Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long pause between updates, I was having a love hate relationship with this chapter. I know it's short and I'm sorry for that. Summer term ends next week and then I have 2 weeks before fall semester starts, in which time my husband is going to be away for work so you guys will be getting a lot of chapters out of me then. Again I'm uploading from my iPad, so let me know if there is any huge issues. Have a nice Tuesday everybody.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Arrow, let alone Oliver Queen :(
She then unwrapped her legs and slid down his body until she was standing on her own. He heard her and she knew it. She started cursing herself inside her head. She really does need to go to see a doctor about her lack of having a mouth filter. She didn't have the courage to look at him until she felt his release smearing between her thighs. When she raised her head she was met with a smile on his face and his perfect eyes slightly hooded.
They held eye contact for the rest of their shower, but never spoke. They simply took turns washing each other and exploring each others bodies. This was without a doubt one of the most erotic and sensual moments of Felicity's life. She used this time to really look at Oliver's scars up close. As she ran her hands over each one she would look up at Oliver for permission. He never stopped her, but she watched him clench and unclench his jaw and felt his body go rigid.
She stood up on her tippy toes and laid a soft short kiss on his lips. She didn't linger there though. She then lowered herself so that she was in a normal standing position and started to kiss each and every scar. For some of the larger ones she would place a kiss down the whole length of them leaving no spot untouched. When she finished with his front she grabbed a hold of his shoulders and applied pressure so he would turn around and then she did the same with all the scars along his back.
When she finished she turned him about again and looked into his eyes. There was so much pain in them and he looked completely naked. Not just the physical state of naked that he was in, but naked down to his soul so she broke the silence, "Penny for your thoughts Mr. Queen."
She watched the tension leave his body and he raised his hand and started playing with her hair. After a couple additional minutes he finally responded, "I was waiting for the cringe that I usually get when people study my scars so intently."
She pulled her lips to make a small smile that wasn't real while she shook her head, "I'm not them. There a lot of people in the world who don't see the scars that everyone carry." Oliver broke eye contact by looking down and she took her right hand and moved his head so he had to look at her. "Do you hear me Oliver, everyone has scars. Your's are just a little harder to deny exist." She could see the disbelief in his eyes and it made her a little angry, "Alright, follow me."
She shut off the water and walked out of shower. She wrapped a towel around Oliver's waist and then one around herself and walked toward the vanity where she pulled the stool out and propped her right foot on it. She looked at Oliver and the confusion was impossible to miss, "Oliver everyone has scars. Here look at this" she pointed to a cluster of crescent shaped scars on her upped thighs. They are light, fading through time, but unfortunately they are still there none the less.
"Are those..." He knew the question he had to ask and he tried to ask, but he couldn't finish the question.
"Bite marks? Yea." She paused for a moment taking a deep breath and then she continued, "There use to be a lot more, but just because you can't see them doesn't mean they are not there. I can still see every single one even if no one else can and I can tell you the order in which I received them. And yes people have cringed when they were seen and years later when I had my first boyfriend he was so disgusted with them that he called it off.
"Everybody has scars Oliver and some people are going to reject you because of them and it's going to hurt, but if you can look past your own scars eventually someone else will too. Everyone else can go take a long walk off a short cliff."
She took her foot off the stool and stood in front of Oliver while the room was engulfed in silence. She could see the war raging on in his eyes, but she still said nothing. There isn't anything that she could say. Either he will accept what she just said or he won't. She would prefer the sooner, but ultimately it's up to him and all she can do is be supportive.
Oliver closed the space between them taking his left hand on the right side of her head and pulled her to him where he rested his forehead against her own. "I really hope I see the world the way you do one day," he said so quietly that it barely broke the silence in the room."
She gave him a reassuring smile, "You will. It just takes time."
Oliver pulls back and lightly pushes her to the stool and she sits down and he kneel in front of her. This time it was her body that went completely stif and she held her breath. She had her thighs pressed so tightly together that her skin was white. Oliver placed a hand on each leg and asked, "May I?" She felt herself nod, but it took her a few moments to relax her legs enough for him to open them.
He held eyes contact with her while kissed her scars as she did his. She still held her breath, but she couldn't look away from him. When he finished kissing her marked skin he pushed her legs back together and rested his arms on top of them then rested his head on his arms. She brought her hand to his hair and started dragging her nails along his scalp. He turned his head kissed her palm and reestablished eye contact and then spoke, "I'm going to tell you something, and I'm really not sure how you're going to take it, but I'm going to tell you none the less because I feel like you should know."
She takes a deep breath. "Alright."
"Your father told me that Graham is going to be getting out very soon. One day in the future sooner or later I AM going to kill him for what he did to you. You deserve to know that he can never hurt you or anyone else ever again, but mostly that he can't hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again Felicity, wether its mental or physical and I know he stars in your nightmares and they hurt you. I will always protect you. You're mine in every way, you're my best friend, my partner, my lover, and my safe place... I will never let you hurt again, I swear to you."
She took in what he said, and this honestly didn't surprise her. If she had the courage she would have killed Graham herself when she could have, but she didn't have it in her. She had the opportunity to kill him and she couldn't do it. This man in front of her can kill, has killed and just admitted that he can and will kill for her. This shouldn't warm her heart like it does, but she has never felt more safe than she does right now. "I love you," was her very quiet response to him. Almost immediately after the words left her lips he sat straight up on his knees and pulled her head to his and gave her a soul shattering kiss before picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.
They spent the rest of the night into the early light of morning tangled within each other leaving her panting her love to him over and over again while he claimed her as his through out the whole night. He never verbally admitted his love to her, but she could feel it in every touch, very caress, and every thrust. They spent the rest of the night worshiping each others bodies, paying extra attention to the flaws that told the tales of their painful pasts.
They slept into the late afternoon which lead to Felicity cursing because she missed her plane home. Oliver just laughed at her and pulled her back into the bed. After she scolded him reminding him that she has to work tomorrow morning, they reluctantly left their hotel and headed to Oliver's private plane that made Felicity choke on her own tongue which resulted in laughter from Oliver. They spent the flight home asleep wrapped around each other which they continued after they got back to Felicity's apartment later that night.
