“And family secrets can kill if one isn’t careful.”
She peeked over at me. “That’s one way to put it.”
“You deserved better than what they gave you, Brielle.”
She wiped her eyes. “You think so?”
I reached out and settled my hand on her bare knee. “I know so. You deserved the whole truth. You deserved to know your truth, and you deserved to have it acknowledged.”
She looked down at our connection. “What did your family cover up?”
I cleared my throat and removed my hand. “Just some touching that shouldn’t have happened, that’s all.”
Pity filled her stare, which meant it was my turn to divert my gaze. I couldn’t stand that shit, the pitiful glances when they figured out that I had been diddled as a kid. It was in the past. I had left it behind. It didn’t affect me, didn’t hinder me, and it no longer haunted my dreams. Their stares did, though. All those pathetic, weakling little stares that reminded me of just how scared I’d been every time my brother came into my bedroom at night.
How angry it made me every time I felt his fingers race through my hair.
“I’m so sorry, Maverick,” Brielle whispered.
I quickly stood to my feet. “It’s in the past, and I left them behind for a good reason. Just know that you always have options.”
She stood with me. “Mav?”
I turned toward the door. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Mav.”
I started for the doorknob. “We can get you a mini-fridge in here as—”
When she took my hand, however, the warmth of her touch stopped me dead in my tracks. She planted her hand on top of mine, stopping my want to rip that door open and book it for the stairs. Vulnerability. That was one thing I hadn’t expected from her. From the bruises that stared at me every time she picked her gaze up from the floor all the way down to the broken skin and ligature marks around her wrist and ankles, she had somehow found the strength to touch one of her assailants.
At that moment, I knew she was stronger than any of us would ever be.
And all I wanted was to feel her palm against my bare chest.
“Thank you for being so kind to me, even in the beginning,” she said, brushing her thumb along the top of my hand.
I couldn’t turn to face her. My eyes burned too much. “I knew something was off. I knew something wasn’t quite right.”
“Mav, look at me.”
I blinked back my tears. “Brielle, this really isn’t—”
“Please?”
I’d never be able to resist a pleading woman, especially her. She captivated me. She had crawled beneath my skin so quickly and so swiftly that it shocked me. Her touch held me hostage. The way her finger stroked my skin sizzled the tip of my cock. But it was her soft, reassuring, angelic voice that moved me.
So, I turned to face her as she continued tracing faceless images with her thumb against the skin of my hand.
“Yes?” I asked, staring into her sparkling aquamarine eyes.
“Thank you,” she said as she stepped closer to me. “I need you to hear me when I say that.”
I nodded. “I hear ya.”
Her stare held mine as the pulsing of her breath fell against my face. Her fingers shifted, finding the slats of mine before she locked our touches together. My heart leapt into my throat. My cock hardened against the zipper of my jeans. If she did anything else—if she touched any other part of me—I’d be a goner. I’d never be able to contain myself.
And I wasn’t sure what that said about me as a man.
