Page 80 of Faith

“But it wasn’t?”

She shook her head thinking back to that crazy time in her life. “It didn’t happen overnight, but it felt as though it did. We had so much training to do, so many appearances and interviews, I didn’t notice that he was popping pills like they were candy.”

“He was an addict.” Not a question but a statement.

“Yes, and when I found out, I lost it. He promised me it was only for after practice, and I believed him because I was young and stupid.”

He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “And you loved him.”

She shrugged. “I thought I did at the time, but again, I was young. He had been my only boyfriend. Our lives were wrapped up in the skating world, and it was all we knew.”

She leaned back in the barstool seat.

“Go on,” he said.

“That exhibition, our last skate together, he was high. I didn’t realize it until we were out on the ice in the middle of our routine. Every toss left me in fear. By the time we got done, I was a mess.”

“And you walked away.”

“I wanted him to get help. I said we would make a joint statement. He refused and said he didn’t have a problem. I gave him an ultimatum, and he told me to go to hell. Those were the last words he said to me.”

He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“I am sure you read the rest…or heard it.

“I would rather hear it from you.”

“Oliver was convinced I would out him. I was basically going to call his mother and father, and demand that we have an intervention, but I would have never gone to the tabloids.” She sighed. “He killed himself that night.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“It was a long time ago.

“Nevertheless, it had an impact on your life. Is that why you started working as a sober companion?”

She nodded. “In a roundabout way. A year after Oliver’s death, my mother made me go to a support group for family and friends of addicts. It was there I realized that much of Oliver’s behavior before the drugs had been borderline abusive. It took me awhile to come to terms with that, but once I did, another member approached me and told me I should think about being a sober companion.”

“And then a few years later, my mother hired you.”

She nodded.

“I truly hate that you went through all of that. It must have been so difficult.”

“The aftermath was worse. I was the horrible woman who caused all the problems. His parents attacked me in the press. I went from being America’s Sweetheart to the demon woman.”

“Come on,” he said, as he tugged her off the barstool.

He took her to his room. She expected some extra special play for the night. Instead, he turned her around and pulled the pins out of her hair.

“I obsess about your hair. It’s so amazing.”

Before she could respond, Jensen turned her around again. Still, no orders. He undressed her slowly, lovingly. With each move, she felt cherished. Her heart seemed lodged in her throat. After pulling off her dress, he undid her bra, bending his head to take first one nipple, then the other into his mouth.

Desire soared as his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her thong. He bent to help her step out of it, then stayed on his knees. He pressed his mouth against her sex, his tongue slipping inside of her over and over. She settled her hands on his shoulders as he teased her clit with the scrape of his teeth. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Arousal twisted with a deeper need, one that she didn’t even know she had. To be needed, wanted in this way, to be treated as if she were something precious, all of it entwined with the love she had for him.

He continued to tease her clit as he slid a finger inside of her. He had given her no orders, so as she felt her orgasm approach, she didn’t even try to fight it. Electricity sparked as she set her hands against the back of his head to urge him on. She was so close, so damned close. She thought she would never make it to the pinnacle as the heat that had built in her stomach dropped lower. Her legs shook, her body bowed against his mouth, and in the next instant, she screamed his name as she tumbled over the edge into bliss. He kept his mouth against her as she rode out her orgasm. By the time he rose to his feet, she was barely able to stand.

Jensen lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He stripped out of his clothes, then joined her, covering her body with his. The kiss he gave her then was filled with tenderness and need. By the time he pulled back, she had to blink tears away. The man was undoing her with every move he made. She was helpless against the flood of emotion that twisted through her. Love and desire intertwined and then surrounded her heart.

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