Shelter by Tara Shuler Read Free Book Online Page A

incredibly beautiful human would never have been kissed, especially at nineteen, but then again, Kai didn’t seem like an ordinary human. Not in any way.
    He nodded.
    I was overwhelmed. I put my arms around his neck and held him close. I noticed him burying his head in my hair and breathing in deeply as he squeeze me tightly within his strong arms.
    “I’m sorry I told you to go away,” he told me. “I didn’t mean it.”
    He had begun to cry. I took his face in my hands and pulled his gaze up to meet mine. I looked deep into his eyes – those piercing blue eyes that were now hazy behind a veil of tears – and I spoke.
    “I understand,” I told him honestly.
    After what I’d witnessed, I realized why he was such a loner. He felt worthless and unlovable. He didn’t want to get hurt, and he was afraid to get too close to me. The kiss had scared him – either because he was afraid I would leave him, or perhaps because he felt unworthy of being loved.
    “Oh, Kai,” I whispered. I wiped his tears away with my thumbs, still cradling his face in my hands.
    He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him. He hesitated, his lips so close to mine I could feel his ragged breath on my face. It seemed as if he thought me too delicate to touch. Feeling his warm breath against my face, I desperately wanted to kiss him again. Sensing his hesitation, I twisted my fingers into his hair and pushed his head toward mine. Our lips met in an electrifying kiss that sent shockwaves of pleasure through my body. My lips parted, and he pressed his tongue into my mouth. I moaned gently, and he began to kiss me more fervently.
    His lips moved away from mine, and I soon felt them against the skin of my neck. He pushed my hair back and pressed his lips against me. The sensation of his hot breath on my skin sent chills up my spine, and I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I tore at his shirt like a wild animal, desperate to rip it from his body so I could feel him.
    I pulled his shirt over his head, and we both froze. We had been caught up in the heat of the moment, and I guess he had forgotten what it was like underneath his shirt. I was aghast at what I saw. Scars covered his torso on every side. Some were long like slash marks, and others were small and round. There must have been dozens of them.
    I reached out to touch one gently, and he jerked away. He yanked his shirt away from me and held it in front of him – shielding his body from my eyes as much as he could. He started to back away from me, and then he stood up and quickly disappeared inside the shed.
    What had I done, now? It seemed like I couldn’t stop making these stupid mistakes and chasing him away. The last thing I wanted to do was cause him more pain. I stood up and tapped gently against the door. I was met with silence.
    “Kai, please,” I begged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
    He was still completely silent. It was unbearable.
    “Kai, let me in,” I pleaded with him, pounding my fist on the door. “ Please , please let me in.”
    He still didn’t make a sound. I turned the doorknob slowly, cautiously, and the door opened. I pulled it gently, and I peeked very carefully into the shed.
    “Kai?” I called quietly.
    I heard a faint whimper, and I turned toward it. Kai sat huddled in the back corner of the shed, curled into ball with his arms around his knees. He was rocking and crying, and I could tell he was shaking. He hadn’t put his shirt back on, but he had it pulled over him in the front.
    My heart was breaking. Seeing him like this was the most painful thing I’d ever imagined. I walked over to him and knelt in front of him, but I hesitated before I touched him. I didn’t want to touch him if he wanted to be left alone, but I couldn’t stand seeing him like that.
    I placed my hand very gently on his arm. He jumped, but he did not try to push me away. I placed both of my hands on his arms just above the elbow, and I felt him relax ever so