Page 12 of Sofa King Safe

“That’s a lot for you to do.”

Rhodes gives my thigh a squeeze.“It’s not.I want them around the house, with or without a threat.It’s safer.”

“But you didn’t have them before.”If it was about security, wouldn’t he already have them at his house?

“Sweetness, I wasn’t worried about anything inside my house before now.”He gives me one of his slow smiles.If anyone is sweetness, it’s him.

When we get home, Rhodes makes us dinner while I take care of Boss.I know it’s time to tell him about my past, and I don’t want to hold back any longer.He’s done so much to put me at ease that I owe him the truth.

After dinner we sit together in the living room, and he must sense that I’m ready to talk.He turns on the couch to face me while his hand drapes along the back of the couch and plays with my hair.

I take a deep breath, deciding to start at the beginning.“My mom died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”Rhodes' face softens into a sympathetic expression.

“She was murdered.”

His eyes widen, and he sits up a bit straighter.“Shit, Quinn, that's terrible.”

“It’s fine.”I wave him off, but he gives me a skeptical look.“Okay, it’s not fine, but it’s not as hard to say it out loud as it once was.”

“Time can do that.”His fingers stroke through my hair, and the gentle touch is soothing.

“It can, but it doesn’t change things.You know?”I shrug one shoulder.“It’s still there, and now it’s a part of me.Hell, it shaped a part of my life even though I tried to escape it.”

“Do you not talk about it because you don’t want anyone to know?”

“It doesn’t really matter since the information is public.I had to testify against her boyfriend, and there are a variety of articles and other materials available to the public.It’s why I didn’t move after she died.I wanted to go somewhere new, but circumstances forced me to stay.Plus, I had the power to put him behind bars, and I owed that not only to my mother but other women."

“That must have been rough, to sit in a courtroom and face him.”Rhodes is surprised when I smirk.

“It was actually nice to get to tell him what I thought of him while he couldn’t do shit about it.He wasn’t so tough anymore.”Rhodes nods in understanding, returning my smile.“He got life, but if it hadn’t been him, it would have been someone else.I don’t know how, but damn, my mom had a way of attracting the worst men.And I guess I inherited her decision-making.”

Rhodes raises a brow.“Really?”

“Not you.”I snort a laugh.“Sorry, I don’t mean you at all.You’resodifferent.”

“Glad to hear it, sweetness.”He grins and takes my hand.

“During the trial, there was a blogger that called himself a journalist.He asked me out, but I brushed him off.We ended up running into one another here and there over the course of the trial, and we’d get to talking.He knew my mom's case in and out, and honestly, it was nice to be able to talk to someone about it who understood.”

“Everyone needs a place to vent,” Rhodes agrees.

“Well, like my mother, I picked the wrong person.”I shake my head at myself.“When the trial was over, he kept pushing for more, but I knew I wanted to leave town.Plus, I never saw him that way.In fact, he was kind of a reminder of what happened, and I wanted to move on.”

"I'm guessing he didn't like the idea of you leaving."

"No, he did not."I let out a humorless laugh."That’s when he started showing up everywhere.No matter where I went, he was there.The coffee shop, the grocery store, the library."I take a breath and lock eyes with Rhodes."My bedroom."

“Quinn.”Rhodes's whole body goes solid next to me.

“I’m okay,” I rush to reassure him.“I managed to talk him down and convince him that we could try to date.When I finally got him to leave, I packed everything up that night and ran.I knew the police couldn’t do shit because I’ve seen it before.I was witness to how a restraining order played out for my own mother, and I promised myself I won't be like her."I swallow down the emotion that’s trying to make its way up my throat.“To not end up like her.”

Rhodes cups my face between his hands, his green eyes staring straight into mine.“I promise you, Quinn, that will never happen.I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I want to believe him so badly, but my past is quickly catching up to me.I'm not sure there’s anyone who can stop it.

ChapterEight

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