Page 56 of The Bargain

He relaxed and even let out a harsh bark of laughter. “But that whole God and the gays bullshit. I don’t even know where she got that. Growing up, my family was never religious. There was no talk of God and the devil. No one said grace at meals. Never went to church. But as soon as she learned I was gay, it was all this evil, devil, turned-my-back-on-God stuff.” He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes on me slightly. “Did your parents have any trouble accepting you?”

My face scrunched up at the memory. “They weren’t against it. They were more like…confused. I figured out I was gay in high school, but didn’t tell them until I was about to start college. They thought I didn’t date in high school because I was busy with classes, clubs, and sports. No, I was just fucking around with guys on the sly and didn’t bring anyone home. They assumed I was straight and couldn’t figure out how I ended up gay. It took a couple of years for their brains to accept that I was born that way. It wasn’t because of some book I read, some movie I watched, or because I was fucking inoculated as a child. But from the moment I came out, they treated me exactly the same as my straight sister.”

Byron sighed. “That sounds nice.” But the smile that had lingered on his lips crumbled before my eyes and he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “The difference between our families is frightening. There’s a part of me that can’t believe you’re still sitting here after seeing and hearing what a horror show my life is. I mean, I’ve met your dad in the office, and he’s totally put together and brilliant. Your mom is fucking amazing. By contrast, there’s my family?—”

“Don’t,” I cut him off with a single sharp word. “Please, don’t. It’s not right to compare our families. Your family has been through hell. While I might not be a fan of your mom, I recognize she has suffered a lot. She lost both a husband, and a son in the prime of his life. Besides, you’ve only seen the pretty, public image of my family. There was a long period while I was in college that my family almost didn’t make it.”

“What?” Byron gasped. His hand shot out and grasped my wrist, squeezing it as if to reassure me he was right there with me.

“When my dad was building up Courtland Enterprises, he was taking a lot of trips and spending more time away from the house. My mom was still working as a nurse. They never saweach other. The times they did, they fought. During that time, my dad cheated on my mom. It was a brief fling, but there was no denying that it happened. My parents almost divorced over it, but they tried counseling first. They loved each other a lot and wanted to work past mistakes they’d both made. It took years for them to get to the point they’re at now. While my parents were having problems, their kids were running wild. My sister, Aggie, ended up running off with some guy who only wanted her for her family’s money. It took a lot of lawyers to get rid of that jackass.”

“And…what about you?”

It was fair. I braced my hands behind me and leaned on them, stretching my legs in front of me. It was easier to keep talking as long as I was staring straight ahead rather than meeting his eyes and the disappointment I was fully expecting to see there.

“There was one asshole who tried to use me for my money. We dated for less than a year, but it was long enough to make a big mess of my life and my family.” I paused and mentally poked at the old, ragged wound, wishing I could finally move on from this old nightmare. No one liked talking about how someone they’d cared about had made a fool of them. “I thought he loved me, but he was using me. The whole thing fucked with my head for a long time. After I got rid of him, it was lots of drinking and anonymous sex. Really, kind of made a slut of myself. The endless sex and partying helped me forget that my family was falling apart and how I’d played a part in that. Even after things improved, I didn’t stop until Dad told me he wanted to retire, and I needed to pull my shit together. I decreased the drinking a lot. Now it’s rare if I have two drinks in a single night.”

“And the sleeping around?” Byron prodded.

I dragged my eyes up to meet his, only to find no judgment there. Just sweet compassion and understanding. “That got cut way, way back.” I shoved upright and leaned in close, loweringmy voice. “Especially after I hired this super sexy guy to be my assistant. I couldn’t even date once I met him. No one could hold a candle to him. Smart, funny, brilliant, patient even when his boss was a total lunatic. And did I mention sexy? So fucking sexy.”

Byron snorted. “Shut up.” He tried to push me away, but I caught his wrist and kissed his knuckles.

“The only smart thing I did in all my whoring was that I was always safe. I never had sex without protection. Plus, I get tested every year. All of them were negative. Not that I’m asking to go bare with you, but I want you to know that I would never endanger your life.”

His sweet face softened as he lifted his hand, his fingertips lightly grazing my cheek. “I know. I trust you.”

“I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve gone through with your family, especially what you deal with every week with your mom. If there’s something I can do, help pay for home care or assisted?—”

Byron’s fingers slid across my cheek to touch my lips, stopping my words. “No. I don’t want your money. You may not believe this, but talking to you like this has done more for me than any other help I’ve received. There hasn’t been anyone in my life for the longest time who I could talk to about something like this. That means more to me than you will ever understand.”

I moved his hand from my mouth and leaned in the last few inches to take his mouth in a slow, tender kiss that had him wrapping his arms around my waist.

I broke off the kiss and pressed my forehead against his. “Byron, you are my everything. I would do anything to protect you and keep you safe from harm. I would be lost without you.”

His lips brushed mine as they stretched into a smile. “It’s a good thing you never have to be without me, because I’m not going anywhere.”

Perfect.

We kissed again and again. Each was soft and sweet. Just a gentle exploration and reassurance after our shared pain. Byron was the bright, shining star in my life, and I would do anything to protect his light. I would never let anything happen to him.

18

BYRON GRAHAM

This hadto be one of the first times I’d woken with a smile on my lips. I stretched and my foot hit the railing of the futon, but I didn’t care. The only thing that could have made this morning better would have been waking with Sebastian beside me, one hand resting on my stomach or hip, his eyes closed and his lips parted as he slept. I would have lain there, watching him peacefully sleep, admiring how handsome he was even with his hair messy and his cheeks flushed.

One of these days. It was going to happen. I’d be able to sleep over at Sebastian’s house and wake up to his warm body next to mine. So far, we hadn’t been able to make it happen because of work or our own busy schedules on the weekend, but there was still plenty of time.

It didn’t matter, though. Not after this past weekend. Sebastian had seen the very worst of my life, learned some of the darkest secrets I tried to keep hidden from everyone, and he was still there. He hadn’t run away, hadn’t declared that I was more trouble than I was worth. The sexy billionaire had rolled up his sleeves and proved that he was willing to stick beside me.

More than that, he’d listened to me. He’d let me talk. All the words and emotions had poured out, and he’d stuck by me,soaking up all that pain so that I’d been left with relief. The boulder resting on my chest was lifted away, and I could catch my breath. For the first time in too many years, I truly felt safe. The ground was no longer slipping away under my feet.

And it was all because of him.

I didn’t need to go on the other four dates to know that I wanted to be with him. Sebastian Courtland was everything I’d dreamed of finding in a boyfriend, and I wasn’t about to let him go. Today, I was going to schedule a meeting with Declan Foster and formally request to be made his assistant. I could get Kaylan trained up in a couple of weeks, and then I’d be around for questions until I could find a new, more permanent position outside of Courtland Enterprises. It was time to end this silly bargain and claim Sebastian as my own.

A high-pitched alarm screamed through my tiny apartment, and I winced. I usually woke before my alarm, but I’d forgotten to turn it off. My brain was too full of Sebastian. I rolled over and fumbled with my phone, getting the app silenced. My vision was bleary and unfocused, but it looked like I had a ton of social media notifications waiting for me, which was strange. I had very few friends and followers on social media. I maintained the accounts for work purposes.

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