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She’s even more gorgeous now that I’ve claimed her. Yet those big, brown eyes keep darting away from mine whenever I try to hold her gaze. “Are you all right?” I finally ask. “Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head but still won’t look at me. “No. I mean, a little, but not in a bad way. I just… I don’t know what to do now.”
“Now? Now, you bask in what’s called the afterglow. You let me hold you for a little while. Will you?”
She rests her head on my shoulder, but I still feel her hesitation. I have to wonder if this is more than awkwardness after her first time. “You know, you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.”
“Oh, I know.”
It doesn’t seem that way. “What’s on your mind? Talk to me.” After stroking her back for a while, I feel the tension draining from her muscles and joints. Her weight settles on me as she relaxes, and I welcome it. I welcome all of her.
“You said something earlier,” she whispers in the dark. “About honesty? I don’t remember exactly what you said.”
Oh, hell, I hardly remember myself.
“And you’re right. I wasn’t honest with you. And now I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“I’m afraid you’ll tire of me now that we did this. I’m afraid something got ruined. And I really, really need this job. It’s all I have.”
“That can’t be true. What about your family?”
She only scoffs before pushing herself up on her elbow and staring at my chest. “You know I lied about that. And I know you know.” She bites down on her lip, and I hold my breath, waiting. “I do have the siblings I told you about, but it didn’t go the way I described. I was twelve when social workers came and took us all out of the apartment. All four of us. We got split up. I never saw them or my mom again.”
And there I was, worried she was lying because she was a plant from a rival family.
“When I turned eighteen, I was on my own. No more foster care, nothing like that, so I’ve been bouncing around for about a year now.”
“What do you mean, bouncing around?”
“I mean, I’ve been homeless.” Her voice cracks. “Sometimes I sleep in shelters, sometimes I sleep on a couch somewhere. I’ve had a couple of jobs, but none of them have lasted long. The only thing that ever came out of it was the people I worked with and how nice they were. They would let me crash for a few nights now and then. I found a way to get by, but… I can’t do that forever. That’s why I need to stay here. I’m sorry I lied, but I didn’t think you would hire me if I told you the truth.”
“Oh. Sarah.” She lets out a strangled gasp of surprise when I pull her closer and hold on tight. “I wish you had told me. I’m so sorry you went through that. You are the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
“All I did was—”
“You have fought like hell and moved forward when most people would lie down and die. That is strength. I can’t tell you how much I admire you.”
“But do you understand what I’m trying to say? Are you going to get rid of me?”
“What gave you that idea?” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then take her jaw in my hand and tilt her head until we’re eye to eye. I’m not going to let her dodge the question, no matter how she wants to.
“I… heard… something.” She closes her eyes and blows out a sigh. “I don’t wanna get anybody in trouble. But somebody around here told me you get tired of women, then you get rid of them. They were trying to warn me to be careful.”
“Grace. It had to be Grace.”
Her eyes fly open wide. “How did you know?”
I didn’t for sure, but there’s a reason I guessed as quickly as I did. “She’s a busybody. Thinks she knows better than everybody, all because she’s been here as long as she has. But she doesn’t have the first idea what she’s talking about.”
“So she was lying?”
“Not exactly.” She flinches. “I’m going to tell you the truth. I won’t sugarcoat things. Honesty is all we have, right?”
“The truth can hurt.”
“It can. And yes, she’s not wrong. I have been through my share of women. Not when I was with my late wife, though—when I find the right woman, that’s it. But in the years before I met her? I had my share of flings. Maybe more than my share. But that’s none of Grace’s business, and since I lost Nina, there hasn’t been another woman in my life. I guess she didn’t tell you that part.”
