Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
ADAM
The look on Alex’s sweet face when she saw Harvey ripped the heart out of my chest and set it on fire. My girl was terrified, and I want to know why. Sure, the great dane is a big-ass dog, but she acted like it was a grizzly bear and she was lunch.
She’s looking up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, silently pleading with me to let the subject go.
But I won’t let this go. I need to know everything there is to know about this woman.
I already know that I want to move her out of that tiny apartment.
“Oh, it’s okay—”
“No, it wasn’t okay.” I brush my nose over hers, and Gabe kneels in front of us, taking her face in his hands.
“We need to know where that fear comes from so we can make sure to keep you safe from it, Alex,” he says in that tender voice of his that always soothes my raw edges. “Remember, we’re getting to know each other. This isn’t just incredible sex, Shorty.”
“I …” She swallows and frowns down at my chest. “It’s a really long story, and we’re out here to have fun.”
“Oh, we’re going to have fun, Princess.” I kiss her soft cheek and drift my nose down her jawline, then look over at Gabe, who also looks concerned. I know he kissed the fuck out of her to distract her, but he’s as worried about her as I am. “After we have this important conversation.”
Alex sighs. “If you want to take me home after what I’m about to tell you, I totally understand.”
The fuck?
I scowl down at her, but don’t let her go. She licks her lips nervously and reaches for Gabe’s hand. He laces his fingers with hers and gives them a little squeeze.
God, I love him.
“A lot of people claim to have bad childhoods.” She’s clearly choosing her words carefully. “I know that it’s subjective, and each person’s experience is unique to them. But when I tell you that I had a bad childhood, that doesn’t even begin to describe what went on in my house.”
My heart kicks up. My muscles tighten.
I want to burn the fucking world down for her.
“What happened, baby?” Gabe asks her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“My mom died when I was a toddler,” she says. “I don’t remember her much. I have some of her things, but no memories of her. My dad killed her.”
My entire body goes very still. Her voice is so calm, so matter-of-fact, but Gabe leans in and rests his forehead on the ball of her shoulder.
“Baby,” he whispers.
“It was covered up, and her death was ruled accidental. My brother, Holden, is the oldest, and he raised us girls. All four of us. He’s the best of us, and I’d fight to the death for him.”
“I’ve met your brother,” Gabe reminds her. “He’s a really great guy.”
“But our father was not. He was … evil. Truly evil. He tortured all of us, but he used different means to hurt us. And fuck, did he get off on it. He liked to hold Dani, my twin sister, under water. Waterboarded the shit out of her every chance he got. She is so terrified of the water now. He did other things to her, but the water was the worst of it.” She swallows and shakes her head.
“Charlie, the youngest, it was mostly her hair that he used to hurt her. He’d drag her by her hair, and if she was bad, he’d cut it.
Shave it. I don’t think she’s been to a hairdresser in years.
She’ll probably let it grow to the ground, which doesn’t seem practical since she’s always running around, planning weddings and stuff. ”
“Fuck.” My jaw is clenched so tight, I’m surprised my back molars don’t shatter. “I’m so sorry.”
“Darby’s the oldest sister, and she had it the worst.” Tears fill my girl’s eyes, and one drops down her cheek. I catch it with my thumb. “He … he liked to make her bleed.”
The last word is said on a whisper, and Gabe stands to his full height and paces the boat, clearly agitated, clearly wanting to kill someone.
“What did he do to you, Princess?”
She licks her lips again. Gabe grabs her a bottle of water from the cooler, cracks open the lid, and passes it to her. After a few sips, she passes it back with a trembling smile.
“Thanks.” She clears her throat. “Animals. He liked to make me watch him torture animals. Slowly, brutally, making them suffer as I watched.”
I can’t help it when I tighten my arms around her, wanting to keep her safe from the mere memories of what was done to her. I want to kill that son of a bitch.
“Where can I find him?” My voice is hard and full of rage. “Because I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“He’s dead.” She shakes her head and then leans on my shoulder. “A couple of years ago. He got off so easy, you guys. Died in his sleep from a heart attack.”
“Jesus fuck,” Gabe mutters, rubbing his hand over his lips.
“That’s just scratching the surface,” she admits. “There was other stuff, too.”
“Did he ever—”
“No.” She cups my face in her hands and rests her forehead on mine, as if she’s comforting me.
“He never did that. I’ve been through many years of therapy, and I’m really okay most of the time.
I’ve done the hard work to heal. But I’ll never be comfortable around animals.
My sister, Dani, has a cat, and I’ve gotten to where I can be in the same room with it, but I’d rather not be if I can help it.
Aside from pets, I don’t love storms for a whole different reason. ”
“A lot of people don’t like storms,” I tell her, brushing my fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, well, their father probably didn’t tie them up outside with their sisters when their brother was gone and couldn’t protect them and make them sit in the middle of the rain, thunder, and lightning in terror.”
I blink down at her, then crush her to me, holding on so tight, I’m probably cutting off her air.
I don’t fucking care.
Gabe wraps his strong arms around both of us, and the three of us sit here, drifting on the water, holding on to each other.
And I thought my childhood was fucked up.
It was like living in Disneyland every fucking day compared to the trauma Alex went through.
“I’m really okay, you guys,” she finally says. “But I won’t be if you keep smothering me.”
“Just a minute more,” Gabe mutters, then kisses my cheek before kissing her head. “You’re safe with us, Alex.”
“I know. It’s just, that was a really big dog. And I know it’s silly because the animals never hurt me. They were the ones hurt, but it just triggers me so badly.”
I kiss her cheek as she sits up, reluctantly letting her go.
“It’s not silly. Harvey’s a horse in a dog suit, I swear.” I stand and glance around and see that we’re alone in this part of the lake. “Who wants to swim?”
“Me.” Alex raises her hand. “I do.”
She whips the swimsuit cover over her head, revealing her perfect, curvy body showcased in a pink-striped swimsuit with a bow right between her glorious tits that has me salivating.
“Come here,” I growl, and she blinks up at me, but doesn’t hesitate to step to me. I drag my thumb over her lower lip. “You look fucking delicious in that suit, Princess.”
Relief moves through her eyes. Did she honestly think that we’d discard her after she told us her story? Fuck, we all have baggage. Some of us more than others. Neither Gabe nor I fear that.
“I’m glad you like it,” she says as her cheeks darken.
I pull my T-shirt off, and her eyes roam down my torso. Her little tongue pokes out to lick along her lower lip, and then Gabe’s beside us, also in just his swim trunks.
Fuck, he’s sexy.
He knows I get a hard-on for him in those trunks, and the smirk on his face tells me that he wore them on purpose.
I’m going to fuck his mouth when we get back in this boat.
Alex gives my man a once-over, smiles big, then jumps off the side of the boat into the water below.
“We’re keeping her,” I inform Gabe, whose smile could light up the night sky.
“Fuck yeah, we are.” He pulls me in for a quick kiss, then jumps over the side with our girl, splashing and playing below.
“Come on,” Alex says, waving me in. “It’s not as fun without you.”
I’m so fucked.