Page 50 of Truth

“I don’t... I don’t want to see him.”

“And you don’t have to. I’m also going to have the main phone routed to my office. Jamie can answer any calls. Lily and Ross have your cell. That way you don’t have to worry about your father calling again like he did today.”

I nodded, playing with the buttons on the front of his dress shirt. He hadn’t bothered to take off his jacket, so I’d pushed the lapels out of my way. I wasn’t sure what it was about buttoning and unbuttoning his shirt that was comforting to me, but it was and he didn’t appear to mind.

“Tell me what else you did today,” he prompted.

We sat and talked about what had transpired while he was at work up until the phone call from John, but eventually both of our stomachs began to growl. He kissed my forehead and told me to go change into a pair of my pajamas while he ordered pizza.

I did as he asked, but I was a little confused. Since we’d started having sex and I’d been sleeping in his bed, I hadn’t worn pajamas at all. I hadn’t worn anything. Did that mean I wouldn’t be sleeping with him tonight?

When I walked back out into the main room, Stephan had moved the coffee table over to the side, and was laying a blanket out on the floor in front of the couch. “I’m going to go change. Can you get the plates and some drinks for us?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He kissed me as he walked past toward his bedroom, leaving me even more perplexed than I’d been moments before. It didn’t matter, though. I trusted him, so I went to the kitchen to do what he’d asked.

I’d just sat down when Stephan strolled back into the living room in a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt. It was odd seeing him in pajamas. He normally slept naked, the same as me. Even before, when I’d slept on the floor in his room, he’d worn boxers. I’d never seen these before tonight.

He sat down beside me on the blanket. It was then I realized he had my journal in his hand.

When he noticed I’d caught sight of it, he handed it to me, along with a pen. “I want you to write about your day today. You can include as many details as you want, but I want you to concentrate on how those things made you feel. Start with this morning and work your way through. Don’t skip anything.”

I nodded as the phone rang. Our pizza was here, and he stood to go answer the phone and give the front desk permission to allow the deliveryman to come up to our floor.

The journal was heavy in my hands as I stared at it. It had been a few days since I’d written anything. Although Stephan had encouraged me to write in my journal, he’d not made it a rule.

Opening the front page, I read over some of the first words I’d written about Stephan. Back then, everything had seemed scary and confusing. Now the things that frightened me were totally different.

Stephan returned to sit beside me, this time with a large pizza in his hands. I glanced over at him and then back to my journal.

“Eat first. Then you’ll have time to write.”

Laying down my journal beside me, I took the plate he offered and helped myself to some pizza.

Chapter Fifteen

Brianna

We didn’t talk much while we ate our pizza, but we rarely did during dinner. It was a little strange sitting on the floor, picnic fashion, in the middle of the living room, but I wasn’t going to complain. The arrangement meant Stephan was almost constantly touching me in some way. At first, it was just our legs bumping each other as we moved. Then it was arms and hands and lips.

He offered me a slice of pizza but refused to give it to me. Instead, he insisted on breaking off a bite and feeding it to me. Once I’d taken the food from his fingers, he smiled and kissed the corner of my mouth. It was something silly, and it made me smile, too.

When we’d both had our fill, Stephan put the remaining pizza in the refrigerator and rejoined me on the blanket. To my surprise, he opened his legs and motioned for me to sit between them. The new position made me feel surrounded by him, even more so than I did when we were in his chair. It reminded me a little of when he held my wrists above my head and pressed against me. Knowing he was there, completely surrounding me, protecting me, made me feel safe. I knew he wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt me.

He picked up my journal from where I’d left it lying on the floor, and handed it to me. Brushing my hair out of the way, he placed a kiss on my shoulder. “Do you remember what I told you I want you to write in your journal?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead. I’m right here.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened my journal.

Since he said not to skip anything, I started at the beginning.

I woke up this morning feeling warm. He...

I paused, feeling unsure.

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