Page 20 of Shadow

“I want another chance. A chance to actually date you and treat you right. A chance to give you what you really need.”

“And what exactly do I really need?”

“A firm hand and a bunch of orgasms.”

Olivia lifted one eyebrow. “The orgasms I can get behind, but a firm hand? I got enough of that from Mario, thanks.”

Ripley put a hand on her knee. This time, she didn’t shy away. “So, he did abuse you?”

Olivia dropped her gaze. It wasn’t something she enjoyed talking about. “I didn’t let it get very far. It was mostly emotional manipulation. He hit me exactly once. There were no signs he would be like that while we were dating. And after we were married, he was out of town a lot, so it wasn’t like some horrific story you hear on the news, and it was nothing like what the tabloids tried to make it out to be after they got their hands on a police report. But it was bad enough. As you can understand, I don’t need a firm hand.” There was a lot more to the story, but she knew if he heard the gritty details, he wouldn’t rest until Mario was dead. And she just wanted to forget about her ex-husband. So, Ripley was only getting the glossed over version of events.

He chuckled. “That’s not the kind of firm hand I mean, and you know it.”

“What do you mean, then?”

He sighed and squeezed her leg. “I saw your fridge, Olivia. You don’t take care of yourself.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You were snooping in my fridge?”

“I wanted water, and you always keep a few cold bottles on hand. It looked like a ghost town in there.”

“I eat on the road or at the bar.”

“So, you eat gas station snacks and fried crap.”

Olivia stood. “Don’t start with me, Cannon Ripley. You’re not my Dom. And when you were, it was only in bed. Even if I wanted more than that it was impossible.”

“And I’m asking you to give me a chance to show you that I can be more.”

She snorted. “Let’s get through dinner first before you start trying to control me.”

“I’m not trying to control you, baby girl. I just want to take care of you. What’s so wrong with that? You overextend yourself. You need someone to be there for you and make sure you take care of yourself.”

She took a deep breath and willed herself not to yell or make a scene. “I think I’m going to head home now. It was good to see you again, Ripley.”

“Come on, Liv. Don’t leave. I’m sorry. You’re right. Now, will you sit down and talk to me? Tell me about your last con. Let me see the pictures. I can’t find you online anymore, so I couldn’t even see your Insta photos.”

Olivia winced. “Yeah. Social media kind of became a scary place for me while I was with Mario, so I shut all my accounts down except for the bar’s Instagram accounts. It’s been long enough that I could probably safely reactivate them.” She sat next to Ripley again.

Ripley shook his head. “Start new ones that your trolls can’t find. Trolls never die, Liv. I’ll help if you want. Cyberstalking was one of my specialties.”

Olivia laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry everything is so fucked up, Ripley. It was never supposed to be like this. I don’t hate you. But I don’t know if I can ever love you again.”

“Aww, come on, Liv. We were never in the same room long enough for you to love me. I know that. I was a shit partner while I was in the field.”

At least he acknowledged it. That had to count for something. Didn’t it?

“Either way, I’m not sure I can do this with you again. And I’m sorry about that.”

She stood, suddenly exhausted. “Look. I’m not bailing on you. But I really am exhausted. I didn’t sleep much last night and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I’m supposed to go to Las Vegas next weekend, and I need to get Niki set up to travel with me.”

“Vegas, huh? What for?”

“Mixology convention. I took Fiona two years ago.”

“Fiona? That the girl that kept answering the phone when I called looking for you?”

Olivia frowned. “She manages Liv’s Place. You called looking for me? When?”

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