Franco.
My body trembles with rage, and I’m clenching my jaw so fucking hard I’m a second away from cracking a tooth.
The fucker.
What he did to her is unspeakable, yet she finally managed to talk about it.
The fucking fucker. Paulie better find Todd Grant so I can rip his ball sack off and shove it down his throat.
“He finally left. I don’t know how long I lay there before the drug he gave me wore off. I got up and cleaned myself, then packed what I could into my car and left Houston.”
Her voice is void of emotion, and it cuts fucking deep into my soul.
“I know I should’ve gone to the police, but I was so traumatized, all I could think to do was run.”
It feels as if my soul is hemorrhaging from hearing the hell she had to endure.
“I don’t know how he drugged me. I don’t know what he did to me while I was unconscious. All I know is I lost a part of myself, and I don’t think I’ll ever get it back.”
I want to pull her into my arms, but I’m scared it will stop her from talking. She’s finally opening up, and I don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize it.
She lets out a sigh that sounds like it came straight from her soul. “Wow. It feels cathartic to finally say it out loud. It’s true what they say…”
Her eyes lift to mine. “the burden becomes lighter if you share it with someone.”
My voice is hoarse as I murmur, “I’d take it all if I could, so you didn’t have to carry any of it.”
She inches closer to me, and I finally get to wrap my arms around her. Holding her tightly, I press a kiss to her hair and hate the fucking balaclava for being in the way.
“I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you,” I whisper, so my voice doesn’t sound harsh because she might recognize me then.
I fold my body around hers in an attempt to get as close as possible to her.
“You’re so fucking strong, Samantha. You amaze me.”
“I don’t want what he did to me to define the rest of my life,” she admits.
“It won’t. You’ve already made so much progress.”
She tilts her head back so she can meet my eyes. “Any progress I’ve made is thanks to you.”
“No, baby. You did it all on your own.”
We stare at each other while a violent storm rages inside me. I can’t fathom how this woman survived such a nightmare, yet here she is.
Now I understand why she fears men. Her trust has been obliterated. Needing to know, I ask, “Do you trust me?”
She doesn’t hesitate and nods. “Close your eyes, baby.”
She shuts them, and I wait a few seconds, then say, “Don’t open them until I tell you to. Okay?”
“Okay.”
As I pull the balaclava up, my heart beats faster.
If she opens her eyes now, I’m fucked.
Closing the distance between us, I press my mouth softly against hers.
She gasps against my lips, then her hand darts up to my face, and I feel her palm against my jaw.
At first I kiss her gently, but then Samantha’s tongue brushes over the seam of my mouth. Our tongues touch, and as I enter her mouth, a soft moan escapes her.
The urgency in me grows, and needing more, I deepen the kiss.
I feel the connection I have with her in the deepest parts of my soul.
I love this woman.
Pushing her onto her back, my teeth tug at her bottom lip before I devour her as if she’s the last meal I’ll ever have.
I taste every inch of her mouth and knead her lips until they feel hot against mine.
I pour everything I feel for her into the kiss because I don’t know whether I’ll get another chance again.
Samantha The way my mystery man kisses me makes me feel loved and treasured.
He sweeps me away from the memories of Todd and takes me to a world where I’m whole.
I’ve been violated and destroyed, but I’m intact, and it’s because of this man.
It feels like every choice I made, everything that happened to me, led me to this moment.
It led me to him.
Slowly, he ends the kiss and presses my face against his neck. I feel as he adjusts his mask into place before he holds me tightly.
His voice is filled with emotion as he says, “You’re such an amazing woman, Samantha. I’ve fallen in love with you, which is a feat in itself because I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
Placing my hand against his ribs, I ask, “Then why won’t you show me your face?”
He’s quiet for a while before he explains, “I’m scared you’ll reject me.” “I won’t.”
He pulls back, and our eyes meet. “What if I’m not who you expect?” “I’m not expecting anything. I don’t care if you have two noses and purple hair. I want to see what the man I’m falling for looks like. I want to know your name. I want to get to know everything about you.”
I can see he’s thinking about it, then he says, “Can I have a couple more days?”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, I nod. “Okay.”
As my apartment grows dark, we lie on my bed and stare at each other. “Are you really falling in love with me?” he asks softly.
I scrunch my nose. “Insane, right? Only I would fall for a man whose face I’ve never seen.” I lift my hand and trail my fingers over the ski mask. “Every part of me is drawn to you. The connection I feel to you is unbelievably strong.”
His hand covers mine, and he presses my palm to his chest. “Feel that?” “Your heartbeat?”
He nods, his eyes staring so deep into mine I’m sure he’s looking at the darkest parts of me. “Every beat is for you. I need you to remember that when I take off the balaclava.”
“Stop worrying.” I give him a reassuring smile. “I don’t care what you look like, or what your name is. I just want to put a face to the man I’m falling for and call you something else besides my mystery man.”
His fingers wrap around mine as he whispers, “No matter what happens, I want you to know I love you.” He wraps his arms around me and hugs me to his chest. “I have to go.”
“Okay.”
When he pulls away from me, we climb off the bed and I follow him to the living room.
My mystery man stops a couple of feet from the window, and wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he tugs me closer.
“On Wednesday night, I’ll come get you. I’m going to blindfold you and take you to my place, where I’ll take off the balaclava. Are you okay with that?”
I’ll be able to learn more about him if I see where he lives. “I don’t understand why I’ll be blindfolded, but okay.”
“I don’t want anything to give away my identity until we’re in my house,” he explains.
“What would give away your identity?” My eyes widen. “Are you famous?”
“Something like that,” he chuckles. He closes the distance and presses a quick kiss to my lips. “See you Wednesday night.”
“I look forward to it.”
I watch as he climbs through the window and disappears down the fire escape.
Excitement bubbles in my chest, but then I think about work tomorrow, and the smile drops from my face.