felt empty and numb. She couldn't
stop thinking about her dad and how she'd disappointed him, and to a point, he
her. But she loved him and knew he'd loved her back. She'd give anything to
have more time with him, or at least a fleeting moment to tell him she was
sorry.
Then there were the conflicting test results.
The negative today was as much a relief as it was alarming. Which was the
accurate reading? She could be walking around with a deadly disease in her, or
she could be perfectly fine. She was probably clean given the favorable newer
test results, but that dreaded “what if” still gnawed at her imagination.
Had Beck Hammond created fake test results to
scare her into obeying him? He’d sometimes used her supposed medicine as a
bargaining chip to gain her cooperation. He’d gone on and on about how she
would never be able to afford the medicine on her own and that she needed him
to pay for it. Had those pills even been medicinal or a mere placebo?
“Kayla.”
She stiffened, head jerking at near
neck-snapping speed when she heard Travis's voice as he entered the bathroom,
shutting the door behind him. “Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I sit in here and talk to you
while you wash? I won't look at you none , and I
promise I'll leave before you get out.”
She nodded, feeling dumb when she realized he
couldn't see her do so through the opaque shower curtain. “That's fine.”
It sounded like he sat on the closed lid of
the toilet seat. “I want you to tell me—”
“Let me go first.” Anything
to keep his pesky questions from unearthing her soul-scarring past.
“All right, go ahead.”
“What did you mean yesterday when you said
that you, Jake, and Keith had waited for me?”
A telling pause occupied the space she
expected his answer to.
“The three of us have loved you since you
turned eighteen.”
She felt her lips tweak to form a sassy half
smile. “Everything magically changed on my eighteenth birthday, huh?”
“Well, we might have—and the key word is might —have noticed you a few months or a year before that. We were kind of in denial,
though, because you were so young.”
Her head dropped to watch the water run down
the drain. It was there, and then it was gone, like passing moments in her
life, never to return. Haunting, tragic lyrics ran back through her head,
touching and breaking her heart as the song reminded her that nothing lasted
forever but the earth and sky.
She shoved the heart-wrenching lines from her
head. “Was that the only reason you turned me down that night all those years
ago—because I was so young?”
“Well, that and the lifestyle we live.”
“Ranching or BDSM?”
He hesitated before answering. “Both.”
“I'm a lot stronger than you think I am,
Travis.” That was an understatement. She'd been through hell and survived
somehow.
“I know you are. You're the strongest woman I
know.”
She wouldn't take it that far. His sister,
Miranda was a hell of a lot stronger, but Kayla's heart warmed at his praise.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. We all had a fight about
you. After the way you professed your love for me and I turned you down, then
you cried your eyes out over seeing Jake with another woman, and you ran to
Keith and let him kiss you.”
She recalled the intoxicating bliss and
amorous sweetness of that first kiss with Keith Langley. Pure
heaven. Travis and Jake had walked into the orchard and seen Keith
kissing her. The brothers had argued and then basically turned on her and all
but called her a fickle flirt. The words still hurt, but she'd eventually
accepted the label and let her dream of being with all three of them die.
But somehow it hadn't. Despite the horrors
she'd suffered and the years that had gone by, she still loved them all dearly,
and the dreamer in her still imagined the four of them together. It wasn't
realistic, but her heart refused to listen to reason as it repeatedly asked
“Why not?”
“We quit talking to each
stop thinking about her dad and how she'd disappointed him, and to a point, he
her. But she loved him and knew he'd loved her back. She'd give anything to
have more time with him, or at least a fleeting moment to tell him she was
sorry.
Then there were the conflicting test results.
The negative today was as much a relief as it was alarming. Which was the
accurate reading? She could be walking around with a deadly disease in her, or
she could be perfectly fine. She was probably clean given the favorable newer
test results, but that dreaded “what if” still gnawed at her imagination.
Had Beck Hammond created fake test results to
scare her into obeying him? He’d sometimes used her supposed medicine as a
bargaining chip to gain her cooperation. He’d gone on and on about how she
would never be able to afford the medicine on her own and that she needed him
to pay for it. Had those pills even been medicinal or a mere placebo?
“Kayla.”
She stiffened, head jerking at near
neck-snapping speed when she heard Travis's voice as he entered the bathroom,
shutting the door behind him. “Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I sit in here and talk to you
while you wash? I won't look at you none , and I
promise I'll leave before you get out.”
She nodded, feeling dumb when she realized he
couldn't see her do so through the opaque shower curtain. “That's fine.”
It sounded like he sat on the closed lid of
the toilet seat. “I want you to tell me—”
“Let me go first.” Anything
to keep his pesky questions from unearthing her soul-scarring past.
“All right, go ahead.”
“What did you mean yesterday when you said
that you, Jake, and Keith had waited for me?”
A telling pause occupied the space she
expected his answer to.
“The three of us have loved you since you
turned eighteen.”
She felt her lips tweak to form a sassy half
smile. “Everything magically changed on my eighteenth birthday, huh?”
“Well, we might have—and the key word is might —have noticed you a few months or a year before that. We were kind of in denial,
though, because you were so young.”
Her head dropped to watch the water run down
the drain. It was there, and then it was gone, like passing moments in her
life, never to return. Haunting, tragic lyrics ran back through her head,
touching and breaking her heart as the song reminded her that nothing lasted
forever but the earth and sky.
She shoved the heart-wrenching lines from her
head. “Was that the only reason you turned me down that night all those years
ago—because I was so young?”
“Well, that and the lifestyle we live.”
“Ranching or BDSM?”
He hesitated before answering. “Both.”
“I'm a lot stronger than you think I am,
Travis.” That was an understatement. She'd been through hell and survived
somehow.
“I know you are. You're the strongest woman I
know.”
She wouldn't take it that far. His sister,
Miranda was a hell of a lot stronger, but Kayla's heart warmed at his praise.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. We all had a fight about
you. After the way you professed your love for me and I turned you down, then
you cried your eyes out over seeing Jake with another woman, and you ran to
Keith and let him kiss you.”
She recalled the intoxicating bliss and
amorous sweetness of that first kiss with Keith Langley. Pure
heaven. Travis and Jake had walked into the orchard and seen Keith
kissing her. The brothers had argued and then basically turned on her and all
but called her a fickle flirt. The words still hurt, but she'd eventually
accepted the label and let her dream of being with all three of them die.
But somehow it hadn't. Despite the horrors
she'd suffered and the years that had gone by, she still loved them all dearly,
and the dreamer in her still imagined the four of them together. It wasn't
realistic, but her heart refused to listen to reason as it repeatedly asked
“Why not?”
“We quit talking to each
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