Page 103 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

“That’s not at all what I meant.”

She spun toward me, her face pinched in anger. “You really think I’m so desperate for affection that I would fall to your feet and beg you to sleep with me?”

“Again, that’s not what I meant.”

“I’m not some damsel in distress!”

I snorted at that. “Then why do I keep having to rescue you?”

“You know, it’s like you open your mouth and the stupid just falls out.”

“I think I liked it a lot more when you were timid and shy,” I muttered.

“I’ve never been timid and shy, just cautious.”

“Bullshit,” I spat, glancing over at her. “When I met you, I could feel the fear coming off you.”

“Because you’re twice the size of me!”

I jerked the wheel to the side of the road and put the truck in park. “You know what I think?”

“Why don’t you tell me,” she said snidely.

I put my hand on the back of the seat and leaned in closer. “I think your step-dad did a lot more than you’re letting on. Maybe he didn’t go as far as I thought, but he fucked with your head, and now you look at every man like he’s going to do the same thing.”

“That’s not true,” she said weakly. “If it was, would I have walked around in front of you naked?”

I couldn’t explain that one, other than she was attracted to me. “It doesn’t matter what you did this morning. I remember when we met, how terrified you were of me. You didn’t want anyone touching you. You back away from men when they walk by. You flinch at sudden noises. Every action you take tells me everything I need to know.”

I watched as her throat bobbed. “And what is that?”

I stared at her intently, reading the fear in her eyes—not from me, but that I knew the truth. “He cornered you, probably a lot. He said things, maybe even did things that suggested he was going to take something you weren’t willing to give. He probably jacked off in front of you.” Her nostrils flared and her pulsed thrummed hard in her neck. “He may not have raped you, but in your head, he did. And that’s just as fucking bad, because you can’t ever escape that.”

Tears pricked her eyes and she quickly brushed them away, refusing to look at me any longer.

“I’ve seen it before, and the only reason I can think of that you aren’t terrified of me anymore is that you trust me,” I said quietly.

“It doesn’t matter if I do. We’re stuck together for now.”

“It matters to me. I know it’s hard to put your faith in anyone after your trust has been broken, especially when you were so young. I would never do anything to make you think I was like him, and that’s part of the reason I won’t sleep with you.”

She scoffed at me, wiping the last of the tears from her face. “You wish I would sleep with you. The truth is, you’re just too damn cocky for your own good. I’d rather sleep with Fox.”

I smirked at her, putting the truck in drive. “Yeah, and then you could have sing-alongs every night before bed. But the truth is, Fox is crazier than I am. You haven’t even begun to see what he’s capable of.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen worse than him.”

“Worse than your step-dad?”

“Definitely,” she muttered.

“So, who are you running from?”

She huffed in irritation. “Bad guys.”

“I figured as much,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Who?”

“I’m not sure exactly,” she mumbled. “I was taking a friend home. She lived in Southern California. I took a wrong turn and ended up on some long road to a farm or something. Except it wasn’t a farm.”

---