One Chance (Hogan Brothers 1)

“I’ll be fine, baby.”

“I’m too greedy to let you go,” she confessed.

“That’s real good, Soph, ‘cause even if you tried, I’d never leave. You’re it for me, and there’s nothing in this world that could rip me away.” She believed him. With everything she’d been taught in life, she knew he was the one thing she would always be able to count on.

Hearing Soph’s confession of wishing she were dead instead of being around to take the torment inflicted on her nearly had Nox screaming for the injustice of her life.

Almost as soon as she’d woken, he had too. Suspecting she needed a moment when she didn’t immediately try and call his name, coupled with her light touch to his skin, he’d remained silent.

Hearing her confession made him hurt for her. He wished they had known each other sooner, too. He’d have taken her away from that hell hole. She never would have known such hatred so long as he was there to protect her.

With their age difference, though, he suspected he’d have gotten into a lot of shit for it. But she was worth it. She was worth everything he would have suffered had they met before.

“How’s your pain?” he asked her, needing to think of anything else. This topic wasn’t optimal, but it was all he had at the moment.

“It’s okay, I suppose. Mostly just my wrist hurts, but the stitches in my leg itch, too.” At that word, she reached to the leg and scratched around the bandage.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her, getting up and going to the bathroom where he knew there was a cream his mother used to give to him and his brothers when they got into their scrapes and wound up with stitches.

Digging under the sink, he knew he was making noise, and his mother would probably come give him shit any minute, but he didn’t care. Finally finding it, he was a little bummed out to find it was nothing special and only Vaseline. He’d have sworn it was something else.

Walking back to his old room, he watched from the door as Soph leaned into the spot he’d vacated. Rubbing her face into his pillow and closing her eyes, her entire body relaxed. It was as though his scent calmed her.

Grabbing his shirt from earlier, he quietly closed the door behind him. “Here we go.” His voice low so as not to scare her.

“You were loud,” she pointed out.

He shrugged. “It was in the back of the cabinet.”

“What is it?” she asked softly.

“Vaseline. I’ll rub it around the wound, it’ll help with the itch.”

Taking her leg out from under the covers and easing back the bandage covering her stitches, he was pissed all over again. Seeing the evidence of her injury, thinking of the things that could have gone wrong, left him with a feeling of helplessness.

Soothing the ointment into her skin, she tensed at first, only to relax upon realizing it wasn’t so painful. “That feels wonderful.”

Once finished, he fetched the shirt he’d tossed on the end of the bed and gave it to her. “Thought you might be more comfortable in this.” He hadn’t taken her bra and dress off when they got home, so he figured she might be uncomfortable enough to let him help her change.

She looked down to what she was wearing then back to his shirt. The need to remain modest warred with her want to be comfortable.

Want won out.

“Yes, please.” Her cheeks went fire engine red when she realized he was going to have to help her.

“I’ll close my eyes if you like,” he offered. Even if it would kill him not to see her soft curves.

“Not like you haven’t seen me nude before.” She laughed lightly.

Helping Soph to her feet, she had to hold her good hand on his shoulder to remain steady while his hands wrapped around to unzip her dress. The snick of the claws was loud in the otherwise quiet room. Their breathing picked up as each

inch of skin was revealed. His knuckles brushed her flesh every chance he got.

A shiver wracked her spine when he peeled the fabric back from her body. She moved closer to him as he pushed the straps off her shoulders, baring her creamy skin. Leaning forward, he kissed one shoulder as he dropped the material to the ground.

Her head turned towards his as he went to kiss her neck, their lips meeting in a soft brush. “Lennox.” Her breath caught as he sucked her lip into his mouth.

“I can’t get enough of you, Sophia,” he cooed, loving the sound of her name across his lips.