Page 143 of Sin City Lights

She fully expected some sort of question, but Adam said nothing, and his silence was much more powerful than words.

He began to rock her gently, nuzzling her hair.

Crickets and frogs.

And moonlight.

And Adam, sheltering her from harm.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.“I took your pillow.”

“It’s OK. I’m using yours.”

He kissed her hair.

She heard the question in his calm silence.

She’d never had a soul to share her burden. Could she share it with him? It required her to step into vulnerability, and it would allow him to see deeper inside her, but instinct told her he’d still be there after he knew.

It was a stunning realization.

“I told you about my scholarship at UF,” she began.

He nodded.

She swallowed.“I put everything into getting that. I was so tired of drifting, not having anything, feeling like nothing, having no one. I thought if I worked hard enough, I’d get away from all that. Better my life, myself.”

Find someone to love and marry.

She paused. He nodded again. She tried to snuggle even closer, even though it was impossible.

“I was determined to graduate with honors, so all I did was study. Guys asked me out, and I said no. Just like in high school, straightA’s were more important. Sometimes, my roommates convinced me to go out, saying I’d burn out if I didn’t take a break once in a while. That’s how I met Bart.”

He stiffened a little.“Danner.”

“Yes.”

She wasn’t surprised that he’d retained the name she’d blurted. Adam’s memory was a veritable steel trap. “I was a sophomore. He wasn’t a student. I learned later that he pretended to be, just to pick up girls in college bars. He seemed nice. His father was a local lawyer who had a huge law firm. His dad’s billboards were everywhere. Everyone knew who he was. So I began to date him. Nothing serious, I didn’t have time for serious. Things seemed to go well, but then…”

He kissed her temple.

“He started pressuring me for sex. At first, he hinted, but then he got more insistent. I said no. One night, he got aggressive, but I stopped him. He said he respected me for that.”

As she had done a thousand times, she asked herself if there’d been any clue of Bart’s real character. Again, she couldn’t find a single one.

“That night, he picked me up to go to dinner. He said he forgot his wallet, so he turned around. I wanted to wait in the car, but he insisted I go inside to meet his parents.”

Under her breasts, she felt Adam’s arm muscles spasm. His breath came faster in her ear, but he said nothing, and she was grateful. If she heard pity in his voice, she would start crying, and she was determined not to. Bart wasn’t worth her tears.

“There were several nice cars in the driveway, and the house was huge, so I believed him when he said it was his.” She swallowed hard.“It wasn’t. The house belonged to his friend, who was there, waiting with another guy.”

Her throat suddenly felt as if she’d swallowed sand.

She also felt their hands on her as they dragged her, screaming, to the bedroom. She felt the sweaty palm, stinking of cigarettes, across her mouth. She felt their bruising grip on her arms, the slap on her face, the rough hands opening her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, blocking out the rest.

She turned and buried her face in Adam’s neck.“It was my first time, Adam,” she whispered.

“Christ.” His arms were steel.

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