****
What did he have? Cherry recognized the suitcase in his arms. Beside him were the library books she’d been studying. In his other hand, he held a file that wasn’t all that thick. She walked down the last of the steps, licking her dry lips. Cherry had been cleaning her bathroom when she heard the car pull up. She’d watched him climb out of his car. When she woke up that morning, he’d not even been around. Mindy didn’t seem to mind. His daughter was clearly used to being alone a lot.
He lifted the file. “Your life has been fucking shit.”
She paused on the last step. Looking at the file, she didn’t bother to reach out for it.
“You checked up on me?”
“Cherry Morgan. Everything is there in the file for everyone to see.”
“All you had to do was ask if you wanted to know more about me. I wouldn’t have lied.” She folded her arms over her chest to glare at him. Her life hadn’t been the best, but it had been her life.
“Your mother died.”
“You read that.”
“She had a pimp, and there was suspected abuse. You were young. Did she use you to earn money?” Elijah asked.
Cherry tensed. She’d never had anyone be so blunt with her. No one cared enough to ask her about her past.
“My mother did what she had to in order to earn money.” She gripped her arms tighter, sinking nails into her skin.
“What did she do?”
He placed the case on the floor and the file on the counter where he usually stored his keys.
“I don’t see why this is anyone’s business.”
“You’re living in my house. I demand answers.” He stood waiting. No one told him no, and she saw it as she looked at him.
“Some of the men who came to her for sex, liked to touch. She gave me to them to get more money. Sometimes it wasn’t so bad. They just liked to touch my hair. Some liked a hell of a lot more. I dealt with it.”
He cursed, and she flinched from the anger in his voice.
“What else?”
“Nothing else.”
“The foster homes. Why didn’t any of them stick?” he asked.
“I’ve never been a great person with being used as a sex object. One of the families I was sent to had older boys who didn’t think I had the right to say no. Not only did I say no, I made sure they paid for touching me.”
She gripped her arms a little tighter. All of those memories were in the past.
“Are you a virgin?” Elijah asked.
Cherry burst out laughing, shaking her head. “You’ve got no chance. I fought a lot of them, but I didn’t always win.”
“You were raped?”
She raised a brow. “I learned how to deal with it.”
“You shouldn’t have to learn how to do anything.”
“There’s no need to get angry. This happened years ago. No one has touched me in two years.” She didn’t understand why he was angry. “You should be happy. Mindy doesn’t have to go through any of that shit.”
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t make me feel better.”
Tilting her head to the side, she stared back at him. “You’re really angry.”
“No woman should be used by force.”
“Well, I’m not going to be taken by force again.” She stepped down, going close to him. “Thank you for getting my stuff.”
She paused as he cupped her cheek, titling her head back. “I’ll pay for your schooling.”
Cherry jerked back. “What?”
“You heard me. I’ll pay for your schooling. You’re not going anywhere. We’ve got a deal, and it’s something I want to do.”
“But you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t care. You’re doing me a favor. Mindy has wanted me to have female company for a long time.”
“She talked about your good qualities and believes you’d make an amazing husband.” All morning she had to listen to Mindy talk about her father and how amazing he’d be to have as a husband. She clearly didn’t have any clue what Elijah did in his extra time.
“I love my daughter.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder. The tips of his fingers caressed over her skin near her pulse.
She didn’t like her body heating under his touch. “Thank you for getting my stuff.”
“When do you need to go to school?” he asked.
“College. I finished school two years ago.”
“College then.”
“I’ve got classes this afternoon,” she said. This was completely out of this world. There’s no way a man took a woman and then helped her like he was.
“Get your stuff. I’ll take you to college. I’ll have a man put on your protection.” Elijah walked toward his office.