Page 49 of Trussed In Hope
Raya studied me, her arms folded across her chest now, the basket forgotten on the hay.
“You ever think maybe you’re not the only one with scars?” she asked quietly.
I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s been through things, Hardison. You see the fire in her, but you don’t always see what lit it. Women don’t throw around words liketrappedunless they’ve been trapped before.”
The word hit me harder than I wanted to admit. I thought of the way Emberlynn stiffened sometimes, how she scanned a room before settling, how control was always dancing on the edge of her voice.
I clenched my jaw. “So I’m supposed to what—just accept that she doesn’t trust me?”
Raya shook her head. “No. You’re supposed to show her shecan. Trust doesn’t come from demanding it. It comes from proving over and over that you’re steady. That you’re safe. That you won’t disappear when she needs you most.”
Diesel snorted behind me, pawing the ground like he agreed with her. Damn horse.
I let out a rough laugh, scrubbing the back of my neck. “You make it sound simple.”
“It is simple,” Raya said, her eyes steady on mine. “Simple isn’t the same as easy. You’re a man who thrives on routine, on knowing where things stand. She’s a woman who needs freedom to breathe, but she keeps choosing to come back toyou. That’s not a contradiction, Hardison. That’s a balance waiting to happen.”
Her words dug deep, turning over things I didn’t want to face. The military had taught me to push, to take ground, to own it. But Emberlynn wasn’t ground to claim. She was… God help me. She was the one thing I wanted to protect without putting a fence around.
I leaned harder against the stall door, looking at Raya. “So you’re saying I need to back off?”
“I’m saying,” she corrected, “you need to love her in a way that doesn’t feel like a cage. Let her see that moving closer to you doesn’t mean losing herself. The rest will come.”
I was quiet for a long moment. The barn held its breath with me.
Finally, I nodded once. “Appreciate you saying it straight.”
Raya smiled, softly but certain. “I’ve got enough hormones running through me to say a lot of things straight. But don’t mistake it—Emberlynn’s already half in love with you, Hardison. Don’t go scaring her off by trying to rush the other half.”
That hit me square in the chest. I felt it—the hope, the ache, the fear.
I reached over to the stall, scratching Diesel’s forehead until his eyes half-closed. “Guess I’ve got some learning to do.”
“Guess you do,” Raya agreed, grabbing her basket again. She winked at me before waddling toward the hens. “And for the record, if you screw this up, I’m siding with her.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she called over her shoulder. “Just get it right.”
The barn door creaked shut behind her, leaving me with Diesel and my thoughts.
And damn if it didn’t feel like both were staring me down, waiting to see what kind of man I was going to be. Thinking better of it, I ran after Raya. She hadn’t grabbed eggs, and I’d bet she’d forgotten. She laughed when she realized what she’d done. I told her to hang tight while I filled the basket with eggs and then walked her to the big house. Then, I followed the trail to my house to go find my woman and make this right.
Walking inside, Emberlynn was fast asleep on the couch. Her plate sat half eaten, and a sappy Christmas movie streamed on the television. I took what was left on her plate, added more and sat at the table to eat. When I was done, I put everything away and wiped down the counter one more time. Then I kneeled beside Emberlynn and watched her beautiful ass sleep.
Emberlynn wore her hair short. She’d arrived with hair that was about an inch long. Now, it reminded me of the old hairstyle that young Rihanna was known for. Still short, she curled thepixie cut, and it framed her face. She’d mentioned getting it cut when she went back home, but I loved the new way she wore it. Her pouty lips were full and super succulent, soft, and ready for mine. Her breasts were more than a handful, and her voluptuous curves gave her an hour glass frame even more heat. Long legs… hips… ass… I’d always loved black women, but Emberlynn…
I sighed. I didn’t call her Queen because it sounded good. It was because she was regal in more than one way. Looking at her, you could tell that she deserved everyone blessing the ground that she walked on. She was kind and caring, doing for others even if she didn’t have a single thing for herself. How somebody could do her wrong was foreign to me.
Women don’t throw around words like trapped unless they’ve been trapped before.
I sighed and was brave. I stood up and slid my hands underneath her body, searching for the right placement to lift her. When I found it, I pulled her against me, and her head rested on my shoulder. I groaned when my leg reminded me it wasn’t healed all the way. I’d try to remember that next time. Slowly, I made my way to the bedroom and put her in bed. I stripped off my clothes and joined her. Pulling her into my arms, I prayed to my God to give me strength. Then I kissed her shoulder, blessing the moment.
“Hardison…” Emberlynn mumbled.
“Yeah, kitten.” My voice came out rougher than I’d intended.
