Chapter Ten

Amelia pushed against John's chest, his arms starting to get too tight around her small body. "John…" She whined, trying to wake up the sleeping man beside her. "Too tight…"

John groaned as if he were in pain, his muscles tightening as the faces of his tormentors filled his mind. The voices of his parents and the Silverman's filled his ears, the sounds of chains rattling and skin striking skin following close behind. He could feel the sting of his father's belt on his back, the crack of bones as his body was beaten into the floor.

"Uncle Dom, John's hurting me!" She called to the older of the two, waking him from his own fitful slumber.

Dominic, stumbled out of bed, knowing that his cousin was having a nightmare. "It's alright, Toots." He pried the child from John's grip, holding her close as John's dream became worse. "He's just having a bad dream."

Claire knocked on the door to the boys' room, smiling as Dominic opened it to let her in. "Good-" She was cut off by a cry of John, her body already reacting to his distress. "John?" She crawled onto the mattress beside him, running her fingers through his hair to gently coax him out of his nightmare. "John, look at me." She rested her hand on his cheek, smiling as his dark eyes opened to meet her own. "There you go."

John took a shaky breath, pulling Claire into a tight hug as his mind returned to the real world. "You're safe." He signed, letting a lone tear fall. "I thought-"

Claire wrapped her arms around him, letting him lean on her for support. "It's okay. It was just a dream." She watched as Dominic pulled his jeans on, taking Amelia with him down to the breakfast buffet that was provided by the hotel. "Was it bad?" She asked, rubbing her fingers over his shoulders, her nails catching in the worn fabric.

He nodded, flinching as her nails ran along an old scar. "They… they had you and Amelia, I was trying to protect you both, but they fucked me up too bad and Joe… started feeling you up and I wasn't able to stop it." His chest hitched, the images of his dream flooding into his memory.

Claire shushed him with a kiss on the lips, feeling his body relax against hers as she let him set the pace. His lips were dry and cracked against her own, but they were his, and she wouldn't have changed them for the world. She poked his lips with her tongue, joy coursing through her when he let her inside. She felt his tongue against her own, each one of them fighting for dominance over the other. She gasped as his teeth grazed over her lips, pleasure shooting through her mind. "John…" She moaned, feeling his hands tighten around her waist as he moved to her neck.

He smirked, his lips traveling to her collarbone, where his teeth nipped at her flesh, turning her pale skin to a rosy pink. "I love you."

"John." She pushed him back, fully aware of what he was feeling. "No." She smiled at the look of hurt in his eyes. "When you get me a ring, then we'll talk about that."

He nodded, shifting as he realized just how uncomfortable his jeans had become. "I do love you." He whispered, his voice husky from the hormones coursing through his body.

Claire smiled, resting her head against his as she looked into those dark pools he had for eyes. "I love you too." She kissed his nose, crawling off of the bed to start the shower for him. "Vernon said we should all be ready to go in an hour." She tossed a towel at him smiling as it hit him right in the face. "Meet me in the breakfast room when you're done."

John chuckled, pulling his t-shirt over his head to reveal his scarred torso. "Thank you, Sweets."

She looked over each scar on his body, thankful that she was one of the only people he trusted enough to show them to. "You're welcome, El Jefe." She smiled, remembering the translation that Dominic had given her for the title.

"You're the boss with this relationship." He smirked, closing the bathroom door behind him. "I'll be out in ten."