Page 92 of Strangers in Love

Freedom made a disgusted sound. “Right. You know what’s best for her. Any man who’d fuck a traumatized virgin in some sleazy hotel room in another country clearly doesn’t have her best interests at heart.”

I opened my mouth but then everything she’d said registered. “A what?”

Freedom smirked. “A virgin. But you clearly know her so well that you knew that, right? Just like you knew she’d barely even been kissed before you.”

My head reeled, my heart thudding against my ribcage. A virgin. I’d thought I’d been taking care of her the way she’d wanted me to, helping her forget. We hadn’t used a condom. I hadn’t made sure she was okay after. I hadn’t done any of what I would’ve if I’d known the truth.

No, I wouldn’t have done any of it if she’d told me, but that would’ve been because I wouldn’t have had sex with her at all. I would’ve found another way. But I’d been horny, and things had been complicated, and sex had seemed like the simplest solution to all of it.

“Are your clothes in there?” Freedom pointed to the door at my back.

I nodded, still not able to say a word. I couldn’t believe it. Aline should have told me.

Yeah, it was her body and her choice when she had sex and who she had it with, but I should’ve known too, should have been able to make a decision based on all the facts. Maybe that made me an asshole, but I didn’t think it was wrong of me to want to know something that important.

Freedom stepped past me and snuck into the room. A minute later, she was back with my clothes.

“Get dressed and then get out of my parents’ house.” She shoved the clothes at me. “And stay the fuck away from my sister.”

She disappeared into what I assumed was her room, but I had no illusions that she was actually going to trust me to leave on my own. She’d be listening, and if I didn’t do what she said, she’d come out and make me.

She didn’t need to worry that I’d try to stick around or contact Aline after that. I’d been through a lot of shit, and this whole situation was a mess I didn’t need. I dressed as quickly as I could, pulling on my shirt even as I walked out the front door. I was better off going back to how things had always been with me and women. Fucking and nothing else.

Sixty-One

Aline

I’d slept welland woke up slowly, my muscles feeling like they were made of rubber. I sat up and grimaced at the twinges. Slightly sore rubber, then.

I didn’t need to look over to see that I was alone in bed, and while that disappointed me, I couldn’t deny the bit of relief I felt at not having to explain Eoin’s presence to my parents. Things between us were still new enough that I wasn’t sure how I would’ve handled that exactly.

Mom, Dad, this Eoin McCrae. He rescued me in Iran and then took my virginity before yelling at me for being stupid. But it’s okay because we had sex again, and then he went to Iraq to save more people. We went on our first date last night, and he slept over. What’s for breakfast?

I rubbed my forehead. What had I been thinking? I didn’t regret the date, or really, the sex afterward. What I did have to question, however, was the wisdom of bringing him here for sex rather than asking him to take me back to his hotel room. Mom and Dad had always talked about Freedom and me bringing partners to family gatherings as if it would be completely acceptable for us to stay in the same room. I just wasn’t sure what I had with Eoin was quite that serious. I was going to have to think things through a little better next time, especially since he was here in L.A. and I didn’t know where I would be after the holidays.

I’d text him later to let him know I had a good time and make sure he didn’t have any problems leaving. I honestly hoped that he’d reach out first to let me know why he’d left without a goodbye or a note, but I wasn’t going to hold it against him. I’d learned my lesson about making assumptions.

I lingered in the shower, enjoying the memories from the night before. Round two had indeed been slower. He’d used his fingers and mouth to bring me to orgasm twice before finally sliding inside. I’d come two more times after that and had almost been too sensitive for him to finish. It’d been amazing.

I was still smiling when I walked into the kitchen, distracted enough that it took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t my parents sitting at the table, but rather Freedom.

“Morning. I thought you were in Stanford.” I went to the refrigerator and started rummaging around for something that looked appealing. “Everything okay?”

“No, nothing’s okay.”

I turned around, surprised, both by her words and the intensity in her voice. “What happened?”

“What happened?” She stood up and came over to stand only a couple feet from me. “What happened? Are you kidding me? You went out with Eoin McCrae?”

My cheeks grew warm, but I lifted my chin. “I did.”

“And I had to find out from Mom and Dad.”

I clenched my teeth, let out a slow breath, and said, “I told them because I’m not foolish enough to go on a date and not have anyone know where I am. And because I was here, with them. I didn’t tell you because you weren’t here.”

“You said you were done with him.”

I reminded myself that she was just worried about me. “I found out what happened that morning, and he apologized for his behavior.”

---