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I shook my head. “There were men who had wives and families at home that would come to the brothel I was in. It was like they lived some secret life that no one knew about. They were the worst of them all.” My mouth snapped shut. Weeks ago, I told Cyrus what had happened to me, and we hadn’t talked about it since. I shouldn’t have said anything about it. Especially not when he already threatened to go after the bastards who took me. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop,” he said, his voice raising.

I cowered into myself, needing to get away. To a safe place. To a spot that I could be by myself in.

“Shit, baby.” Cyrus rushed to me and pulled me against him. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He rained kisses on my face. “I promise. That wasn’t geared at you. It just pisses me off that there are people out there like this. I had a moment and took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

I wrapped myself around him.

“You shouldn’t be sorry though. Never be sorry for telling me what you went through. Never be sorry for voicing your thoughts and feelings.” He cupped my face, covering my mouth with his. “You hear me?” he asked gently.

I nodded, pouting.

His lips twitched. Giving me another kiss, his mouth lingered. “The things I want to do to this lip.” He gave it a gentle bite.

A breathless laugh left me. “Thank you.”

“Always, pet. Always. I’ll try to rein in control of my anger. I just hate...”

I stared up at him. “What?”

“I wish I could have been there to protect you. I know it doesn’t make sense when we didn’t know each other then but it’s how I feel.”

“I considered looking for the ones who escaped. But it’s not like it was a single brothel. There were a bunch of them. And that was only the beginning. There was an actual compound that held far worse things than I ever experienced and I...I went...” I lifted my hands, my mouth going dry as the memories slid into me.I went through a lot,I finished.

“I could say I know you did, but I don’t really know. You’ve told me things, but I don’t think anyone could actually know what you went through unless they were right there alongside you.” Cyrus kissed me one last time before going back to the stove. “But no matter what, I’m here. Even if you don’t want to talk about it or anything at all, I’ll sit there with you.”

“Isn’t that boring?” I asked softly.

“No, not at all. If it helps you get through each day, I’ll sit in the fucking dark with you, pet. I promise.”

“God.” My breath hitched. “I think I fell in love with you even more just now.”

A cocky grin spread on his face. “I am pretty awesome.” His smile fell. “Now I sound like Sammy.” He scowled.

My heart dropped, wishing there was something I could do for him.

I made a mental note to try and talk to Sammy. Even if I had to type up a damn letter and send it to him, he was going to listen to me, some way, some how.

“Have you tried talking to your brother?” I asked Cyrus while he was preparing our plates of food.

“Talking to Sammy is like talking to a wall. And if he’s cornered, he’s like a cat. He’ll spit, and hiss, and raise fucking hell before you have a chance to ask him how he feels.”

“I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“It’s not as bad as I’m making it out to be.” Cyrus helped me set the rest of the table, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to downplay what was really going on between him and Sammy. I didn’t want to assume it had something to do with me, but I was definitely a part of it. Whether it be small or big, I knew there was a reason that Sammy didn’t like me.

I didn’t respond because I wasn’t even sure what to say. I didn’t want to start anything, but it bothered me that Sammy automatically didn’t like me while Cyrus had been nothing but kind.

“What did you want to drink?” I asked, figuring that would be a safe question and then I wouldn’t say something I would regret. I looked out at the spread we had laid out on the table and smiled to myself. When I went to head into the kitchen, I found Cyrus staring at me. “What?”

Instead of responding, he came toward me.

Before I could ask what was going on, he had me in his arms and his mouth on mine in a firm kiss.

I sighed, snaking my arms around his neck.

He broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine. “I know you’re worried about my issues with my brother.”