Page 127 of Safe and Sound

“Her father had tried to extort him for money, so she was my father’s way of punishing him.” He shook his head sadly. “Shannon was completely innocent, but my bastard father didn’t care. He’d ordered me to kill her myself, or he’d allow two of his men to rape her in front of me.”

Slowly, I shook my head back at the vile scene that played in my mind. “No…he didn’t.”

“I couldn’t kill her. I loved her too much. But then she began to beg me to kill her so she wouldn’t be raped.” A lone tear streaked down his cheek. “We were saying goodbye when my father killed her.”

The depravity of Dare’s story overwhelmed me. My stomach lurched, sending bile rocketing into my throat. I flew to cover my mouth before I threw up. At the same time my body reacted physically, tears began to flood my eyes. I could barely see as I rushed past Dare into the bathroom to vomit in the sink.

After swiping my mouth on the back of my hand, I turned back to stare into the bedroom. Dare still stood where I’d left him as tears dripped off his cheeks.

In that moment, I saw him clearly for the first time. He could never be the monster I once imagined him to be. He was just a man who’d been broken by the horrors of his childhood and young adulthood. He hadn’t signed up to be a killer–it had been forced into him through beatings and emotional torture.

Regardless of the brutality he had been surrounded with, he had never shown me anything but tenderness. He gave of himself so freely to me. He’d never made me feel anything less than worthy of his attention. At the end of the day, I knew without a doubt he would give his life for mine and would ensure my protection at all costs.

In the end, it wasn’t just about me. We had a daughter together. One that despite my initial actions, needed and deserved to have her father in her life. If Dare and I truly loved each other, we owed it to Piper to try to be a complete family.

Slowly, I made my way back in the bedroom. When I once again stood before him, he appeared to have slid his mask back into place.

“I never loved another woman after Shannon.” He pinned me with a stare. “Until you.”

A mirthless laugh tumbled from his lips. “This world that was forced upon me has taken so much. Yeah, I have wealth and power, but I’m so fucking empty, Ava.”

“Oh Dare,” I murmured before I launched myself at him. “I’m so, so sorry.”

He pushed me away. “I don’t want your fucking pity, Ava.”

“It’s not. I swear. Not only am I so sorry for all that you’ve been through, but I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through.”

His brows shot up in surprise. “You are?”

“Yes, I am.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing myself closer to him. “I can never fully understand the world that you come from. But I do understand you better than I ever have before. I was wrong to push you away.”

He dropped his head to bring his forehead against mine. “You really do care for me?”

“I do. And I’m sorry I tried to push you away earlier. I just don’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt Piper.”

“Aye. I feel the same. I truly do. Especially now that she’s just come into my life.”

“So maybe we should take things slow.”

“As you well remember, you and I have never had the ability to take things slowly.”

I laughed. “True. But we have four years to catch up on. We need to figure out who the other is now.”

“I’m still the man who loves you.”

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” I replied, my voice choked off with emotion.

“It’s the truth. Nothing else that’s transpired in the last four years matters but that.”

“You’re right.”

Gripping me by the waist, Dare swept me into his arms. “I don’t want to take things slow this morning. I want to burymyself inside you again, marking you inside and out with my cum.”

“Then you must want another Piper since you didn’t ask about birth control.”

I expected him to grimace, but instead, a slight smile curved on his lips. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Bullshit,” I laughed.

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