A Mate for Gideon(32)

“I know…just hold me for a second longer…please.” The desperation in her voice cut him. Against his better judgment, he nodded before pulling her more firmly against him.

Jenna sighed, sounding content. Despite himself, it felt good knowing that he had made her feel this way. He was fucking pathetic. This female had all but destroyed him. Could do it again if he was stupid enough to allow it. He kept his arms around her.

It was a long while before she started talking. “I met Liam about two months after you left. At first I wasn’t sure why I was so attracted to him. Sure, he was friendly, helpful, intelligent. One of the most charming men I’d ever met…”

Hearing her talk of this male made him want to pace. To growl. To hit things. Instead, he kept a solid handle on his emotions and allowed her to speak. She seemed at ease and content in his arms. If it made it easier for her to speak, then he would allow her to remain where she was. It had nothing to do with how perfectly she fit against him. Nothing what so fucking ever.

Damn but she felt so damned good. This was temporary, there was nothing she could say that would make him forgive her and forget the past. To accept her back into his life. His wounds were still too raw. They had been put there by her. If he was honest with himself, they had never truly healed. This female had the ability to devastate him and he could not allow for that to happen again.

“I only realized later that it was his resemblance to you that had attracted me to him in the first place. I missed you so much. It was like a limb had been severed. You took a piece of my soul when you left that day.” She didn’t wait for a response. “I was just so desperate for you. Liam radiated raw power, masculinity and strength. Little did I know, that he was nothing like you.” She was silent for a time, her shoulders shook just a little. “He’s extremely arrogant, conceited, so self centered. He uses his strength to hurt rather than to protect.” She sniffed.

Jenna was crying softly.

“Hey.” He moved his hand up and down her back, trying to console her. There were a thousand questions that ran through his mind. He had to practically bite his tongue to keep from asking them. Gideon continued to rub her back. He wanted to tell her that she was safe now that she was back with him but she wasn’t back with him so he pursed his lips instead. Besides, she would speak when she was good and ready.

He had a funny feeling that he was going to fucking hate what she was about to say.

“It happened so quickly.” Her voice sounded broken and small. It made his heart bleed. “Liam was supposed to be a rebound thing. One or two nights. It was so stupid of me. I was just so lonely and hurt. I just wanted the pain to go away even if just for a short while.”

Gideon resisted the urge to fidget. To pull away from her.

“Before I knew it, he had moved in to my house. I moved out on my own once the divorce became final.” She paused for a short while. “Liam took control of my life, of me. Pretty soon, I wasn’t allowed to see my friends anymore, was only allowed to visit with my mom if he was there with me. He took over.” She sucked in a ragged breath.

“It was around that time that my mom and step-dad moved away from Sweetwater. By the time I realized what was happening, what kind of man Liam really was, it was too late to leave. Then I found out that I was pregnant. Things just spiraled out of control from there. I thought he would stop hitting me, but he didn’t.”

Gideon couldn’t help the growl that was ripped from him. “That fucker hit you?” He growled. No wonder she was so fucking petrified of him.

She instantly stiffened and gasped.

“I’m not going to hurt you, sweetheart.” With his one hand on her lower back, he gripped her closer and used the other one to rub her back. “I would never do that to you. I’m just seriously pissed off that a male would dare put his hands on you.” His voice shook a little, such was his anger at the motherfucker who had done this. Her shoulders shook again and this time she made tiny crying noises.

It almost broke his fucking heart all over again.

Gideon clenched his teeth and bit back a roar.

“I should’ve left him. I should’ve somehow found the courage. I wanted to go to my mom. The thing was, he threatened me with his gun, he even put it in my mouth a couple of times, so deep down my throat that it made me gag.” She sniffed softly. “He would threaten me often, told me that if I ever tried to leave him he would kill me, that no one would ever find the body.”

Gideon had to work hard not to react. Everything in him bristled. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do first, to keep holding her and soothing her. To whisper words of encouragement in her ear or whether he wanted to turn and run to the nearest SUV, to head for Sweetwater so that he could kill the fucker. Thank the gods Jenna needed him right now or Sweetwater would be one less in population before nightfall. It was going to happen soon though, maybe not today but fucking soon.