Scales and Scars

It was a beautiful summer night. The moon was full, providing plenty of light for my midnight walk. I had been working on a project and at the moment… I was stuck.             The warm breeze blew through the air causing my long brown hair to lift, my wavy curls bouncing slightly. I took a deep breath in trying to relax my mind and unblock myself. I approached a path into the woods. I paused before emerging myself onto the trail.             The last year had been hard. My boyfriend, Anthony, was killed 15 months ago. We had dated for 5 years and just gotten engaged. To say I was a mess would be an understatement.             I allowed my entire life to fall apart. I resigned from the marketing firm I had been working for since college. I sold my house and almost everything inside before moving in

I hadn’t been on a date since Anthony. I wanted to see the other side of that tunnel more than anything. It felt like it was going to change my life forever and I was ready. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to date anyone, no matter the reward.   I didn’t know this man. All I knew was he followed me into a dark cave and after causing me to injure myself he at least helped. Why would he do that just to hurt me in the end? The thought of dating anyone after Anthony wasn’t something I thought about often. I missed the intimacy and the sex. Man did I miss the sex. With his deployments over the course of our relationship I was used to going long periods of time with just myself. This was different, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I had an embarrassingly large box of toys that had kept me happy over the years. I would have to do it at some point. I thought to myself. How bad can it be to just suffer through a dinner with the man to see wh

I was lost in his eyes again; the specks of gold seemed to be swirling around. My mind must be slipping into sleep already. His arms wrapped around my body. The embrace took all my pain away. It was as if I was exactly where I needed to be.   “Tadeas…” I said just above a whisper. “Aries.” He said in a low seductive voice that was new. I tilted my head all the way back so I could see his face once more. He placed his hand on my cheek, bending his neck, his nose lined with my own. My breath hitched and I wasn’t sure what to do. Is he about to kiss me again? I thought to myself. No way. “You need your rest.” His breath smelt like honey. I no longer wanted rest, I wanted to kiss him. I didn’t move, I had forgotten to breath. He dipped his head closer pressing his lips to mine. His grip around me tightened causing my muscles to sing with approval. His tongue passing my lips, allowing me to explore the taste

I didn’t mind, the feeling of his body on mine was intoxicating. I reached my hands towards the opening of his shirt pulling it off his shoulders. I could sense his apprehension as he leaned back slightly, not breaking contact with my lips. “Take it off.” I managed to say into the kiss. A low growl came from his chest. Something inside my body told me it was okay. I wanted him to make the noise again. I could feel his member pushing on my thigh through the jeans. He lifted me up slightly removing my shirt. His eyes widened as he saw the scar covering from my shoulder to the bottom of my ribs. I had forgotten about it in the moment. I could sense his anger rolling off him as he focused on the imperfections of my body. He leaned in and kissed me passionately. I felt his bare chest press against mine as my body gushed, soaking my panties. A deep groan came from his chest as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me. “I am serious. We need to sto

The following day I had called Johnathon in the morning to decide on a time for dinner. I hadn’t slept at all the night before; I spent the whole night feeling betrayed. I thought Tadeas wanted the same things I did.               Johnathon was a perfect gentleman, a safe choice. He picked me up, we went to a small Italian restaurant across town. When he dropped me off, he walked me to the door but didn’t attempt anything further.             A few days later he had called to ask me out for another date. I hadn’t seen Tadeas since the night at the art gallery. The longer I went, the more the hole in my chest grew. I tried to throw myself into new distractions.             I thought about driving to the waterfall. Something about being back at a place where everything seemed so possible, was e