Page 36 of Unchained

“He said he made out with some pills. He was living with my mom at the time. I reported him.”

Brooks hiked one eyebrow up. “I’ll be damned.”

She chuckled derisively. “I failed him.” Tears filled her eyes, clogging her throat, but she forced her lids not to blink. If she let the tears fall, she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

“No you didn’t.” His hand went to her back.

She sniffed and swiped the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. “Someone must have leaked the tip to him because he attacked my mom before the police came to bring him in, thinking the tip had come from her.”

“Was she okay?”

“I—I walked in on him strangling her.” A gasp broke up the words as the fierce memory stormed through her mind, making her relive the second-most-painful moment of her life. The first was when she’d learned Stacey had died. “I came at him with a knife and he tackled me.” She reached for the neckline of her top and pulled down the material, exposing the scar that lay beneath her collarbone.

He reached out and stroked the still-uneven skin with his thumb. “That piece of shit.” The embers of his eyes burned.

“He tried to cut my throat. One of the neighbors had heard my mom’s screams and rushed in and got him off of me.” She sucked back a sob. “It’s my fault. I never should have—”

Brooks caught the back of her head and pulled her face to his throat. His free hand swept around her waist to lift her into his lap. He cradled her against his chest, one arm looped around her hips, the other hand moving gently up and down her spine.

“Shh,” he said, holding her close.

The smell of pine soap and his musky male scent enveloped her. She let her cheek rest on his shoulder, her nose buried against the whiskers at his throat. She should put the brakes on this. Should pull away. But god help her, she couldn’t turn away the affection. Not just for her sake, but his as well. The steady pumping of his heart echoed in her eardrum, a quick but even rhythm. His warmth was so encompassing that it penetrated both of their clothes.

Her breasts pressed against the hard rigids of his chest muscles. She wiggled closer and her crotch rubbed against his. A shock wave vibrated through her folds, making her body burn with need.

His hand stilled and the length of his cock grew between them. Her mouth went dry. He brought his fingers to her hair and stroked. Brooks’s distant voice reached her ears. Her brain tried to grasp his words, but they floated past, her desire too great to catch them.

“Cam?”

She swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Are you worried Isaac will find you?” The question slowed the blood pumping through her skull.

“He’s made numerous threats over the last year and a half. He lost his job, has a criminal record now, and blames me for that.” Her voice squeaked on the explanation. Darn her rattled nerves. Normally she could put up a good front, but not with all this manliness touching places that hadn’t been touched in far too long.

He pulled away and placed his hands on either side of her face. “He won’t come near you. I can fucking promise you that.” The determined set of his jaw affirmed the ferocious promise he spoke.

She lifted her fingers and touched the back of his hand. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s my mom. He’d go after her just to punish me.”

Brooks knitted his brows together. “Where is she?”

“Arizona. We split up so it would be harder for him to find us—well, my plan was so it would be harder for him to find her.”

“Isn’t he in jail?”

She chewed her bottom lip. “He was for eighteen months. Just got out two weeks ago, which is when we left Detroit.”

He cursed then set her on the bed and stood. He paced the worn floor between the bed and the door. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

She got to her feet and stepped in his path. He swung his eyes to her face. Streaks of red covered his cheekbones.

Bringing her toes in front of his, she planted her palms on his chest. “I’m glad you did.” Without another thought, she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. The air in the room crackled. Electricity arched between their bodies. His hands went to her back and lifted her shirt slightly, so he could stroke the skin above her pants. A thrill raced over her.

Never before had she made the first move with a guy. With Brooks, she couldn’t help it.

I must be insane.

His fingers curled against her spine, stopping their perusal of her flesh. He pressed his forehead to hers, breaking the contact of her lips. His warm, heady flavor lingered on her taste buds.

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