She tugged at her hand until he reluctantly let go. “I feel more in control in my own home,” she admitted. “I can talk to you about anything.”
He didn’t take his eyes from hers. “It shouldn’t matter where we are, Seychelle. You should feel as if you can talk to me about anything anyplace. What did I do to make you feel as if you couldn’t?”
She bit at her lower lip and then frowned. “I’m just more comfortable talking about difficult subjects in my bed with you.” She sat on the wide railing, one hand on the column. The wind caught at her hair, blowing it around her face. “Shari had a few interesting things to say to me tonight.”
Savage forced himself to stay silent. Shari was a huge thorn that didn’t seem as if it was ever going to go away.
“She said I wouldn’t be able to satisfy you because I had no idea what I was doing. And actually, she’s right. I don’t know what I’m doing, and that sucks.” Her lashes fluttered.
Those long feathery lashes that got him in his cock every time. She looked so utterly vulnerable when her lashes swept down like that. He wished they were on her bed as well, where he could stroke his hand down her bare leg.
“I could feel you taking on Alena’s pain when Pierce came in. You somehow bled the worst of it away so she could function. I doubt she’s aware of it.”
Savage wanted to shut that topic of conversation down fast. There was pain in her voice. Real awareness. She knew without a single doubt that he took on Alena’s pain. Alena’s righteous anger and rage at the childhood traumas were too much for her at times, so he took it on. It was impossible to continue to handle betrayal after betrayal after the childhood Alena had suffered. Savage was aware Alena was so very fragile deep inside, where no one could see beneath that thin shell she presented to the world. The cool, beautiful woman always in control. That woman wasn’t real.
He didn’t want Seychelle to resent Alena, or to ever tell Seychelle that she would suffer physical pain because he took on Alena’s emotional pain. That would break Alena’s heart. That would totally break Alena. Damage her beyond repair. He had never wanted to put his fellow members of Torpedo Ink, his brothers and sisters, into anyone else’s hands—yet he had.
Seychelle was aware of one of his psychic talents—the one that made him feel worthwhile, worthy of living, when he was such a monster. He had spent so many years working on perfecting his ability, making his talent strong so he could help the others without their knowledge, the only real contribution he felt he could make that kept him human and showed them he loved them. They wouldn’t ever know—but he would.
“I thought it was so beautiful what you gave her. What you did for her, Savage.” She turned her head away from him, but not before he caught the sheen of tears. She blinked several times. “That’s real love. I felt it on the notes. I can feel emotion on the notes I sing. I know that sounds insane, but I can. You love her so much. And you took all that pain for her, and it came through with such love.” Her voice trembled, and she dashed at the tears on her face.
Savage wanted to gather her in his arms. He stepped closer to her, forcing her knees apart so he could wedge his hips between her legs, but he merely rested his palms on her thighs. Seychelle had something to say, and she took her time getting things out. He had to learn to let her say her piece.
“I loved you so much in that moment. I loved you so much it hurt, and I knew then, just knowing what you do, that I would have the courage to face that same thing for you, because I love you that much.” She turned her head and looked at him, her gaze perfectly steady. “It isn’t that I’m just physically attracted to you. I love who you are inside. I can see you. Sometimes I see you when you can’t. But I know I don’t know how to do the things that you’re going to need. Just feeling what you were doing, I realized there really is a time frame, and what if I’m not ready? Just like last time?” There was a little sob in her voice. “I couldn’t bear it if you went to someone else because I didn’t know what I was doing, Savage.”
He captured her face between his hands. “Baby, we’ve had this conversation. I told you, there will never be another woman for me. Never. It isn’t going to happen. You’re going to be all I ever need, and I’ll be the same for you. We’ll do this together.” He poured absolute conviction into his voice. Deliberately, he used his dominant tone, velvet over steel, low and certain. His thumb moved gently over her lips. “I don’t like that you don’t have confidence in me. Or yourself. Or us.”