Page 33 of Truth

“Good girl.” I kissed her again, keeping it short, even though it was always tempting to get carried away.

Making myself pull back from her, I sat and waited. I would wait all day if that was what it took, but I was confident that wouldn’t be the case. Brianna had an inner strength I admired and, in some ways, envied. When I’d lost my parents, I’d fallen apart inside. No one had been able to reach me for months. I’d been a walking zombie.

My family and Logan never gave up on me, and eventually, they’d helped me through to the other side. Even then, I’d shut out most people. Daren was the first person I’d told what had happened other than Logan, and the only reason Logan had found out was because he was there right after it happened. Logan had seen firsthand what losing my parents had done to me. It took me years to get over it, to move past the pain and anger.

Losing my parents paled in comparison to what the woman in front of me had lived through, yet she never gave up, never stopped trying. I knew I would never stop loving her.

I brushed some loose strands of hair away from her face. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then seemed to realize what she’d done and opened them again. Her eyes were wide as she stared, and I could tell her anxiety was increasing again.

“Deep, even breaths, Brianna. Take one word at a time. There’s no rush.”

She did as I’d instructed, her chest rising and falling steadily with each breath. I tried not to pay attention to how the fabric of her dress brushed against me with every movement, drawing my attention to her breasts. Closing my eyes, I made myself block out my body’s natural reaction to her.

When I opened my eyes, she had a determined look on her face and her hands were balled into fists in her lap.

“I could... hear... them.”

She reached toward my chest, but when she touched my bare skin, she pulled back. I realized she was used to holding on to my shirt. Since I wasn’t wearing anything, it was throwing her off. I didn’t want that, so I lowered my right hand and laced our fingers together. Brianna’s fingers clasped my hands tighter than I thought possible.

“The... the men. They... the words... what they’d... say...”

Brianna was doing well, but I could see the panic rising. I brought her face closer to mine, touching my nose with hers. Gradually, she relaxed again, and I thought about what she’d said and what we’d been doing right before her panic had begun to spiral out of control.

I’d asked where she wanted me to touch her. It had been a simple question with an obvious answer. “You’re talking about the men Ian shared you with.”

She didn’t need to confirm it, but she did with a nod.

For some reason, I felt I needed to clarify something. “When I asked you where you wanted me to touch you, it reminded you of those men?”

Brianna opened her mouth and then shut it. She did this several times, never uttering a word.

“There isn’t a wrong answer, love.”

“When you... asked me...”

“Yes,” I prompted. She tried to glance down, but I tapped the underside of her chin, and she looked back up at me.

“I didn’t know... how to answer. What word... to use.” She took a deep breath. “Then I heard them. All the words, the names, they used to say, to call me. It...” A shudder ripped through her body as she rushed through the last few words.

“Come here.” I released her hands and turned her around in my lap so her back was to my chest.

Almost instinctively, she leaned back and rested her head on my shoulder.

I ran my hands down her sides, her legs, until I reached the hem of her skirt. This time, I wasted no time in lifting it, bunching it up around her hips, and revealing her silky dark green panties. Lacking pretense, I spread her legs and cupped my hand over her mound. She glanced up at me and waited.

“What words you use to describe your body aren’t as important as the meaning behind them, Brianna. Those men—did the words they used convey the pleasure, the beauty of what they were talking about? I doubt it. The way you’ve described them, it was more about degrading you than anything else. I never want you to feel that way. Ever. Your body is beautiful to me. Every single part of it. It should be beautiful to you, too.”

Removing my hand, I fixed her dress and cradled the back of her head. I leaned down to brush my mouth against hers before deepening the kiss. She parted her lips, responding.

I broke the kiss before it could get out of hand and smiled. “We are going to revisit this later, sweetheart, but for now, we have a dinner to attend.”

I patted her leg, and she stood.

“Finish getting ready,” I instructed, giving her a light swat on her behind as I walked around her to get to my closet. Brianna stood unmoving for several seconds, much as she had the first time I’d spanked her, as if waiting for something, and then she scurried off to the bathroom to fix her hair.

On our way to Richard and Diane’s, I asked if she remembered her rules for the day, and made her repeat them back to me. Brianna needed to get used to interacting with people. Although I didn’t fully trust my uncle, I did trust Diane to make Brianna feel welcome and provide a somewhat safe environment for her. Requiring her to ask questions, something she wouldn’t naturally do in a social situation, would hopefully push her out of her comfort zone a little without sending her into another panic attack.

As I pulled up in front of their home, I noticed a familiar car already in the driveway. While I’d hoped it would just be us and my aunt and uncle, I wasn’t surprised by their presence. It just added another complication.

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