Page 41 of A Beta Protects

“Go on.” Dom wraps his arm around my shoulder and draws me close.

I lean into his embrace and keep talking. “Some girls were bullying me. They had a problem with my freckles. They wouldn’t have done it if my brother was around, but he’d just left for another deployment. I’m not sure if they stopped bullying me because he joined the Marines, or because I once overheard them say he was hot.” I make a face. “Uh. I just put an image in my mind of my brother that I wish I could take out.”

Dom must be smiling from the kiss he presses against my forehead. He kisses me like it’s something he’s always done, and it feels like something I always want him to do.

“I could probably guess what it was.”

“Well, the big blond star quarterback came to the rescue of the girl being bullied for her millions of freckles. As you can imagine, she lost her mind over him.” My smile fades. “What’s funny is later, he was the one pushing me to use concealer so I wouldn’t be as freckly for our anniversary photos.”

“I happen to have a thing about millions of freckles.” He tilts my chin up so we’re eye to eye. Slowly, he lowers his head as I hold my breath, and he touches his lips to mine in the softest kiss I’ve ever had in my life. It is over, far, far too soon. “If you ever have a spare couple of hours, I don’t think I would mind taking the time to kiss each one.”

“I shouldn’t have let you kiss me,” I whisper. I knew what he was about to do, but I didn’t do a thing to stop him. Even now, I wish he would do it again, and I shouldn’t.

“Because it isn’t something you wanted?”

“Because it will cause trouble with Bryce if he ever finds out.”

“Leave Bryce to me.” His expression turns thoughtful. “Two hours wouldn’t be enough.”

I blink at him, confused. “To do what?”

“Kiss every freckle.”

“Because I have that many?”

He kisses me as painful barbs from my school bullies rear their head, distracting me. This time on the tip of my nose. “Because I would want to take my time, Kira.”

I like this side of Dom, and I wish I’d seen it in Missouri.

My smile is brief. “I think Bryce wanted us to elope so I would stay in town. His dad was the sheriff, but he wanted to play football. When he hurt his knee in his senior year, he lost his college scholarships, so he got used to the idea of taking over as sheriff for his dad.”

Dom frowns. “He hurt his knee. You could have gone to college. Nothing was stopping you.”

Except there was. Bryce had already graduated, so after my graduation, we eloped to Las Vegas and I didn’t make it to Brown that first semester. I wanted to. But I never did.

I shrug. “I guess I could have pushed harder, but I just… I thought I couldn’t. That I had to stay in town and be Bryce’s sweet wife.” I realize what I just said and I stare at Dom, horrified. “This has been going on for much longer than I thought, hasn’t it?”

He was making decisions for me, nudging me in the direction he wanted me to go, and I was too blind to see it. I thought it was love motivating him. It wasn’t love. It was his need to control me.

Dom tucks me closer until I’m practically sitting in his lap, winding his arms around me. “He killed your dreams so he could have his, and while he knew exactly what he was doing, it’s not your fault that you didn’t. We never expect the people we love to stab us in the back.”

I remember bringing up the idea of signing up to attend the community college soon after we got back from our elopement. But Bryce was busy as the deputy sheriff, and he wanted us to host more at his house. I’d moved in with him, and that first month was a whirlwind of packing, unpacking, and hosting guests who stopped by to congratulate us.

I’d always loved to help out in town, but Bryce wanted me to do more of it. To set the perfect example of what a sheriff’s wife should be. Tasks and responsibilities ate up all my free time, which meant no community college.

And slowly, my life was consumed by him and his needs. I became Kira Peters and Kira Matherson just… disappeared.

“Kira?”

I jump, startled at the concern in Dom’s voice. I must have zoned out. “Sorry, I need to break myself of that habit.”

He tilts his head, frowning. “I’d like you to stay. Not just until my birthday, but for however long you want.”

I shake my head. “I’m sleeping in your bed and I can’t keep doing that. Where are you even sleeping?”

“The outbuilding.”

I stare at him. Here I am, taking up his bed and relegating him to an outbuilding?

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