Chapter 38

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Clement stared at her, mouth agape, pain in his eyes and on his face as she recounted her past to him. He pondered on the atrocities that a father had committed against his own daughter, wishing that the man was alive so he could repay him in two folds. But, the man was long gone, eaten up by termites. He took her in his arms the moment she ended her story, embracing her tightly, wishing he could take away the heart rendering pain exuding from her.

'I'm sorry,' he apologized. 'I'm sorry your father was a bastard and he did this to you. I'm sorry that I could not be there to protect you.'

'It is not your fault Clement, none of all this is. Don't apologize, please.'

'It is all over now,' he said to her, whispering lovingly.  'He will no longer hurt you and your sisters my love. He will no longer haunt you anymore. I will make sure of it.'

'He will Clement, he will continue to do so. Whenever I look in the mirror and see myself, I will remember him and what he did to me that night,' she said. 'I will remember how he turned me into a hideous monster.'

'You are not a monster Chloe, and you are definitely not hideous. I only know that,' he assured her in a sure voice.

'You are just saying that,' she said in a mall voice.

'You are just saying that and will continue to do so, but not if you see the rest,' she said in a small voice. 'You will quit saying that if you see the rest of me.'

'N'ihi nke a, hapu m ka m ne ha dum. Then let me Chloe, let me,' therefore, allow me to do so, he urged her. She stared up at him, into his eyes for so long before she made a decision. She was still doing so when she disengaged from him and took three steps backwards. He watched her, trying to figure out what she wanted to do.

'Ka odi,' let it be so, she said and undid the fastening of her knickers jumpsuit. She removed her hands slowly from the top, allowing it to hang around her waist. She wore nihil, nothing at all under the cotton material that hung around her waist. His body tightened with need instantly as her upper body was bared afore him. He saw nothing but the beauty of her body: the roundness of her breast, the erotic darkening of her nipples, the flatness of her stomach, the exotic colour that her scars gave her skin, milk and chocolate, sensually enticing.

She watched him keenly, quite apprehensive, expecting him to turn away sooner or later, fed up with the view of her welted body. She undid the last button at her waist and wriggled slightly. The cloth slid slowly down her legs and whispered quite softly to the ground. She stepped out of the cloth that had pooled at her feet, kicking it away gently. Yet again, she wore nothing underneath the bottom part of the jumpsuit. Now, she stood before him, completely naked, nervous as hell, awaiting his judgment.

Now, she didn't see him coming, he was as quick as a large hawk diving downward from the sky to lift chicks, and she was that chick. He took her swiftly in his arms and then he kissed her fervently, burning with an uncontrolled desire, an unbridled passion, dangerously all consuming, infecting her instantly. Flames roared to life within each and she gasped out at the rugged intensity of it. He groaned deeply as he devoured her, all of her with his mouth and his tongue, his lips, his hands and his fingers, all of him.

He tasted all of her as if he was new to her, trying desperately to find out what ingredient she was made of, not wanting to miss out even a single taste. His tongue tangoed with her and she purred, that heavenly sound that had all his blood rushing to his erectile. He grew full and heavy, for her. When he ended the inclement kiss, she was too surprised to speak, dazed into speechlessness, naked against his fully clothed body.

'You can't still possibly want me,' she said moments later when she could, staring into his desire dark eyes. He smiled at her.

'I'm sorry to disappoint you Mon Coeur, but I still do. I want you more than ever. You have me undone, wrapped around your fingers. What a paradox!' he said.

'I can't believe you,' she stammered. He said nothing, taking her right palm placing it on his throbbing phallus, guiding it around his thick hard erection. She gasped as he did so. He raised a brow at her as if to say the words I wasn't lying to you to her. She tried to retract her hands but he held it down, in place. She stared at him. 'You are unbelievable Clement. Do you know that?' she asked him.

'Is this proof enough?' he asked her. She began to cry then, as much a crybaby as her sister whom her triplet had teased days ago.

'Clement,' was all she whispered.

'Mi querida, I love you, like this or not. You just have to accept it. To me, you are the most beautiful. When I look at your face, all I see is your eyes, your emerald eyes. They are morassing, ensnaring, pulling me into your green depth, making it totally impossible for me to stay away from you. Yes, I agree that you are scarred all over my sweet. But, it doesn't make you any less beautiful. It does not make you any less of a woman. It tells of your past, your story, of who you are, of who you were. It tells of your present, of who you have become. You have become a strong capable determined woman who was able to keep her head above the water and survive despite all odds. Be rest assured Chloe that your scars won't make me love you any less. In fact, I love you more for it. You would not have them if you hadn't survived, and if you hadn't survived, I would not have met you my soul mate and fallen right in love with you. I would not have you now and I cannot begin to imagine a life without Chloe, a life without you.'

'Oh Clement,' she wept, 'I am all flaws. You might tire of me in the nearest future.'

'Look at me,' he requested. She did so. 'Whatever would pull me, Clement Ihunanyamme Ugwu away from you, Chloe Chinwem Nwabuagu is YET TO COME I assure you. A fun m gi Anya Chinwem,' I love you Chinwem, he declared in Igbo.

'I love you too Clement, I really do, with my body, heart and soul, with all of me,' she declared with tears of joy in her emerald eyes.

'Then my love, J'vouloir faire quelque chose avec te. Je veux pas faire l'amour avec te. Let me make love to you.'

'Yes do my love, please do,' she allowed him. He smiled and took her in his arms and she let him cherish her; love her, to the max.