Page 103 of Audiophile

I wince and wrap him up in my arms. “If she does, I’ll kick her ass, and then I’ll be the one going to jail.”

“I’ll send you commissary money.” Reed smiles, and it lessens the weight of the moment. He presses a kiss to my cheek and laces our hands together. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the full story with Kinley. It’s not a fun one,” he admits with an awful laugh, and I follow him to the sofa.

He pulls off the moving blanket, and the couch is soft, squishy, and perfect as we sit together. “If you’re not up to it—”

“No. You deserve to know. No secrets, Petra. Not between us. Right?”

I nod. “No secrets.”

“I told you she was in therapy. It’s not an excuse, but she had a fucked up childhood, and her teen years weren’t any better. She developed a hypersexual disorder—among other issues. She acted on her triggers, sometimes with strangers or with people any normal person would stay away from. Kinley was kicked out after her mom found Kinley in bed with her mom’s boyfriend, though the boyfriends had been the root of the problem for years.”

Jesus. No one should have to live through that. “God, that’s awful. I mean, I still hate her, but…”

Reed’s lips quirk up in a wry imitation of a smile. “Exactly. She was finally making progress in therapy, but she discovered erotic audio, and it shifted her fixation to me. She messaged me about how I’d helped her. She was a normal, chatty fan. We met up in person eventually, and she was fun. No red flags. Or maybe I missed them because we didn’t do a lot of talking.”

Ouch.So much for three hundred women. I’m competing with one woman with a hypersexual libido.

“It’s hard to keep up with a girl like that, which was an ego boost, so I ignored a lot. But she stopped taking her meds, stopped going to therapy, and she lost touch with reality. She was jealous,possessive, and had major mood swings. She wanted Knight to be real, not me.”

“She missed out on the best parts of you,tesoro.”

Reed half-smiles as he kisses my knuckles in response. “She moved in, bits and pieces at a time, so small I didn’t even notice. She isolated me, and depression set in. I missed my friends, my family. Kinley didn’t care as long as she could drag me out to clubs or show me off like a handbag. We took ecstasy while we were out one night and I was…more enthusiastic about sex. After that, she wanted me to take it all the time.”

That shocks me more than anything else. “You don’t drink, but you were okay with ecstasy?”

Reed breathes a heavy sigh, squeezing my hand. “You know me better than she ever did. I wasn’t okay with it. I was suicidal. I didn’t want to require drugs to like my life. When I took a break to see my family, Kinley followed me to Iowa. She was worried they would convince me to break up with her, which they did. Kinley threatened to kill my sister, and I was done. Went back to LA, changed the locks, and went no contact.”

His voice is full of pain, and I know that’s not the end of the story. “I can’t imagine that went over well.”

Reed nods. “Understatement. She showed up on a set where my best friend was working and caused a scene. She got Holly fired and spray-painted her car. The police got involved, and Holly and I were both granted a protection order. But then, she—” Reed shakes his head. He’s ghost white.

He rubs his hand over his forearm where the mountain range is, and my stomach drops. “You don’t have to—”

“Holly had an awards show in Vegas, and I went with her for support. Kinley snuck into an afterparty and slipped me ecstasy. I didn’t even know she was there. I woke up next to her, with only that fucking KH on my arm and a wedding ring. Sometimes I thank God I can’t remember much from that night. Other times it’s the worst thing in the world.”

I push my tears away, because it’s not about me. I can’t imagine the psychotic break it takes to do that to someone. But then my heart shatters like glass at Reed’s feet. “Oh, Reed. She raped you.”

Reed’s jaw clenches tight, and pain flashes through his eyes. “Good luck getting her to see it that way.”

I want to pull him into my chest, but I don’t know how he’ll handle being touched in the middle of these memories. “Doesn’t matter how she sees it. It’s the truth.”

He shakes his head, pressing on. “Her lawyer made a pretty convincing argument with the DA. A man—worse, a man who makes a living selling sex—doesn’t make a great victim. She said thatI abused her. Even with the restraining order in place, the drug test, everything, she took a plea deal. Barely did any time at all.”

“No! Seriously? How is that possible? Aren’t there minimums for sexual assault? Stalking?”

“The system is complicated, messed up, and geared toward women with male abusers.” Reed’s jaw clenches, and his anger tears me apart. “I couldn’t stand being in the same city as her. Drove to Iowa first, then across half the country, and ended up in Swift River.” He gives me a half-smile. Hurt and hope all in one.

“I’m glad you did,” I say, reaching out a hand. He takes it, and I squeeze, pouring all my warmth, affection, and safety into him.

“Me too.”

I don’t have the right words like Reed does. “I wish I could’ve met you through better circumstances,” I say, squeezing again, “and avoided you going through all that pain.”

Reed brushes his thumb over my cheek with a tenderness that gets to me. “We both went through plenty of pain to get here, Pet. It was still worth it,” he says, and then he’s in my arms, face against my neck. I rub soothing circles everywhere I can as he shudders against me, holding me tight. My words come from somewhere deep down, bubbling up like a spring.

“I’m not going to let her near you again, Reed. You have me. And all the Diamantes, too. You haven’t met Silla yet, but she’s theblack belt, and we’ll be like your personal ninja turtles.” It’s a relief to feel Reed jolt with a small, wry laugh. “We’re all in your corner. We won’t let you do this alone. You’re stuck with me until you say otherwise.”

Reed huffs a laugh, and nods against my shoulder. “Remind me to tell you later what I’m thinking about.”

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