Page 46 of Exile

She stretched her arms and legs, making her back crack. “Good. I’m not sore, which is surprising.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I haven’t had sex in a while, and I thought my body would have to get used to it again. But it felt nice. And I feel relaxed.”

I gently brushed back a strand of her dark hair, caressing her face. “Get used to it,” I repeated. “So this wasn’t a one-time thing?”

Her brows furrowed as she gave me a confused look, then a hint of panic flashed through her eyes. “Was it for you?”

I didn’t have to think about that. I knew exactly what I wanted, even if I’d go straight to hell. “No, it wasn’t a one-time thing to me.”

Relief washed over her beautiful face, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “Good. It wasn’t for me, either. I’m not the one-night-stand type of girl.”

“Good.” I smiled back and leaned down to kiss her lips.

All my life, women had only ever been a pastime. Not only because I didn’t want anything serious but also because women saw me as a price. I had the money, the fame, the reputation. I had it all, and the women wanted me to share it. But being used like that didn’t give me the satisfaction I needed. Even quick fucks started to become boring.

But now—now that I was getting damn old—I had changed my mind.

And all because of Darwynn.

“I had a weird dream,” she told me when I broke the kiss.

“Tell me about it.” I leaned back against the headboard and pulled her to me. She rested her head on my chest and placed one hand on my stomach.

“It was about Mom. She came here to Hilton Beach to visit us.” She stopped, and I saw a deep frown between her brows when I looked down at her. “Which is something she definitely would never do.”

Because she didn’t want to see me.

I stayed quiet, caressing her back and waiting for her to continue telling me about her dream.

“She was…mad. Upset that I didn’t go home when I promised I would. And then she screamed at me. And…then she called you an asshole.”

“Of course.” I took a deep breath and tightened my arms around her. “Sounds like her.”

Darwynn turned her head to look up at me. I hated the hint of pain in her eyes. Sure, it was just a dream, but her mother—my daughter—had always been like that. Towards me, at least.

“I really want to know what happened between you two. I only know Mom’s side,” she said, eyes searching mine. “She said…she said that you never cared about us. That you only ever cared about your career.”

Darwynn’s voice was hesitant as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to say it out loud.

I let out a slow breath, pressing my lips together. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard those words, but hearing them from Darwynn—hearing that they were still being spoken, even after all these years—stung me more than I wanted to admit.

Darwynn studied my face, searching for something. Maybe the truth. Maybe a reaction.

“I don’t know why she still says that,” she murmured. “I mean, I’m sure you were busy…but I can’t imagine you never even visited Mom.”

I took another breath. I wanted to tell her the truth. Tell her how things really were, but I wasn’t sure she could handle the truth.

“And I know you’re not a bad man. I mean, you didn’t push me away. You were grumpy, yes, but you still let me stay. You could’ve ignored me when I showed up, but you didn’t.”

Because I never wanted to ignore you.

I reached for her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles. “Your mother has always had her version of things. But the truth isn’t as simple as that.”

She sat up slightly, her expression sharpening. “Then tell me.”

I hesitated. The truth wasn’t something I’d ever planned on forcing on her. But she was here, asking for it, and after all these years of silence, maybe she deserved to know.

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