Onyx

Chapter 13: In Which Her Curiosity is Piqued (Onyx)

Ren turned out to be a real gentleman.

Well, for the most part anyway, he'd open the door and helped me crawl into his huge SUV. What did a man need with a car this fucking big anyways? I rolled my eyes.

Boys and their toys.

Khalan had kept plenty of those toys around too. I would bet my life on it. I wouldn't even be surprised if I found out it hadn't been the first time that he was with another woman. Although, I wasn't so irrational to blame the women for his actions. Khalan was too attractive for his own good. I frowned, sometimes I wish he had been ignorant of his looks. Instead, he'd use his charms any chance he got.

I was starting to get the impression that faithful men had never existed in the past, wasn't going to exist in the present, and surely would never exist in the future. Currently, that was the running theory. People knew how to manipulate you to believe their feelings were genuine—specifically, my ex-husband—when it was nothing more than pure lust.

Men only helped you out of lust Onyx, my subconscious seethed past her slithering tongue. People will continue to let you down.

The opposite sex had begun oversexualizing me at such a young age. Back when I barely understood my own body. Since I was no more than twelve when my breasts began to develop. Since he stole my...

Not everyone was like him... Right? It was as easy as the snap of my fingers, the rushing anxiety was attempting to rear its ugly head.

Maybe Ren was being too gentleman-like when he reached over, a tad too close, to buckle me in when I struggled with the seatbelt.

My nerves were shot. His left hand had lightly tugged on the thick strap, as if he was obligated to make sure I was secure. Ren's blue eyes met my brown. His face was a puzzled mask as he continued to search my eyes. Like he was trying to solve a difficult math equation in that beautiful head of his.

My cheeks never felt so warm.

"Good?" He was still bent towards me. So close that his voice was in my ear. For God's sake, I can feel his warm breath in the shell of it. Goosebumps flit across my skin. The slight aroma of mint dancing in my nostrils.

Even his breath is intoxicating to me. "Don't need any more mishaps today, do we?" His tone was too cheery for my taste. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I decided to play it safe with the stranger.

"Perfect." I managed to heave out.

I look up at him, specifically at his distinguishing scar. Upon closer inspection its edges are puffed up, the angry lines standing out against his skin tone.

My eyes lowered to his neck where colorful ink had been etched into the tan skin. Although I could tell he had many engraved on him, the one that stood out the most is a colossal-sized dragon that sat just below his Adam's apple. It looked as if it was climbing up his throat with its sharp talons appearing to penetrate the flesh it lay on. Its design was swirled in ash-toned blues, grays, and blacks.

I wished to see the full pattern; Absentmindedly, I wondered how the ink-riddle skin would taste on the tip of my tongue.

Onyx Maeve!

"Like what you see, Onyx?" His voice is dangerously low, a glint in his eye. Damn it. I stared too long.

Change the subject.

My face felt as if it were on fire. "Where to first?"

He lifted a thick brow at me and deeply chuckles. Damn near chortles. His belting laugh broke our awkward stare off. Ren turns towards the wheel of the car as he puts on his own seatbelt.