Page 104 of The Devil’s Lair

“Thank you.” He leans forward and kisses me. “For coming into my life. For being so fucking patient and understanding. I’ve always thought I had my family to rely on, to talk to, but what I have with you, it’s different. Deeper. I didn’t know what I was missing, and now that I do, I’m never letting you go.”

I snuggle closer, burrowing into his arms. He trails his fingertips up and down my spine, over the bumpy ugliness of the scars Marcus gave me.

“Horrible, aren’t they?”

His jaw clenches. “When Frank put a bullet in him, I hope he knew death was inevitable. I hope he was terrified at the end. I only wish I could have stopped him from ever hurting you in the first place.”

I press a kiss to his throat where his pulse is hammering. “But you’re making it better, Tobias. Every day, it gets easier, the memories fade, even if the scars remain.”

“If you want, we can go to see a plastic surgeon and have them take care of these.”

I take a second to consider whether I want that, then shake my head. “No. They remind me of what I’ve survived and how resilient I am. Without them, I wouldn’t have found you. I never thought I’d be able to let another man touch me, then along you came and changed my life.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, content just to be in each other’s arms. With Marcus, sex was a physical act, a way to exert his power. With Tobias, I’ve experienced true intimacy between two people who connected on a far deeper level than simply physical.

“Have you told your dad yet about Ava?”

“No.” He braces both arms behind his head and stares at the ceiling. “I discussed it with Lilian at my last session.”

“What did she say?”

“That I’ll know when the time is right.” He sighs deeply. “The problem is I know my dad. He’ll blame himself, and I’m not ready for that.”

I don’t reassure him because he’s right, his dad probably will blame himself. It’s called being a parent. For a long time, I blamed myself for what Marcus did to Isla. If I’d found the courage to leave when the abuse first started happening, my little girl wouldn’t have suffered the trauma she did.

“Any news from the investigator?”

He sighs. “Not yet.”

“What if they run?”

“Let them try. I’ll track them down. There isn’t anywhere on Earth they can hide where my family or our associates won’t be able to find them.”

I hope he’s right. I can’t bear the thought of them getting away with what they did to him.

His arms tighten around me, protective without being confining. It's a distinction I'm still learning. "Go to sleep, Wren," he whispers. "I've got you."

I close my eyes, and for the first time in five years, I let myself drift off in someone else's arms without fear of what I'll wake up to.

Chapter Thirty-One

TOBIAS

Rebecca’s eyelids flutter, and at first I think she’s rousing only to realize she’s dreaming. I’ve been watching her sleep for more than an hour, and my left arm has gone numb where she’s lying on it. I don’t care.

I’m no longer a virgin. I didn’t freak out. She didn’t freak out. It was fucking incredible.

The clock by the side of her bed ticks toward seven a.m.

Isla will probably be up soon, which means I should sneak off before she comes in here looking for her mother. What happened between us last night was so unexpected, neither of us discussed how it might impact Isla, and I wouldn’t want her upset to see us in bed together. She may be fine, but she may not, and until Rebecca and I have had that conversation, it seems best to avoid it.

As gently as I can, I slide my arm from beneath her head and peel back the covers. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and bend down to pick up my trousers.

“You’re leaving?”

I glance over my shoulder at my wife, all bleary eyed and mussy haired. She’s never looked more stunning.

“Isla…”