18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Warlock
With the room filled with the sound of our heavy breathing, Tallahassee clings to me. I knew she was worth the wait, but being with her is so much more than I imagined.
There’s no way to describe the exquisite sensation of being buried in her sweet heat.
The feel of her soft body against mine. Watching the last of her defenses collapse, the pain and sadness vanishing from her eyes, leaving them filled only with desire.
All of it was awe inspiring. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
When she begged me to make her feel, it shattered the last of my restraint. Denying her was impossible, and now, after being with her, I’m convinced it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I place a soft kiss on her lips, easing out of her. After carefully removing and tying off the condom, I get up to get rid of it. When I crawl back in bed behind her, I pull her soft female form into me, snaking my arms around her. Pressing my chest to her back.
We lay in silence for several minutes until Tallahassee takes a fortifying breath and asks, “How much do you want to know?”
As much as I’d rather bask in the blissful afterglow of our lovemaking, I need to know. “Give me all of it.”
I don’t ask her to face me, knowing she’s probably more comfortable with her back to me.
“About four years ago, I met a man named Vincent Catalano and we started dating. Within six months, I knew something was wrong. He became controlling. Obsessed with money. Well, my money. He said he loved me, but it felt hollow, and I didn’t feel the same way.”
I hate hearing about her with another man, but I don’t rush her, giving her time to tell the/her story at her own pace.
“One day, he complained that I loved swimming more than him.” She huffs out a derisive laugh.
“And honestly, he wasn’t wrong. I was training ten hours a day, seven days a week for the upcoming Olympics.
Our relationship wasn’t some epic love story, so I broke up with him.
We went our separate ways, and I thought that was the end of it.
” She exhales a puff of shuddering breath. “I was wrong.”
My need to protect her is fierce. I shift myself closer until our bodies are molded together. Then hook my leg over hers, curling around her protectively, locking her to me with my limbs. Her fingers wrap around my hand, keeping it pressed firmly against her chest.
“Vincent didn’t take the breakup well. He was furious, which was strange since we weren’t going anywhere as a couple, and neither of us seemed happy with the relationship.
“Before I knew what was happening, he was in front of cameras telling anyone who would listen that I was a sex freak. He detailed obscene things I supposedly enjoyed. Claimed he couldn’t keep up with my depraved needs and was disgusted by my sexual appetites.
I’ve never been promiscuous, and while I’m not a prude, I wouldn’t say I’m depraved.
” Her tone is annoyed and outraged. “I’m certainly not what he made me out to be. ”
I’m tense, glaring across the room. My mind is turning in circles. I swallow the curses I want to yell and force myself to relax. I wanted to know the details of her past, but I wasn’t expecting this. She’s crushing me with bombshell after bombshell. And she’s not finished yet.
“He told people he was a good Christian boy—he wasn’t—and his faith wouldn’t allow him to stay silent about me.
“At first, I was confused more than anything. I assumed everyone would see what he was, a disgruntled ex trying to get revenge. I didn’t think it would amount to anything.” She scoffs. “I was so, so wrong about that.
“I figured it would be a one-off. That no serious media outlet would give him airtime to spew his filth. But the next day, there were two more interviews. In those, he portrayed me as a sexual predator and said he felt he had an obligation to warn the public about me.” Her voice sounds so fragile.
“I was an Olympic swimmer. As ridiculous as it is, that gave me some notoriety, so the media ate it up. But it was all lies. He fabricated every word of it.”
Her words punch into me, threatening to tear out a piece of my soul at what Vincent did to her.
A growl of anger rumbles through my chest. Ravenous rage creeps in.
I’m mad. So fucking mad. I want to find that asshole and tear him apart piece by piece.
I want to annihilate anyone who gave him a platform to churn out that bullshit and then repeated it to the public.
“From there, it snowballed. There was nothing I could do to stop it or slow it down. The media ran with the story, and no amount of denial from me made a difference.”
The sadness that consumes her cuts like a knife. “I see now he targeted me for money and his fifteen minutes of fame. If it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been someone else.”
Bitterness drips from her voice. “In the end, I was left with serious trust issues where men are concerned. I couldn’t trust anyone. I promised myself I’d never trust anyone ever again. I ended up carving out my emotions. To survive, it was wiser to feel nothing than to feel everything.”
Until tonight, with me.
I place a kiss on the back of her head. I don’t take her faith in me lightly.
The fucker destroyed her life. “So you ran,” I grit out.
She releases a soft exhale of breath, and I feel her shrug.
“I was so lost. I gave my parents what they needed to sell my house. I bought this RV and started driving, searching for a place where I could disappear and get away from all the bullshit. Without people hunting me, chasing me, and calling me names. Without cameras constantly being shoved in my face.”
I snuggle her, reinforcing her safety. “Where did you go?”
“The first place I landed was a little town in Wisconsin. I ate at the same diner every day. It wasn’t a big place, but it was always busy.
“One day, a waitress quit. I’m still not sure how, but the owner roped me into working for her. I didn’t know it at the time, but she knew who I was the moment I pulled into town. She knew I was on the run.
“Waitressing was daunting and overwhelming. I was not good at it.” She huffs out a little laugh. “But it was honest work, and I stuck with it. The owner, Myrna, refused to give up on me, and each day I got a little better.
“What I liked most was how exhausted I was at the end of the day. I was so busy I didn’t have a chance to obsess over everything Vincent had taken from me. I didn’t have the energy to feel sorry for myself. And the best part was, I stopped looking over my shoulder.”
She lets a few beats of silence hang between us. “At least for a little while.
“I was able to hide in that town for four months. Then a news crew showed up. I snuck out the back door of the diner before they caught me, and still in my uniform, I hit the road once more.
“But the press refused to give up. It was a game to them. Who could find me? Who could get me to talk? Could they catch me doing something sleazy?
“It became a vicious cycle. Find a small town, work under the radar, and get paid in cash. Hit the road and start over when the press caught up with me.
“I was constantly on the move and managed to stay one step ahead of them. Still, it left me paranoid.”
More silence.
“I cried a million tears. Felt anger I never felt. It took a long time to adapt to my new normal. I’d been swimming and training since I was six. I had to adjust to not spending hours in the pool. I couldn’t stop mourning what I lost. I still haven’t been able to get back in the water.”
I nuzzle her cheek, letting her know I’m not going anywhere. That she’s not alone anymore.
“Little by little, I started to accept my new life. I didn’t have any other choice.
I tried to stay focused on the freedoms it provided me.
I no longer had a strict regimen. I didn’t have to get up before dawn for early training sessions.
I wasn’t pushing myself day in and day out in the pool or the gym.
Although I did run almost daily. I still do.
“There were no coaches telling me to work harder or swim faster. No agents telling me how to act for this sponsor or that sponsor. My time wasn’t being scheduled for me. There was a simplicity to it.”
Her confession is tearing my fucking heart out. I can’t imagine the anger and heartbreak of losing everything you’ve ever worked for because of someone’s lies. I don’t know how you ever recover from that sort of betrayal.
“It took a long, long time, but I finally got to a point where I quit moping and learned to enjoy life once more.”
“Is that why you decided to come back?” I ask against her hair.
“From the time I disappeared, my parents and Nash had been begging me to come home. I knew I couldn’t run forever, and I missed them. I missed having a normal life. I hoped after all these years, me and my story were no longer relevant and no one would care about me. So, here I am.”
She turns to face me, resting her hand on my chest. Panic infuses her expression. “But Vincent’s back. And he wants to ruin my life again.”
Tears fill her eyes and her body starts to tremble as she recounts tonight’s events in the corridor with him. He’s threatening to tell a whole new batch of lies.
If he tells the press where to find her, they’ll swarm. They’ll reprise the whole sordid story, accuse and interrogate her with inappropriate questions. All the bullshit she endured, the chaotic circus, will start all over.
I bundle her in my arms, not knowing any other way to soothe her. She pillows her head on my chest.
“I knew coming home was a risk, but it never occurred to me that Vincent would come back.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask, my voice tight.
Her hand flexes against my pec, one shoulder rising and falling. “My knee-jerk reaction is the same as it was the last time…to run.”
I’m terrified that’s exactly what she’ll do. The thought makes my skin feel too tight. I just found her. It’s impossible to conceive of a world where I’m not able to see her.
I’ll do everything in my power to keep that from happening.
Although it’s been such a brief period of time, I’m not giving her up. I protect what’s mine. I’ll be damned if I let her go without a fight.