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Wyatt let out a mock growl.“Woman, you’re going to drive me crazy!As soon as I get some energy, I’m going to feed you those snacks and then astound you with my strength, stamina, and amazing moves.”

Fiona giggled.“I have no doubt you will do just that, Mr.Cowboy.No doubt at all.”

She knew she was stalling, but she couldn’t help it.So long as they were laughing and making love, she could put off the one thing standing between them and a bright, shiny future.

She needed to be brave.She needed to tell him about her past.She took a deep breath and started to talk.Once she started, it all came out, every nasty thing that had happened, every terrifying experience.

“That bastard!”Wyatt wrapped her up in his strong arms and held her close.His chin rested on the top of her head as he surrounded her completely with his warm, loving support and caring.

There was nothing sexual in that hold, just an unspoken promise to keep her safe, and a sense of outrage over the details of her past that she’d confided to him.Fiona felt the silent tears trace their way down her cheeks.It had taken a huge amount of courage on her part to share the terror and humiliation of her past but if she and Wyatt were truly going to have any chance at a future, he needed to know.

He’d seen the scars, but she’d let him assume they were from an accident.Now he knew the truth, and how he handled that would tell her whether or not they had any hope of creating their own happily ever after.

“You’re sure he doesn’t know where you are?”Wyatt stroked his hand down her back in a soothing gesture.

“Fairly sure, but there’s always a chance he could track me down.I legally switched to my grandmother’s maiden name when the divorce was final but it’s hard to stay hidden these days what with social media and all.My phone number is unlisted, and I’m pretty careful about anything I do online.I just hope he doesn’t come looking.He was furious when I pressed charges, and even more so when I got that restraining order.”

Wyatt held her at arm’s length, making eye contact.His grim expression lent weight to his words.“No matter how it goes between us, if you even suspect he’s in the area, or if he tries to contact you, you tell me.If he so much as thinks of harming one little hair on your pretty head, I will make him regret the day he was born.”

Fiona had to resist the urge to smile through the tears.Unlike some of the professionals who were supposed to have helped her when her ex went berserk, he didn’t subtly shift the focus from the abuser to the victim by asking why she’d stayed so long or what she’d done to anger her ex to the point of landing her in the hospital.

The barrier she’d put up around her heart cracked just enough to let him in.Him.Wyatt.Her motorcycle riding, bad boy cowboy, amazingly sensitive lover.

She reached up to wind her arms around his neck, looking straight into his eyes and seeing the fierce conviction there.“You will be the first to know.”

“I mean it.Don’t bother calling the cops, or nine-one-one.They have to follow the rules.I’ll just take care of it.”

She nodded.She believed him one hundred percent.She almost felt sorry for her asshole of an ex if he dared to show up.

Closing her eyes, she pulled Wyatt’s head down to place a soft kiss on his lips.She’d found her very happily ever after in the arms of a cowboy.Ride ‘em Cowboy!