She took in a tentative breath, cautious because she considered telling him more. How much would be too much? Could she tell him so much that it would scare him off?
She doubted it. Stone was a strong guy, and she trusted him. He was older, too, and she couldn’t imagine him cowering at a story of when she was a child. After all, it was over now. Before she could talk, though, he said, “Yeah, my old man was a cocksucker. He beat me once a day whether I needed it or not.” The last part of his sentence he’d said as though he were imitating someone else’s voice. Oh, so it wasn’t the same kind of abuse, but abuse just the same. He was a kindred soul, someone who could understand deep down.
Kory couldn’t help her wandering mind. The money probably didn’t come from his dad then. Or maybe it did. Maybe the guy died and Stone had inherited it, the only good thing that had come from having an asshole for a father. She noticed her hand was rubbing Stone’s pec as if to comfort him. Where the hell had that come from? That was not Kory behavior…but she wasn’t going to question it. Somehow, it felt right. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah, but it’s over. I ran away from home when I was fifteen and never looked back.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Haven’t seen the bastard since then. I don’t plan to, either.”
She had to ask. “So he’s still alive then?”
“Presumably. I have no fucking idea. He used to live in Winchester, but last I knew, he’d moved to Denver or Colorado Springs…and I really don’t care to know.”
Oh. So he’d been hurt pretty badly as a kid, too. Maybe they had a lot more in common than Kory would have at first thought. “So sorry to hear that.”
“Shit, Kory, no. I’m not sorry about him or my past. If it hadn’t been for all his shit, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today. Do I look like I’m suffering?”
“Well, no…”
“Exactly.” He pulled back so he could see her face, and he stroked her cheek until she looked up at him. “You, on the other hand…you’re not fully scarred over. Am I right?”
A month ago, she would have insisted that her past was completely behind her. Now, though, she wasn’t so sure, and she thought maybe Stone was one-hundred percent correct. Obviously, she had more healing to do. She exhaled, considering it, and said, “Yeah, I think you might be.”
“I wish I could help you, Kory.”
“I think you already have.” She saw his eyes light up, and he kissed her then, a sweet, soulful kiss, one that sealed his promise. Then Kory felt movement on the bed. When Stone parted his lips from hers, he looked down toward the foot of the bed.
“Lady, you jealous baby. Come here.” The little dog walked behind Stone and he leaned backward. Lady licked his face and he tousled her mane until she walked to the foot of the bed and lay at his feet. Then he kissed Kory on the forehead, pulling her back to his chest, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Kory closed her eyes, letting herself bask in his warmth and care.
Chapter Twelve
IN SPITE OF everything—the heavy emotions and the long day—Kory couldn’t sleep. She lay next to Stone for at least an hour, unable to drift off. She knew why. She was grappling with memories and feelings she thought she’d contended with before and believed she’d let go.
Hell, no. Not even close. That shit had been lurking beneath the surface for years, just waiting to jump out and ruin her fucking life.
How had she not known? It had just been waiting for the perfect moment, and there was no way she could have prepared for it.
She tried not to toss and turn because she didn’t want to wake Stone up. Before he fell asleep, she’d failed to mention that she had class the next day, too, and it was too far to walk to her apartment. She decided she’d get up early and call Tina and ask her friend to pick her up. Even if she couldn’t give her exact directions, she could always walk out to the main road. That hadn’t seemed too far from his house.
Or she could skip class. That was always a possibility. Dumb move, though. That particular Friday class only met once a week and it was brutal. Missing one class was like missing an entire week during the regular semester. The professor had said that more than once, and she hadn’t been kidding. Kory definitely didn’t want to have to retake the damn thing during the fall semester, so she had to make sure she passed it now. That meant trying to get to all the classes.
Well, she’d worry about it in the morning. In the meantime, though, she had to fetch her phone out of her jeans and set an alarm.