Page 30 of Savage Secrets

“I want to.” His tone carried an edge of force he didn’t mean to add. Realizing he was growing tense, he forced his shoulders to drop and took three full breaths before continuing.

“Diane is my therapist.”

Her lips popped open in a small O of surprise. He preferred seeing her beautiful lips parted on a silent scream as he made her come, but right now, he needed her to understand more than anything else.

“I’m in therapy. I couldn’t have my therapist in my phone as Dr. Whatever because of the guys on the Gracey.”

“I see.” She set down her fork, giving him her undivided attention—and from a woman like Opal, that was one hell of an honor.

“When Feldman came after the funeral, he said some things.”

She nodded.

“He brought up me doing time…and that’s true. I have to be in therapy because it’s ordered by the court.”

She held up a hand. “Zach, you don’t have to tell me this.”

“You should know everything. After all, you have a child to think about.”

Her eyes went round. “You can’t think that I’m worried about you being around Rainie!”

Her outburst burrowed deep inside his chest and nicked his soul. He hunched forward, holding on to that warm thread of relief that she didn’t think of him that way.

“I’m not the same man I was when all that happened. I grew up thinking that a man resolves problems with his fists. My dad and uncles got into fights down at the bar nearly every week. I can’t tell you the number of times my poor momma had to pick up my dad from jail. It’s no excuse, and I’m not using myupbringing as a justification. Not atall. But soon I was following down that path too.”

To his shock, Opal lifted her hand from where it rested on the table and placed it over the back of his. He stared down at her smooth skin sprinkled with a few freckles from working outdoors in the sun.

He held her stare for a heartbeat before going on. “I’ve always had trouble with my anger. One night…the fight got out of hand. A guy died.” As usual when he spoke about the incident that changed him forever, he slapped on a cold mask. The therapist told him that he used it as a shield—and he wouldn’t deny that was true.

Opal continued to look at him steadily. Rather than the ice chips he expected to find in her dark eyes, he saw only empathy.

He continued laying bare the darkest truths of his life. “I paid the price. I’m still working on my anger issues. You probably saw that for yourself today when Feldman showed up here…” He broke off.

She stroked the back of his hand. Without thinking, he twisted his upward and clutched at her fingers. She clung to him too.

“I see you working to handle your anger. I saw you…doing pullups. In the barn.” Her delicate throat worked on a swallow.

She was frightened of him.

That was his cue to leave.

And it fucking hurt. She was the type of woman Zach was driven to change for. If she gave him half a chance, he would take care of her and show her every day just how much she meant to him.

She deserves better than an ex-con.

He shoved away from the table and bolted to his feet. She tightened her grip on his hand, tethering her to him.

“Don’t go.” She swiped her tongue across her bottom lip. Pink splotches simmered in her cheeks.

“Opal.”

She slowly stood, tipping her head to hold his stare for several heartbeats. “We have the house to ourselves tonight.”

God, did he want to stay.

He lifted a hand to stroke a lock of thick hair off her face. “Maybe we should take advantage.”

She gave him a serious nod, then a smile broke over her face like a ray of sun on a cloudy day. “We won’t have to be behind a closed door. I won’t have to be quiet.”

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