Page 24 of Refurbished

Eion opened the door. “Come in and see my castle.” The trailer was small, but he kept it clean and neat. It felt like a home and was about the same size as one of those tiny houses you see on TV. There was a cozy afghan on the couch, and books were stacked in the corner. “Can I hold you a moment?” The request surprised me, but I willingly went into his arms. He kissed the top of my head. “I like you so much, Angus. Nobody has made me feel like this before.” I nodded against his chest. My heart was beating so hard that I was afraid I’d pass out, but I needed to let him do this on his own time. “Okay. Maybe you should sit.”

I sat on the small banquet, and he paced back and forth in the small hall. He was mumbling to himself, but I couldn’t make out his words. You could feel his nervousness coming off him in waves. Barnaby paced beside him, whining, trying to get his attention. I suspected that Barnaby was a support dog, but he hadn’t told me that.

“Eion. I am sure it’s fine. You are freaking me out.”

“Okay. Okay. I can do this. Um, lean back a little.” I did as he said, and he moved between my knees, leaning over and kissing me deeply. His tongue slid against mine, and a sweet moan came from deep inside. This couldn’t be that bad if he kissed me like that: possessively, full of passion.

Eion stopped and stepped back. As I watched, he started unbuttoning his shirt. This was not the direction I saw this conversation going. His eyes were glassy, as if he was about to tear up, which I didn’t understand. What was this incredible man about to say that put us here? When his shirt was unbuttoned and hanging open, his body was clearly visible. I should have asked for permission, but I didn’t. My fingers ran down his chest and abs. The muscle was hard, with a small amount of hair on his chest that led down his stomach into the waistband of his pants. I let my fingers follow that trail, my hand resting where the button of his jeans was.

“You are beautiful.”

“I’m not. I’m not a whole man.”

“What?” A tear slipped down his cheek, breaking my heart. “Eion? Please.”

I didn’t know what I was even asking for, but I stood and wiped away the drop on his cheek. I had no idea what he was so concerned about. Even though our relationship was new, he was the most amazing person I had ever met. He was sweet, kind, and had plenty to offer as a man. As I looked into his eyes, I wanted to take all that pain away. Someone had hurt him, and I wanted five minutes alone with whoever it was. How could they?

“Angus. Maybe you should go, save me the humiliation of you leaving once you know.”

“Eion, no. Tell me what you are talking about. I’m not going anywhere.” I took a deep breath, then I watched as he pulled down his pants. There was a scar on his left side that wrapped around his hip. It was deep, and it looked painful. As he pushed his pants further down his legs, there was a divot in his thigh where the muscle no longer existed. The leg had scars down to the ankle. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been to overcome those injuries.

“It’s ugly.”

“It’s you, Eion. Nothing about you is ugly.”

“There’s more you need to see.” He stepped out of his pants and stood before me wearing his red boxer briefs. He was sexy as hell, and more than anything, I wanted to touch him. However, now wasn’t the time. He just said there was more to share.

Without dropping his gaze, he removed his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. It was clear he had a prosthetic, but I tried not to stare. I wanted him to do this at his own speed, under his own terms. He reached over and removed the prosthetic, setting it on the table, then he took the socks off, leaving him standing there, his residual limb in the open.

“Can I look?” I whispered.

He nodded. Turning my head, I took note of his smooth skin, the curve of his shoulder, and the firm muscles of his bicep. He had about four inches after his elbow, and the remainder had been removed. I leaned in and kissed his lips gently, then moved my hands down his neck and over his shoulder. My lips followed my fingertips, sucking on his collarbone and kissing his bicep. I rubbed along his elbow, treating the arm no differently from the rest of his body.

“Like I said before, Eion. You are beautiful.”

Chapter twelve

EION

I was nearly naked in front of Angus, and he was kissing my skin. With my eyes closed, I enjoyed the way his lips felt on my body. He hadn’t run or turned away in disgust. Angus stayed with me and was now being gentle. He looked at me long and hard. His eyes smoldered, and I couldn’t mistake the look for anything but lust—that wasn’t possible. He was supposed to turn away as Trey did years ago.

“I can’t be with someone like you.” Still echoed in my head.

Angus ran his hands up my chest, then on either side of my neck, bringing his lips against mine. “Everything about you is gorgeous. All of you.” He said, between kisses.

That echo made me want to run. I hadn’t realized how much Trey’s words had destroyed me. I needed to run. As I turned to walk away, Angus grabbed my wrist and kept me there. “No, Eion. You can’t run from me. Who was it?”

“It doesn’t matter. It was years ago.”

“It matters. You matter. Have you dated in those years? Is this why?” He didn’t need to specify what ‘this’ was. Angus was putting it all on the table, and I needed to be honest with him. He wasn’t leaving when he saw my residual limb, and he didn’t gasp when I showed him my scars. Angus was different, and this was my moment.

“Yes. There hasn’t been anyone since. The things that man said to me I believed.”

“I’m so sorry, Eion. He was wrong. You are so sexy, not only your body.” His hands went to my hips, and his thumbs rubbed the skin. The smile he gave me melted my heart.

“Since it was your body that made you think I would walk away. Maybe you’d like to know what I actually think?” I knew I blushed. Nobody had shown desire towards me in years, and this felt a little weird. There had been a few men over the years, but they never saw all of me. It was easy to keep on my prosthetic and cover my leg. I didn’t want to hide from Angus. I needed him to see all of me. It was difficult to swallow when I faced his question. This would be the first time I had let a man see me completely. Angst saw all my flaws and was still here—I was shook.

As he waited for my response. His mouth worked over my pecs, where he licked the skin, then sucked my nipples gently, then his fingers teased over my nipples, and I gasped. “I’d like to get you out of some of these clothes.” I managed to say. It only seemed fair since I was in my underwear.