Page 34 of Claim Her

One by one, his brothers leave. The moment Jameson closes the door behind him, tense, awkward silence fills the room.

Alec lifts his hand and grazes his knuckle along my jaw. “Hey.”

Tears fill my eyes, and I blink them away. “Hey.”

“You’re really here. I thought Jasper was pulling my leg when he said he found you crying in the ER.”

“Yeah, well … I leave you alone for a few weeks and you get yourself stabbed. Was this your way of grabbing my attention?”

He starts to laugh but winces, his hand going to his stomach. Panic seizes me, and I go into nurse mode. “On a scale of 1-10, how painful is it?”

Alec just waves me off. “I’m fine, Zara … all things considered at least.”

“You’re still pale.”

“Yes, well. I can’t be handsome 24/7.”

This makes me smile. If he can crack jokes, then he’s not feeling as bad as I think. “I’m sorry, Alec. What I did, that wasn’t fair to you.”

“Zara, stop. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

“No. I wanted to stay away from you because you don’t deserve me. I caused you pain.”

“Zara, please. I deserve you. You deserve me. We deserve each other. A wise woman once ordered me to keep repeating that.”

“She’s probably not so wise. Besides, I didn’t realize how much you suffered because of me. I was too wrapped up in my own pain.”

He tries to sit up, but I push him back down. Instead, he takes my hand and kisses my palm, making the butterflies in my belly come alive again. Making me feel alive for the first time in weeks. “I didn’t suffer because of you. It’s all because of my uncle. I suffered way before you came along. And helping you escape? That’s the only good thing that happened to me in that Godforsaken place.”

“Thank you, Alec. I really can’t thank you enough.”

“I should also thank you, Zara. That night I sent you away was the first time in years I felt human.”

I run a finger along his palm. “Are you tired, Alec? Because I want you to tell me everything … if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Yes, but you have to eat first. Then, I’ll tell you.”

“Are you okay with me eating in front of you? You know you still can’t have solid foods, right?”

“Zara, the only thing I want to eat is your pussy, but I can’t do that right now. So go.”

Blushing furiously, I head out to grab something to eat.

After buying pasta and orange juice from the cafeteria as quickly as I can, I settle back on my seat in the suite room and listen to Alec. He has a faraway look in his eyes, looking like he’s psyching himself up to revisit such awful memories.

“I was six when we became orphans. The twins were eight, and Jameson was eleven,” he starts. “When my parents died from a boating incident, Jackson became our guardian. At the time, we rarely saw him. He came home on Christmas and brought us gifts, but that was it. After my parents’ death, he was going to inherit 15 million dollars, but on the condition that he take us under his wing until we were 12. Then, he could ship us to boarding school. He got a monthly allowance, but he would only receive the 15 million once I arrived in the boarding school—the last of the bunch.”

Alec leans back and closes his eyes, his hand finding mine. “It should’ve been the first red flag when we were blindfolded and whisked off to an island. But we all thought it was exciting. An adventure. We were like pirates, exploring the sea and islands.”

He sighs and lets out a shaky breath. “At first, it was okay. We were left on our own. Jackson only had one rule. We weren’t allowed to wander beyond the wooden gates of the chateau, but we were kids. Pretty soon, we got bored of running up and down the floors.

“But that wasn’t the only thing that piqued our interest. At odd times, helicopters, ships, and trucks arrived somewhere on the island. We tried finding out what those were, but we got caught. The first time it happened, Jackson asked one of his men to beat us with his belt buckle. The second time, Jackson did it himself.”

With his eyes still closed, I cup the side of his face. “Alec, maybe that’s enough for now. You don’t need to do this anymore. I’m sorry I asked. We can talk next time.”

When he opens his eyes, there’s a firm resolve behind those baby blues. “No, Zara. You need to know everything.”

“I don’t want to force you.”