“One of the guys from her new group of friends came by a lot. He told me he thought I could use a friend, someone to talk to about my dad. At first, things were okay. He took me to a ball game. Took my mom and me to a nice restaurant a few times.”
“Uh-huh.”
“One night, he sent my mom to run an errand. Looking back, I think he had her delivering drugs for him. He sat beside me on the sofa and asked me if I knew about sex. I didn’t answer him. He told me that he wanted to help me sort through my feelings.”
“How old were you?”
“Eleven.” A shiver ran through him.
“Okay.”
“He didn’t bring it up again for about two weeks,” Sin continued. “He waited long enough for me to start feeling comfortable around him again. Then, one night, we were watching a ball game on the sofa. He told me he liked me and wanted to get to know me better. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but he touched my thigh. That made me very uncomfortable.”
“I can imagine. Did you tell your mom?”
“No.” Sin’s heart started pounding harder and he pushed out of bed. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, he threw on his robe and stared out the picture window.
“Again, another week or so went by. He bought me a new bike, a nice one, too. That night, I awoke to him standing by my bed. It scared the fuck out of me. He told me he liked me and wanted to show me how much.”
“God, no.” Evangeline appeared by his side, covered in his spare robe.
His blood ran cold. “I told him to get out and he did. Going forward, I locked my bedroom door at night.”
“I want to touch you,” Evangeline said, “but I don’t know if I should.” Her loving voice brought him back to the present.
“I’m okay,” he replied. “You can touch me.”
As she rubbed his back with soft, gentle strokes, he inhaled a cleansing breath. He’d never shared what happened to him with another soul, not even Maverick. His heart was pounding out of his chest and his guts were in a knot. The urge to run made him want to jump on his bike and fly.
“Like the other times, things went back to normal. A couple of weeks later, he bought me something else. This time a skateboard, but I refused it. That night, I woke up to him jerking me off.”
“Oh, my God.”
“I thought I was having a wet dream, but his groans woke me. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, naked, his hand beneath the blanket. I jumped out of bed and shouted for him to get out.” Again, Sin sucked down a breath, trying to calm his palpitating heart. “He grabbed me and tried to mount me. He almost…” His voice trembled and he ground his teeth together.
“He was a monster,” she whispered.
Several seconds passed. Evangeline’s slow, steady breathing helped regulate his. He pushed on, but he couldn’t stop the tremors.
“I was big for my age, so I was able to fend him off. But I was fucking terrified. That’s when my mom came into the room.”
“What did she do?”
He gritted his teeth, clenched his hands into fists. “Not a damn thing, not a word. After they left my bedroom, I heard them fucking. That’s when I threw a few things in a duffel and I ran.” He stared out at the upscale homes across the street. He’d come so far since those terrifying times.
Again, they grew silent. Her gentle caresses helped extinguish the fury, and the pain, and the utter fear that shook him to his core.
“I took a bus to Virginia and lived on the streets. It was tough, but there was no way I could ever go home.”
“You were so brave.” When he turned to face her, love—not pity—shone from her eyes. She hugged him, kissed his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me.” She released him and stood by his side. Two souls staring into the night in silent communion.
His chest was tight, his breathing erratic, a thin line of perspiration had formed on his brow. After a few moments, he got his breathing under control. When he did, some of the tension in his back released. He looked over at her.
“Since that day, I’ve never stopped running,” he said. “Never stopped looking over my shoulder.”
“Is that why you ride at night?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“What happened to your mom?”
“She was busted for selling drugs and was sent to a prison in Pennsylvania.”
“Do you visit her?”
“No. Our relationship ended the night she didn’t protect me from that monster.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for the better part of a decade.”
“For what?”
“Child porn, pedophilia, rape, assault. He ruined so many lives.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I killed him, myself.” He paused to give her a few seconds to digest his words. “You need to go into this relationship with eyes wide open.”
Silence.
She clasped his hand, turned to face him. “I’ve never been more certain of anyone or anything in my entire life.” He pivoted toward her. “I’m sorry for what you endured as a child. You are the bravest, strongest, most amazing man I have ever known. I’m honored you chose to confide in me.” To his surprise, tears pricked her eyes. “I understand now why you fight so hard to fix families and make things right.”
Unable to control the emotion, he pulled her into his arms and stifled a sob. Embarrassed, he forced down the lump in his throat and gritted his teeth.
“I love you, Sinclair,” she whispered. “And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“I love you, Evangeline. You get me and I love that about you.”
She took a step toward the bed. “I want to do something, just for you. You like massages, right?”
“Love them.”
“Great.” She gestured to the bed. “Please.”
Her loving smile helped dispel his demons. They dropped their robes and, as he got into bed, she grabbed her bottle of lotion from the bathroom.
“Roll onto your stomach.”
Once he did, she straddled his thighs, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. “I adore you.”
He smiled. “You are my angel of light.”
With firm strokes, she rubbed his back, following the cuts and striations of his hard muscles. He sighed as she massaged the knots that ran across his shoulders and down his lats. He didn’t realize he carried around so much tension, but as she worked her way down his torso, he started to relax.
“How’s the pressure?”
“Great, babe.”
Sin lost track of time. At some point, she whispered, “Roll onto your back.” She massaged his chest and arms, all the way down to his fingers. She spent a lot of time working out the knots in his calves. After giving him a phenomenal foot rub, she topped it off with a scalp massage. He couldn’t recall when he’d been that relaxed or the last time someone had given him such a generous gift.
“I’d love to give you a happy ending. Would you like one?” He could hear the playfulness in her voice.
As he opened his eyes, a contented smile rolled across his face. “You are my happy ending.”