Page 54 of Dark, Forbidden, & Taboo

I open the back door as quietly as I can, then lean in and undo Angie’s seatbelt. I tuck her safely in my arms, before I pull her out, and close the door with a foot.

“Keys are in my pocket, Daveigh,” I tell her quietly as I turn slightly to the left so she can easily access it.

“Huh? Oh.”

I do my best not to chuckle.

The life she lead of opulence and grace was clearly anything but.

The thing is, I already have plans in place for Julius Parker that I’ll never tell her about it. I don’t want her to get in any trouble if things go south, and I’m more than willing to sacrifice myself to keep her safe.

Once she extracts the keys, I nod toward the stairs. If she goes in first, then she won’t have a chance to hesitate. And if she’s anything like I remember, I’m pretty sure she won’t want to unnecessarily wake up the sleeping little girl in my arms.

Davina had always been too considerate for her own good.

That was the source of us getting into trouble as kids. Compliance instead of defiance, and we just happened to get caught the one time.

I swallow the sigh as I do my best not to think of all of the years we lost because of my foolish, boyish bullshit.

“Wow,” she exclaims as soon as she pushes the door open and peeks inside. I shift Angie in my arms so I have the best grip I can on her, and shake my head in amusement. Walking up the steps, I gently nudge her ass with a knee, then nod at her to let me in when she gives me a stern glare over her shoulder.

“Better than the Parker’s place?” I ask with a grin.

She nods, moving around me to close the door, then crosses her arms over her chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place this big. And theirs ishuge.”

“Yeah, I know,” I reply as I leave her standing in the foyer. If she doesn’t want to look around right now, it’s fine. She’ll have plenty of time to do so later, but I do wanna put Angie in her brand new, all-to-herself room, and hope she sleeps soundly for at least another couple of hours. Me and Daveigh have some catching up to do.

Once I get to the top of the stairs, I head toward the first door on the right and nudge it open with a foot. I walk over to the bed, place her down and softly lay a kiss on her forehead before I begin to gently pull her dirty, worn sneakers off.Looks like we’re in need of a shopping spree,I think with a smile as I let them drop to the carpet, one after the other. I reach for the blanket that sits folded neatly on the left side of the bed, I whip it open, then rest it against Angie’s still sleeping little body, before I walk out of the room, leaving the door cracked slightly behind me.

If she’s anything like me, waking up in a strange place is going to startle her, so I’m hoping that if she notices the door isn’t locked, her initial reaction won’t betoobad.

I stifle a yawn with my fist as I start making my way back down the stairs and shake my head fondly when I find Daveigh still standing in the same spot.

“Youdoknow you can look around, right?” I tease as I walk over to her. She nods, her eyes taking in the architecture of the high ceiling, before she drops them toward me.

“Um, do you think that maybe …”

Her voice trails off and I arch an eyebrow expectantly wondering what exactly it is that she dealt with under the Parker roof to turn her into this uncomfortable little mouse I see in front of me.

“Where’s that girl that was at the party?” I ask her softly. Daveigh shifts her eyes away for a few seconds as she inhales a deep breath, then squares her shoulders. I grin.Atta girl.

“Do you think we can get a nanny or a live-in housekeeper to stay here with Angie?”

I make a face at her.

I never expected her to be much of a homemaker, but why the hell would she need someone else to stay here with Angie when we’re here?

She lets out an exasperated breath, throwing her hands up in the air, “I’m not comfortable staying in another place like this, Rock. Even though it’s different, it’s still the same. I’ve dealt with those memories long enough. I confronted Julius and I don’t want to wake up thinking he’s around yet another corner ready to do whatever he wants with me.”

Ah.

“Okay, so you want to start somewhere smaller? That’s not a problem, Daveigh. I’ll find us a place that isn’t so … rich, I guess, and when you start feeling better, we can come back here.”

“Why are you even doing any of this?” she all but shouts at me.

I raise a finger sharply to my lips, nodding at the stairs behind me, then rake a hand back through my hair.

“Why not?” I counter with a shrug. “I have the means to give you the life you should have had instead of … um …” I clear my throat nervously when I see her eyes narrow, “And I think it’ll be nice to start over, don’t you?”

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