Page 45 of Trick's Trap

Tahlia shivered, but for the first time in a while, she wasn’t afraid.

The feeling wouldn’t last.

Chapter 20

Irushed her.

Trick studied Tahlia all through breakfast. She was distracted, staring off into space. Twice, she stopped eating, the fork halfway to her mouth.

Damn it.This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Watching Tahlia discover the pleasure of sex, getting to be the one to teach her, made for an amazing week, the very best of his life. But while she certainly enjoyed everything they did, Tahlia was sometimes downcast after. And he’d been too much of a coward to ask why.

It will be okay.If she were having second thoughts about him, he’d just have to give her third thoughts until she was where he was.

For the first time in his life, Trick was in love. He’d known for a while, but he had yet to say it aloud. That was probably a good thing. If she was feeling skittish, telling her the truth might terrify her.

The fork paused a third time. Trick put his hand on Tahlia’s wrist, urging her to put the fork down. “Ace, tell me what’s wrong.”

Her lashes flickered. “Nothing.”

Trick’s lips tightened. Pulling his chair closer to her, he held her hand in both of his. “Tahlia, I know things have gone a little fast for us. You must be overwhelmed. If you want to slow things down…” He gritted his teeth. “Then I’m fine with that.”

He hoped she wouldn’t call him out for lying.

Tahlia squeezed his hand and gave him a bracing smile. “That’s not it.”

“Then it’s your family,” he decided.

She sighed, silently confirming his second guess was the correct one. “You don’t have to worry about them anymore. You’re safe here. I know it’s a little rough being cooped up all the time, but that won’t last forever. And if it takes longer than we want, and you get sick of this view, we’ll hop on the company jet and I’ll give you another one. Or we can sneak away to Vegas or Monte Carlo. You can beat the pants off me at a real casino.”

Tahlia leaned back in her chair. “I’m not worried about me. Or rather, I’m so used to worrying about myself, it’s basically just background noise in the back of my brain now.”

“So what’s wrong?”

“You.”

A punch to the groin couldn’t have hurt more.

“No, not like that.” Tahlia stood and rushed over to him, climbing into his lap, her arms squeezing him hard around the neck. “I’m worried about you.”

She leaned back to meet his eyes. “I was never allowed to be close to anyone—not even members of my own family. I was always kept separate. They watched me like a hawk. If I even got close to anyone, they would scare them away, even after I left for school. I could never have a relationship under those circumstances. I don’t know what they’ll do when they find out about you.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Trick couldn’t decide if he was relieved or not. “Tahlia, I can take care of myself. You’re the one we need to protect.”

She gave him pitying glance. “Patrick, there is no doubt in my mind that if they could, they would hurt you—or worse. They might try to kill you out of spite for helping, let alone being involved with me. I would put nothing past them.”

His hands rubbed her back. “I am being careful, and this threat won’t last forever. Trust me.”

Her expression didn’t clear. She pursed her lips, her eyes darker than their usual silver blue. “I do trust you. But don’t underestimate them. You can’t fight crazy.”

There was more she wasn’t saying, but he didn’t want to press her. Though they hadn’t been together long, he’d already learned that questioning Tahlia was the least effective way to get her to open it. It was better to wait and gently nudge.

His patience was slowly being rewarded. Though she hadn’t told him much about her extended family, he’d learned she had a stepmother and younger brother, but both died when she was young. He’d tried to coax more out of her, but the only person she wanted to talk about was the housekeeper slash nanny who raised her.

“If it hadn’t been for Ama, I’d have never learned anything about the world,” she’d told him in bed one night. “She let me watch soap operas in her bedroom off the kitchen. Between her and the television, I learned the basics of just about everything—reading, cooking, cards. Ama showed me how to take care of myself.”

“What happened to her?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” The desolate note in her voice nearly broke his heart. “My father told me she went back home to Cuba. But it was shortly after child protective services showed up. Someone had reported the fact I wasn’t in school, and I wasn’t registered for home education with the state so they came to investigate. Afterward, my father hired a tutor for me. I wanted to go to school, so I was secretly thrilled. At least up until Ama disappeared.”

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