I’m really scarred. I wanted to fight back, but I almost never did until Cole and I were big enough to defend ourselves. My father was a monster. I don’t want to rehash everything he did, but I made a deal with him to agree to everything he wanted if he’d leave Cole alone. There was sexual abuse involved until I was old enough to fight back and win the battle. When I say I’m scarred everywhere, I mean I’m scarredeverywhere.There were times that he tortured me pretty badly. But it was worth it because henever touched Cole that way. I’m not saying my brother got off easily. He got his share of beatings, but he never had to submit to my father’s depravity.”
Sierra locked eyes with me, and my gut hurt when I saw the sorrow in her eyes.
She freed her hand from my grasp and lifted her palm to my face to touch the scar there. “Is this a torture scar?”
Fuck!I’d always hated that damn scar. It had always been a reminder I saw every day in the bathroom mirror.
I swallowed hard and nodded. “From one of the rare times I tried to rebel. He smoked cigars. He held that burning cigar to my face until I gave up.”
Strangely, that visible scar didn’t bother me nearly as much as it had months ago.
In fact, I rarely thought about how I’d gotten it anymore.
It had simply become part of my very unpleasant childhood.
She gasped. “It’s so close to your eye,” she said in a horrified voice.
“Don’t cry,” I insisted as she teared up.
She shook her head. “I can’t help it.”
“It was a long time ago, Sierra,” I grumbled as I swiped a tear off her cheek.
“I’m not surprised that you did everything you could to protect Cole,” Sierra said softly. “I don’t care about your scars, Asher. I wish I could cut your father’s balls off for what he did, but you’ll never be anything but a beautiful man to me. Did you ever tell Cole the truth?”
“No!” I said firmly. “And I never will. It’s over and he doesn’t need to know. He doesn’t need that kind of guilt. The fact that my father never molested him is more than enough for me.”
She nodded her agreement as she swiped a tear from her face. “I understand. I’ll never say a word.”
Hell, I knew she’d get it and that she’d keep my secret.
She resumed her previous task of unbuttoning my shirt, moving slowly until every button was open on the button-down garment.
She opened my shirt and slid it over my shoulders.
I held my breath for moment as her eyes skimmed over my chest and my torso.
She didn’t flinch.
Sierra simply let my shirt flutter to the floor as she leaned forward to put her mouth on my scars.
I wasn’t a pretty sight.
My scars were faded, but they were plentiful.
I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath in as she covered my chest with open-mouthed kisses everywhere.
Her touch drove me crazy, but there was something about this particular show of affection that touched my damn soul.
I opened my eyes when she started to undo the buttons on my jeans.
She struggled a little because I was harder than a rock, but she had the button fly open in a relatively short period of time.
She was on her knees before I could stop her and pushing my jeans and my boxer briefs down my legs.
I stepped out of them.
What in the hell else could I do?
