Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“What?” Byron gasped. His hand shot out and grasped my wrist, squeezing it as if to reassure me he was right there with me.
“When my dad was building up Courtland Enterprises, he was taking a lot of trips and spending more time away from the house. My mom was still working as a nurse. They never saw each other. The times they did, they fought. During that time, my dad cheated on my mom. It was a brief fling, but there was no denying that it happened. My parents almost divorced over it, but they tried counseling first. They loved each other a lot and wanted to work past mistakes they’d both made. It took years for them to get to the point they’re at now. While my parents were having problems, their kids were running wild. My sister, Aggie, ended up running off with some guy who only wanted her for her family’s money. It took a lot of lawyers to get rid of that jackass.”
“And…what about you?”
It was fair. I braced my hands behind me and leaned on them, stretching my legs in front of me. It was easier to keep talking as long as I was staring straight ahead rather than meeting his eyes and the disappointment I was fully expecting to see there.
“There was one asshole who tried to use me for my money. We dated for less than a year, but it was long enough to make a big mess of my life and my family.” I paused and mentally poked at the old, ragged wound, wishing I could finally move on from this old nightmare. No one liked talking about how someone they’d cared about had made a fool of them. “I thought he loved me, but he was using me. The whole thing fucked with my head for a long time. After I got rid of him, it was lots of drinking and anonymous sex. Really, kind of made a slut of myself. The endless sex and partying helped me forget that my family was falling apart and how I’d played a part in that. Even after things improved, I didn’t stop until Dad told me he wanted to retire, and I needed to pull my shit together. I decreased the drinking a lot. Now it’s rare if I have two drinks in a single night.”
“And the sleeping around?” Byron prodded.
I dragged my eyes up to meet his, only to find no judgment there. Just sweet compassion and understanding. “That got cut way, way back.” I shoved upright and leaned in close, lowering my voice. “Especially after I hired this super sexy guy to be my assistant. I couldn’t even date once I met him. No one could hold a candle to him. Smart, funny, brilliant, patient even when his boss was a total lunatic. And did I mention sexy? So fucking sexy.”
Byron snorted. “Shut up.” He tried to push me away, but I caught his wrist and kissed his knuckles.
“The only smart thing I did in all my whoring was that I was always safe. I never had sex without protection. Plus, I get tested every year. All of them were negative. Not that I’m asking to go bare with you, but I want you to know that I would never endanger your life.”
His sweet face softened as he lifted his hand, his fingertips lightly grazing my cheek. “I know. I trust you.”
“I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve gone through with your family, especially what you deal with every week with your mom. If there’s something I can do, help pay for home care or assisted—”
Byron’s fingers slid across my cheek to touch my lips, stopping my words. “No. I don’t want your money. You may not believe this, but talking to you like this has done more for me than any other help I’ve received. There hasn’t been anyone in my life for the longest time who I could talk to about something like this. That means more to me than you will ever understand.”
I moved his hand from my mouth and leaned in the last few inches to take his mouth in a slow, tender kiss that had him wrapping his arms around my waist.
I broke off the kiss and pressed my forehead against his. “Byron, you are my everything. I would do anything to protect you and keep you safe from harm. I would be lost without you.”
His lips brushed mine as they stretched into a smile. “It’s a good thing you never have to be without me, because I’m not going anywhere.”
Perfect.
We kissed again and again. Each was soft and sweet. Just a gentle exploration and reassurance after our shared pain. Byron was the bright, shining star in my life, and I would do anything to protect his light. I would never let anything happen to him.