Page 20 of The Truth of Our Secrets

My arms wrap around her torso, easing her to my chest. “Me too.” These last couple of weeks have been stressful. Her body melting against mine silences the negative thoughts in my head.

Her fingers caress my forearms and my head falls back as I relax. I allow her fingertips to ground me in our love. Little gestures of affection are extra special to me since I didn’t get many hugs as a child. That’s why I’m determined to show her how much I love her.

She wriggles to get comfortable and I press my lips on her neck, peppering her nape and shoulders with tender kisses. My hands knead her thighs.

The weight of her confession the night before last presses on my chest. Although the truth about her relationship with Alec is a relief, it hurts that she was afraid to tell me. I’ve spent years painting him as the enemy. But he’s Madyson’s hero.

“You can tell me anything.” I snake my hands between us to reach her lower back and work her tight muscles.

“Are you worried I’m not telling you something?”

“I’m sorry it took you so long to tell me about your past.” I hesitate to call it what it was, a sexual assault. The thought turns my stomach.

She rolls over, so we’re stomach to stomach. “I never told another soul. Not one word of what happened until the other night. You’re the first person.” Her eyes are glassy, and I want to find the guy and kill him.

“You’ve carried that for years all by yourself? How come you didn’t talk to someone?” She’s not one to hide her feelings, so this is out of character for her.

She bites her lip. “I didn’t want to acknowledge what happened. And I didn’t have friends I could trust with that.” She curls her body so she’s wedged between me and the tub. In this position, it’s easier to maintain eye contact.

“High school sucked. My parents heard the rumors about my reputation and believed it without question. Girls talked behind my back. Alec was the only one I trusted, but I was too ashamed to talk to him about it.”

“I’m here if you need me.” I understand the shame of carrying burdens from the past. She’s a badass for overcoming it.

“Thanks.” Her soulful eyes are full of sincerity. “Time and a supportive guy friend helped me trust men and my instincts.” She gives me a side-eye. “Alec never treated me any different.”

I huff. Fucking guy. I’m tempted to ask who helped her, but my jealousy will probably make me say something to upset her.

“Are you all set for your trip?” She swings around and I grab her foot.

“Yeah, standard recruiting camp. No big deal. I’ll only be gone a couple of days.” I press my thumb into the arch of her foot and she groans.

We’re quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds are the sloshing water while I massage her feet.

“Will there be press?” she asks, and I wince.

“It depends,” I say, and she raises an eyebrow, expecting more. “The number of top-level players coming will determine the number of outlets covering the event.” We have some of the best players who have verbally committed but haven’t paid. Until the players have paid their entry fee in full, we don’t count them.

“What’s your plan if they want to interview you on camera?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll stick to vague facts and our PR department will give me talking points.” I almost believe my lie.

Madyson groans and crawls up my body. “You say that until the camera light turns on and then you turn into an angry ogre who sounds like he wants to murder the interviewer.” Her arms circle my neck and she presses her forehead to mine.

“The PR department has given me lots of practice.” I hope it helps.

“He can’t get to you anymore. You’ve blocked him and he’s out of your life.” She runs her fingers through my hair and I close my eyes.

“It doesn’t matter.” My father hated my success. He took every opportunity to cut me down. He’d call to scream and yell, attacking everything I’d said in a televised interview as stupid or slamming my physical appearance. For years I answered his calls, thinking if I learned everything I could and looked my best, he’d finally be proud of me. I still hear his voice thundering in my head when I’m on camera. It pisses me off and it shows.

When I was a player, the Enforcers limited my time in front of the camera and my current job rarely requires me to talk to sports journalists on camera. I’m fine with phone interviews and face-to-face interviews where they take notes and print my responses. My father didn’t bother with those.

“Can anyone else go on camera if needed?” Her body glides over mine, floating in the water.

“Nope.” I grab her ass and press her into my growing erection. “I’ve mentally prepared and I want to get over my anxiety.”Anxiety is such a mild word for what I experience. “I don’t want him living in my head. It’s been years and I never want to hear his voice again.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” She grinds on me, our bodies slick with the bubble bath.

“No, Baby Girl, but thank you.” I kiss her. “Let’s rinse off and take this into the bedroom,” I demand.

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