Page 211 of Those Who Are Bound

“I’m just curious. And I’m assuming she knows all about me?”

His grin was brief. “She knows.” He gave her a frank look. “She’d like to meet you one day.”

Elliott didn’t know whether to be alarmed or flattered. It was an odd sensation.

“There’s something very life-affirming about hanging off a rock face. The world comes into focus, and all the bullshit falls away. Clarity is one word. Delusion is another. So you want someone with you who can help you find the balance between the two.”

Elliott watched him closely. “And she’s your balance?”

Jonah shook his head. “No, she’s the helper. She’s good at it.”

“And she helped you…?”

He gave her a small smile. “She helped me see things more clearly.” He gave her a pointed look. “Distance provided perspective.”

Elliott was sorry she brought it up. Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid it would explode or fling itself out of her chest. “And that’s why you aren’t mad at me.”

Jonah shook his head. “I’m not mad.”

“Why aren’t you mad? About… last night?” she asked curiously.

He opened his mouth to respond, but he paused. “I was angry. The introduction, being dismissed.” He gave her a look she could only describe as predatory. “But I’m more upset about a missed opportunity with you. I’m hoping this is a… brief interruption.”

“I’m sorry about Becks,” she said, referring to this morning. She didn’t know—was afraid of—what it was all about, but she still owed him the apology.

“Who is he to you? He’s more than a family friend. He told me that himself.”

The question told her there hadn’t been an in-depth discussion. Becks had, thankfully, held his cards close. But between what Killion and Becks had both said about how obvious it was, the fact that she and Becks had a history that was more than familial…

“I’ve told you before that I don’t care about your past. If he’s an excuse… unless there’s still something—?”

“No!” she blurted out. “No, that… no. Not since… It’s been a couple of years. I haven’t even seen him for a couple of years, and he—we—” She struggled under his unwavering regard.

“He’s the last man.” Jonah blinked, putting the puzzle pieces together.

“Please don’t ask me about this,” she whispered.

“Don’t ask you about this? About him? He’s known you since birth.” There was a hardness to his tone; a definite distaste and judgment.

Elliott shook her head adamantly. “No, it wasn’t like that.”

“Like what? Like how it sounds like he groomed you?”

“He didn’t. I’m not the victim here,” she assured him. “I was never a victim.”

He gave her a skeptical look. “At the very least, he took advantage of your grief.”

She blinked. Oh, shit. He thought… he thought this was over Gage’s death. Maybe her parents? She chewed on her bottom lip for a second before she gave a small shake of her head.

“No? You were vulnerable, devastated—”

“I seduced him. Before college,” she said in a rush.

His body jolted, but he recovered quickly from his shock. He didn’t take his attention from her, letting her tell him what she needed to, creating a safe space for her like he always did. But, “How old were you?”

Elliott regarded him narrowly. “It was a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday. Does that make you feel better? Does that number have magical powers for you?”

“It’s rape otherwise.”

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