“I'm going to get ahold of Ivan and have his girlfriend take you shopping.”
“I don't have any money.” She looks away nervously.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll pay for it.” I grab for my wallet without thought, pull out the first credit card I find, and toss it onto the mattress. I watch as her gaze moves down to the piece of plastic. If she doesn’t take it, I’m going to pick it up and put it in her fucking hand. One way or another, she’s using the card and buying herself something.
“I can’t take that…”
“You can, and you will. Violet’s going to be here soon to get you. You’re going to get some clothes and whatever else the fuck you want, got it?” I give her a look that dares her to defy me on this. It’ll be a battle she’ll never win. Her mouth opens as if she wants to say no, but I hold up a finger to my lips, shaking my head.
“Just take the damn card and buy yourself some fucking clothes,” I grit out.
She nods a second later, finally coming to her senses. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll find a way to pay you back, I promise.” I nod, feeling the air grow thick between us. I need to get out of this room and away from her.
I don’t know what the fuck it is about this girl, but she’s got my insides twisting into knots. I want to make her feel better, secure, happy, and at the same time, I want to push her away. I don’t have any female friends. The only time I’m around them is if they’re under me and I’m inside them, so interacting with Sophie without sex being involved puts me on edge.
She’s the absolute exception to all my rules because my brother has made her my responsibility, but that doesn’t mean I need to be nice to her, right? It doesn’t mean I need to care about her beyond the means of her eating and having a place to lay her pretty little head.
I can’t have her or anybody else thinking I’m some weak bastard...even if it makes me feel like an asshole for being a douche to her. She doesn’t deserve it, especially after what she’s been through, but it’s better to treat her like shit than have her wanting to get close to me. I don’t understand why, but she wants to. Why the hell else would she have crawled into my bed last night?
“I’m going to go call Ivan and get out of here,” I say over my shoulder, heading toward the door. My pulse quickens, and the air in my lungs still. I don’t want to leave her alone. I don’t want her to have to sit in this room all by herself.
“Where are you going?” Her voice meets my ears just as I reach the threshold.
“Out,” I grit out, not used to being asked what I’m doing by anyone.
“Will you be back tonight?” Despair coats each word, and I want to laugh. Doesn’t she get that I’m an asshole? That she shouldn’t want to spend time with me or hangout? Yeah, I’m not the same as the fuckers who bought her and brought her here, but I’m not much better. Just because I don’t hit women doesn’t mean I don’t hurt them. I fuck them, lie to them, and break their hearts. I selfishly use them to satisfy my needs and send them on their way. It might not be illegal, but it ain’t fucking nice, and it sure as shit ain’t gentlemen like.
I grip the doorjamb, my fingers digging into the wood. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. You don’t really want to get involved with me. I’m an asshole—and the worst kind.” I turn around, eyeing her for a moment. “I’ll eat you up and spit you right the fuck out without caring what happens to you next.” I watch her shiver and wonder if it’s from fear or something else…
“I just…” she starts, her eyes pleading. I don’t want to hear her angelic voice a second longer. She’s as pure as a fresh winter snowfall, and the idea of tainting her pisses me off. The idea of her being here in my space makes me furious. She doesn’t belong here—she doesn’t belong with me.
“Stay out of my fucking way and out of my fucking bed unless you want me to pop that sweet cherry between your thighs. I’m not a nice guy. I will destroy you and smile the entire time I do it.”
Her gaze widens, and I don’t stick around a second longer to hear what she has to say. I’ve got a punching bag and a whole lot of fucking tension in my muscles to work off if I plan to come back to the house tonight. My footsteps echo down the hall as I head toward the garage.
Fucking Christ, how the hell has this little woman gotten me so worked up when most of the men I fight can’t even manage to? Enough, I tell myself as I reach the garage.
She’ll be fine until Ivan arrives. And if she isn’t…I don’t allow myself to think about it any longer. I’m done thinking about her, and her pretty little face, and her plump little lips.
She’s a distraction, a fucking problem, and I plan to get rid of her as soon as fucking possible.
26
Sophie
Not long after Roman leaves, a short little woman with blonde hair and big blue eyes knocks on my bedroom door. Her smile is warm, and she wraps me up in a hug without even thinking. Kindness oozes from every pore in her body. She cares about me without even knowing who I am.
“I’m Violet. I’m here to take you shopping.” A bright smile pulls at her lips as she pulls away, releasing me from her arms. It’s then I notice she has a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and bra and panties in her hands.
“Hi,” I greet her with a soft smile. I’m not sure how I feel about using Roman’s card to shop for clothing, at least not after his parting words. He seemed angry, and every single word he said made me think he was trying to push me away, which only makes me more curious about him.
Against my better judgement, I feel safe with him, secure. I know it’s bad to feel the way I do about him, especially without knowing who he is or what he’s about, but I just can’t help him. He screams safety to me.
“Here, I brought these for you to change into before we leave. They’re just some old clothes of mine.” She shoves the items into my hands. I take them graciously, walk into the bathroom, and get dressed. The clothes fit me perfectly, including the panties and bra. It feels nice to be wearing normal clothing instead of long dresses that make me hot and sweaty. I give myself a once over in the mirror, smoothing a hand down the front of the t-shirt. I look like a normal woman. I smile, really smile, knowing my father can’t take this moment away from me.
They wanted to keep me broken, to hurt me, and me doing the opposite is exactly what I need to start pushing forward through the pain. My thoughts shift to Roman and how what he said made me feel. He talked about taking my virginity...how he’s not a good man...but he is, and I wish he knew that.
I’ve been pretty sheltered by my parents all my life. I don't know a lot of men, but the ones I have met have all turned out to be bad. Roman is not like them. I don’t know how I know this, but I do, and knowing this makes me wish he didn’t think so horribly about himself.
A knock sounds against the bathroom door.
How long have I been in here?
The door opens an inch, then Violet’s soft voice filters into the room. “Sophie? Are you okay in here?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I was…” I stumble over my words. Walking over to the door, I pull it open, revealing a concerned Violet.