“It’s something new I learned.” She smiles a little. “It means you’re special.”
“I know what it means, sweetheart.”
She blushes, which obviously makes me want to kiss her again, but I stay put, sensing she wants to tell me something.
“You deserve to know why I was triggered that evening in the forest.”
My stomach coils. I can only imagine the horrific memory that made her react like that. “You don’t need to tell me anything if you’re not ready.”
“I know, but I want to, because keeping it a secret just gives the painful memory more strength. I can’t change the past, but I don’t need to let it drag me down.”
I sit up. “All right. I’m all ears.”
She drops her gaze to the mattress and lets out a heavy exhale. “I was raped by Boone.”
Every muscle in my body turns to stone, and my blood becomes ice in my veins. The only thing alive in me is the rage that erupts from the pit of my stomach and spreads like violence through my body.
Sophie looks at me, and I don’t know what she sees in my face, but she lets out a gasp. “Vaughn?”
Tears that I didn’t even know were forming roll down my cheeks. I pull her to me, crushing her into a bear hug. “I’m so sorry, my love. So sorry.”
She relaxes in my arms, but she’s shaking. “Me too. I’d always known to keep a wide berth from him, but there was one evening that I wasn’t careful. I didn’t notice he had followed me until it was too late. I wasn’t strong enough to fight him off.”
“What happened to you wasn’t your fault. Boone was an evil monster. I’m sorry that Lucca didn’t kill him sooner.”
“He’s dead now, and I don’t want the last memory I have of him to follow me everywhere like a bloody shadow.”
I push her back so I can look into her eyes once more. “We’ll never speak of him again.”
She nods but seems unable to utter words.
“Thank you for telling me.” I kiss her softly, thinking that tenderness is what she needs right now.
But Sophie picks up the pace, tilting her head so she can deepen the kiss. Her fire ignites my own. I let her take control, knowing she needs this. Her hand roams freely over my arms, then down my abs until her fingers find the waistband of my underwear. I’m so hard, it hurts.
“Soph, you drive me crazy,” I whisper against her mouth.
“I want to make new memories with you, Vaughn. Help me forget.”
“Of course, beautiful. Anything you want.”
Her hand disappears inside my boxer shorts, making me hiss when she touches the tip of my cock. I’m already dying, but I’m at her mercy. If she wants to torture me like this, I’m game.
She wraps her fingers around my shaft and slides her hand up and down, drawing a groan from me. I need to touch her too, so I cup her breasts and play with them until her nipples turn as hard as little rocks.
“Yes,” she murmurs, arching her back.
I stretch her tank top, pulling it down so I can uncover her lovely breasts. I need a fucking taste. She moans when I swipemy tongue over her nipple, teasing the bud, and her hand moves faster. At this rate, I’m gonna jizz in my underwear again.
“Sophie… I’m about to explode here.”
She slides off me, making me fear I said the wrong thing, but then she removes her panties, and I almost do come prematurely. I’m tongue-tied and staring at her pussy like I’ve never seen a naked woman before.
“Is something wrong?” she asks.
Heat spreads across my face, and I look up quickly. “Nothing is wrong.”
She smiles knowingly. “Do you want to touch me?”
