Page 153 of Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

Her lips find the sensitive spot on my neck, but I pull back, smacking my head into the door. “Yes. Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” She pulls away and steps out of my personal circle. Her brows draw together.

I don’t blame her for being confused. Hell, even my dick is siding with Chloe on this one.

“I need to tell you one last thing before we move onto that part of making up.”

“What?” She takes another step back, adding to the growing distance between us.

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

She blinks. Once. Twice. Three times.

The silence is deafening as she says nothing.

I stare her in the eyes despite the urge to look away. “I did something you probably won’t be happy with.”

“Don’t leave me hanging in suspense. My heart can’t handle it.”

“I should preface this with the fact that the only reason I did this in the first place was because I wanted to protect you.”

“Thanks for the prologue. What is it?” Her voice comes out wooden.

“Your mom called Noah, who called me.”

“WHAT?!”

“Let me explain the whole thing before you interrupt okay? Please?”

Her frown becomes more pronounced. “Don’t skimp on one detail, or else I swear to God...”

Okay, I can work with that. “So, I called her after Noah told me that she spoke to his personal assistant. She threatened to release some story about you and an assault charge because of Ralph. The whole phone call was disgusting. I didn’t expect her to be obvious about how little she cares about you. After that, I paid her off because I just wanted her out of your life permanently. And to be clear, I didn’t do it because I was afraid of what something like that could do for my reputation. Any decision I made about her was solely to save you from any additional pain. I want you to know that first and foremost.”

Chloe nods but doesn’t say anything.

My heart beats faster in my chest. Is she pissed I withheld this too?

Of course she is. You keep fucking up over and over against with her. I ramble on, desperate for her to understand. “The story…I was afraid how it could hurt you if it got out. She was threatening to take your story to the reporters, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that they love drama like that. And she only wanted money, and I have plenty of it, so I didn’t think she was worth it. I’ve been broken by the media, and I didn’t want the same for you.”

“You paid her off because you wanted to make sure I wasn’t hurt in the process?”

I nod my head up and down. “I swear. The kind of money she was asking for has such little value to me. It’s laughable how she could’ve asked for way more, and I wouldn’t have hesitated because you’re more important. I was trying to free you of ever having to deal with her again. After everything you shared, I was only trying to help. If that’s what you want, that is.”

“Right,” she mumbles under her breath.

What is she thinking? Her blank face reveals nothing, and I’m not sure how to gauge her reaction.

I cup her chin and force her to look at me. “God, I don’t know how you came out pure-hearted after being raised by someone like her.”

“Because she didn’t raise me to begin with. Locking me in rooms and forcing me to fend for myself year after year barely counts as being human, let alone a parent.”

My chest tightens at her words. I’d do anything to replace all her memories with new ones. No child deserves to have gone through what she did. While I can’t change Chloe’s past, I can be part of a better future. One that includes endless laughs and the best adventures.

She runs her hand down my chest. Heat rushes down my spine from her touch.

Her hand stops, lingering over my beating heart. “You had the choice to keep this from me and I wouldn’t have found out—if what you said is true about paying her off forever. You risked me getting upset again and potentially leaving you for good. Why would you do that?”

“Because I made a promise to you earlier to always tell the truth, and I plan on keeping it. Forever.”