Page 74 of Double the Redemption

“Why didn’t you?” Her lashes fluttered.

“Because I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from canceling all my clients to spend the day with you both. I had people on the books who had been waiting months, and most were regulars. I couldn’t let them down. But fuck, was it hard.” He brushed her lower lip with his thumb. Her breath trembled out as her lips parted. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to come back and taste you again.”

“I-I’m here now.”

He couldn’t stop the groan that slipped out. Was she trying to kill him?

“Baby, you’re tempting me like you have no idea, but I need to know why you were looking for me first. In the mood I’m in, I don’t know that I could stop with just one taste of you.” Especially not when there was a bed right behind them.

No, no, he would not think of the bed.

She shivered, her lashes fluttering as she looked up at him. “Nothing’s wrong. I just …” Her face flushed, and his heart pounded.

“You just what?”

“I—” She swallowed hard, tightening her grip on the bottom hem of his shirt.

He told himself to be patient. It would be worth the wait.

Finally, she whispered, “I wanted to come and see you. I left Asher with the twins for a bit. I … I realized that I missed you today and that I thought maybe … if you wanted to … uh … you know.”

Her skin blazed a deep red, and she turned away. He cupped her chin and guided her back, staring down at her. His body tensed, excitement and desire burning through him. Was she implying what he thought she was?

“Naomi, I need you to tell me what you mean. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings. And never be embarrassed about telling me what you want. What you need. There is nothing you can tell me that will shock me. Here, you and me, this is your safe space to be yourself and say everything you’re thinking, knowing there will be no judgment from me. So, tell me, baby girl, what you want.”

It took another long moment, but she finally whispered, “You. I want you.”

Thank fuck.

“And how do you want me?” He might go insane if she asked for something as simple as cuddling, but he’d do it. For her. He’d do it for her.

“I … I don’t know.” Her eyes scrunched tight, which he could only interpret as frustration. “I really don’t know, Ink. The last time I had consensual sex was when I was eighteen with my high school boyfriend. After that, I …”

His blood chilled. “I need you to be honest with me now, Naomi. I need you to tell me so I know how to give you what you need. And I need to know what might trigger you. If you’re going to trust me with your body, I need you to give me the full picture.”

Her body trembled, and her lip quivered as she opened her eyes and stared up at him. It broke something in him; seeing the pain in her eyes gutted him.

Swiftly, he scooped her up, making her gasp, and strode to the bed, where he sat and settled her in his lap. She wrapped her arm around him, eyes wide.

“Talk to me, baby.”

Gripping the back of his shirt, she worked the fabric between her fingers as she gathered her thoughts. He didn’t rush her, just held her, mentally preparing for what he was about to hear.

“When I was younger, I was left alone. I don’t know if that was because Diego didn’t want to hurt me since I was such a valuable asset, or it was my father who told them to leave me be. No one touched me, and I was terrified of that for a long time. I would put furniture in front of the door to keep them from trying to come in. Diego got pissed about that and took it all away from me. All my clothes too. It was the first time he humiliated me. I was nineteen when he finally decided he didn’t care what anyone else thought. He needed my brain and hands to work, nothing else.

“The first time he raped me, it was … horrible. I screamed, fought, all of it. He just tied me down. After that, he did the same for a week. Like the rules were out the window now that he’d done what he wanted. My father said and did nothing. He just told me to stop fighting and give Diego what he wanted.”

“That fucker,” Ink hissed between clenched teeth. Fury burned. He wanted to burn them all. He wanted their deaths to be as slow and painful as possible.

“When I turned twenty-one, it stopped. He found someone else to give his attention to, and that was it. I was still forced to take the birth control shots they gave me, but the soldiers were told to leave me alone. I don’t know what changed, but it was a year before I finally started to believe it was over.”

“But it wasn’t?” Bile rose in his gut.

She shook her head, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “No, it wasn’t. He left me alone for a few years, but he always left it hanging as a threat to keep me in line. If I started to show any defiance, then he’d just threaten. I was older and stronger, but there was no way I could escape him if he wanted to hurt me. So I’d give in and hoped to find another way to get out. Then one night, he dragged me to a party he was hosting. I was there to be shown off.”

Yeah, he did not like where this was going. He forced himself to wait, to bite back the words burning in his throat. To demand answers. To know who he had to kill at the first opportunity.

“That night, he threatened to hand me over to a couple of the men he was showing me off to. I didn’t speak, didn’t dare, but when they were told they weren’t allowed to hurt me, it took the thrill away. I was too valuable an asset. Especially when one of those guests asked how much it would cost to purchase me. Diego thought about it, but in the end, he decided not to accept, but it got him thinking.”