Adrian's Wrath(31)

“You can trust me.” Bringing his hand to cup her cheek, he waited until her eyes met his before he continued. “You can trust me. Completely.” A shadow of doubt crossed her features and he didn’t think she would speak again, that she would stay closed off, but when she took a deep breath he held his, waiting for what she might say.

“I want to tell you, but…” Her pause made him anxious. She wanted to tell him and he took pride in that knowledge. She might seem hesitant, but there was a part of her that trusted him. It was his mission to never have her doubt that trust.

“I don’t want you looking at me differently. I don’t want what Cameron did to me to make you feel differently about me.”

“Not possible.” He said it instantly and with as much conviction as he felt inside.

As if she were steeling herself, she took another shuddering breath and said, “Cameron liked to cause pain. A lot of it.” She flicked her eyes toward his for a brief moment before averting her gaze. “The first time he beat me with his belt it left welts. I remember he would run his hands over the raised flesh, murmuring how beautiful I looked with his marks on me. Even if he hadn’t tied me up to hurt me, I can admit that I was a coward. I would just lay there and take it. I was so frightened of what he would do if I didn’t give him what he wanted.” A slight shiver wracked her tiny frame and he pulled her onto his lap, cradling her body as she shivered in his arms. God, he hated this, and there was a part of him that didn’t want her to say another word because he felt like this time her pain was caused by him. She continued before he could tell her he couldn’t bear anymore.

“He kept me in the house a lot unless he needed me on his arm at a function. I hid myself well, putting on the persona of a madly in-love woman. To this day I wish I would have said something, anything to a passing stranger.” Her head was against his chest and she murmured lightly. “He upgraded from the belt to knife play, and that’s when the cuts got less superficial and started leaving scars.” Her little body curled into him further and he rested his chin atop her head, staring at the framed sand dollars and coral-colored shells lining the far wall.

“I know what I look like, Adrian. I’ve counted the scars, know exactly where they are. For those precious moments that I was with you, I didn’t think about them, didn’t remember that horrible, puckered flesh covers my back. When I felt your hands, though, I knew you had to feel them. I’m shamed by them.”

He was at a loss for words. The pain he heard reflected in her voice was a tangible element. It sliced through him, leaving him raw, vulnerable. Since Addie had died he hadn’t felt that kind of vulnerability. The feel of her tears on his chest alerted him to the fact that she was crying. He held her tighter with one arm and reached for the blankets with the other, pulling them up and covering them. He kept her on his lap, against his chest because he couldn’t live with the thought of letting her go.

“I’m sorry.” Although the words didn’t seem to come close to what he really wanted to say, it was all that his wounded soul could come up with. They were silent for so long that he felt her body start to relax into him and knew she was falling asleep. He reached over, careful not to rouse her, and shut off the light, dousing the room in darkness and holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Which she was.

They slept like that, curled together, their hearts beating the same steady rhythm.





Chapter Fifteen




The smell of his expensive cologne had her eyes snapping open and her heart racing. It had been almost a year since she smelled it, and just the stench of it had her stomach clenching. The room was dark, and the disorientation had her throwing the covers off, scrambling to escape. Reaching out blindly, she realized she was alone in bed. Where is Adrian?

Her hair kept brushing against her face, reminding her of the way Cameron used to touch her, caress her. It was a horrid feeling and she shoved the strands away, crying out as her fear mounted.

“I told you I would find you. There isn’t anywhere on this planet that you can hide from me, Brea.”

Oh God. That voice, haunting and devious. There was nothing that frightened her more, nothing that had everything inside of her cramping in pain. Not even when he hurt her did she fear him as much as hearing his calm, dark voice. It was that voice that nightmares were made of. She needed to escape, needed to get to her purse where she had her stun gun and pepper spray. If she could get to them, use them, it would buy her enough time to escape. The bed sheets tangled around her thighs like his arms pinning her down, refusing her escape. A sob broke free when she felt hands grip her abdomen and make their way up her body. She shook, paralyzed as her past slammed into her, making her remember what she so desperately wanted to forget.