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“He came back for you?”
I shook my head. “He’s dead. But I started seeing him. He would appear and tell me what to do, just like when we were on the island. I was still listening to him, still following his rules. And when I disobeyed him, I knew I had to punish myself.”
Her eyes flicked down to my hand. “That’s how your family knew.”
“Yeah. A friend walked in on me. If he hadn’t—” I shook my head, remembering the fear that Ebarardo wouldn’t see me finish. “I was so mad that I didn’t get to finish the punishment.”
“But you seem very clear about what’s going on now. What changed?”
I looked down at my wrist still in the cuff and raised it for her to see. “I woke up like this, and it was like I was back there in that cell the first night. The curtains were pulled back and the sun shone through. It’s like for the first time since I left that island, I remember what he did to me and I know I’m truly free now.”
“And how does that feel?”
My eyes flicked to her smiling face, but instead of smiling, I took a staggering breath. “Terrifying. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been trying to live by his rules. Now, I have to learn to live on my own. I have to find a way to move past what he did to me, and I don’t know how to do that.”
“It’s a lot of work, and it will be hard, but I can help you if you’ll let me.”
The relief I felt at her words brought tears to my eyes again. I knew there was no way I could do this on my own. I wanted—no, I needed—to push past this and get Ebarardo out of my head. Only then would I truly be free of him.
“I’d like that.”
14
JASON
“I could lay like this forever.”
I pulled away instantly. There was no way I could ever let her think this could be more. “Leah?—”
“Don’t start with me. I already know what you’re going to say.”
“Then why would you even say that shit?” I snapped. Christ, I shouldn’t have slept with her when we came to Johnny’s ranch. I ignored her for as long as I could. I pushed her away and tried to keep my distance, but there was only so much I could take.
“Jesus, I was talking about laying in bed and being lazy! Out there, I have to live my life and pay taxes and shit. Don’t you ever just want to relax and forget about everything for one fucking day?”
I eyed her warily, wondering if she was telling the truth. Women were good at covering up what they really meant when they felt they were about to get kicked out of bed. And this woman was definitely scrappy.
“Relax, Casanova. I don’t want to marry you. Far from it.”
Now, I was a little offended. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Other than the blinking warning sign on your forehead?”
“Other than that,” I muttered.
“Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a walking disaster. You have the looks and the body that women fantasize about, but you’re a hot mess.”
I rolled to my side, propping my hand under my head. “I think you’re the first woman who ever thought I was a mess.”
“That’s because they were blinded by that giant dick,” she grinned as her hand slid under the sheet and wrapped around my cock.
“And you’re not?”
“I am, but I still see you.”
“And what do you see?” I smirked, thrusting my hips forward as she jerked me off.
The smile faded from her eyes the longer she stared at me. I didn’t need her to tell me another thing. I already knew she could see deep into my soul, and I didn’t want to hear a thing out of her mouth.