me?"
"I promised you. I don't have much, Liana," he said. "But I have my word."
"But I'm the one who lied."
"I should never have gotten involved with you back then. I should have known it would only lead to you getting hurt. The idea that he hurt you--after I promised I wouldn't let him. I knew what he was capable of--I saw it, and I fucked up so bad. That's nobody's fault but mine."
"But don’t you see, Nick? Yes, it was hard, it was awful, but I never would have made it out of that house if it weren't for you. You taught me to rebel. You taught me that I had worth as person, not just the perfect princess Noel wanted to make me into. You taught me I deserved better."
"You didn't need me to teach you that. You do deserve better," he said with a sigh, leaning his head back on the couch, his hands falling away from her. "Better than this." He reminded himself of earlier, the way he'd tried to take Liana by force while she stood like a doll, with no will of her own. There was that side of him that wanted to dominate her, even to punish her; he feared that it hadn't been killed, was only sleeping.
And that he could be responsible for hurting her when all he'd ever wanted was to take away her pain--he couldn't live with himself. And if that meant keeping hands off--and his cock away from--Liana for as long as it took, he was prepared to make that sacrifice.
The doorbell rang. Liana glanced at the clock on the oven, the back of her neck suddenly feeling damp, its tiny hairs on high alert. She scolded herself. She was being paranoid.
"Liana?" called Kirrily from outside the door.
In a split-second, the two had separated from opposite sides of the couch. Nick had removed himself from Liana completely, as if he realized the dangerous position they'd been in. Force of habit, she supposed. She didn't know what it was like to be with Nick in peace, in freedom, without fear of punishment--and he didn't know how to be with her that way, either. But he glanced back at her now, as confused as she was. His eyes had changed, no longer open, a look of resolve, of taking charge.
That was another side of him Liana had known and loved, but it was also, she knew, a safer one for Nick. He'd let it fall, briefly. She wondered if he'd ever be so careless as to do it again.
"Expecting someone?" He raised his eyebrows pointedly as she slid off the couch, adrenaline still swirling around in her blood, tearing her gaze away from the gorgeous young man she had just realized was sitting next to her, who had recently been close enough to leave his warmth, his scent of the outdoors, on her skin.
She suspected Kirrily would be able to tell what had just happened. Liana knew Nick was watching her as she accepted the plain brown package, whose return address she didn't recognize. It wasn't from New York, which made her breathe at least a temporary sigh of relief.
"Aren't you going to open it?"
"I--" she didn't want Kirrily or Nick to think it was a sex toy or something equally embarrassing. But over the past few months, unexpected packages had never contained anything she wanted to see. "It's...it's nothing – just something from a friend in New York," she said. Immediately, she regretted the explanation she'd given.
"Open it," said Nick. He sounded serious.
"I--I don't know if I can."
But he wasn’t backing down. For whatever reason, he’d decided this was something he needed to see. Maybe because Tryg had told him to keep an eye on her, maybe out of his own curiosity. But Liana suspected it would be something he’d wish he hadn’t.
Gingerly, she pried the tape off the ends and tore apart the rest of the envelope. A clump of withered rose petals fluttered out, along with a note on a sheet of stationery, one that looked like the type they gave out for free in hotel rooms. "I'm getting tired of waiting. -Jack." She dropped the package as if it were
"I promised you. I don't have much, Liana," he said. "But I have my word."
"But I'm the one who lied."
"I should never have gotten involved with you back then. I should have known it would only lead to you getting hurt. The idea that he hurt you--after I promised I wouldn't let him. I knew what he was capable of--I saw it, and I fucked up so bad. That's nobody's fault but mine."
"But don’t you see, Nick? Yes, it was hard, it was awful, but I never would have made it out of that house if it weren't for you. You taught me to rebel. You taught me that I had worth as person, not just the perfect princess Noel wanted to make me into. You taught me I deserved better."
"You didn't need me to teach you that. You do deserve better," he said with a sigh, leaning his head back on the couch, his hands falling away from her. "Better than this." He reminded himself of earlier, the way he'd tried to take Liana by force while she stood like a doll, with no will of her own. There was that side of him that wanted to dominate her, even to punish her; he feared that it hadn't been killed, was only sleeping.
And that he could be responsible for hurting her when all he'd ever wanted was to take away her pain--he couldn't live with himself. And if that meant keeping hands off--and his cock away from--Liana for as long as it took, he was prepared to make that sacrifice.
The doorbell rang. Liana glanced at the clock on the oven, the back of her neck suddenly feeling damp, its tiny hairs on high alert. She scolded herself. She was being paranoid.
"Liana?" called Kirrily from outside the door.
In a split-second, the two had separated from opposite sides of the couch. Nick had removed himself from Liana completely, as if he realized the dangerous position they'd been in. Force of habit, she supposed. She didn't know what it was like to be with Nick in peace, in freedom, without fear of punishment--and he didn't know how to be with her that way, either. But he glanced back at her now, as confused as she was. His eyes had changed, no longer open, a look of resolve, of taking charge.
That was another side of him Liana had known and loved, but it was also, she knew, a safer one for Nick. He'd let it fall, briefly. She wondered if he'd ever be so careless as to do it again.
"Expecting someone?" He raised his eyebrows pointedly as she slid off the couch, adrenaline still swirling around in her blood, tearing her gaze away from the gorgeous young man she had just realized was sitting next to her, who had recently been close enough to leave his warmth, his scent of the outdoors, on her skin.
She suspected Kirrily would be able to tell what had just happened. Liana knew Nick was watching her as she accepted the plain brown package, whose return address she didn't recognize. It wasn't from New York, which made her breathe at least a temporary sigh of relief.
"Aren't you going to open it?"
"I--" she didn't want Kirrily or Nick to think it was a sex toy or something equally embarrassing. But over the past few months, unexpected packages had never contained anything she wanted to see. "It's...it's nothing – just something from a friend in New York," she said. Immediately, she regretted the explanation she'd given.
"Open it," said Nick. He sounded serious.
"I--I don't know if I can."
But he wasn’t backing down. For whatever reason, he’d decided this was something he needed to see. Maybe because Tryg had told him to keep an eye on her, maybe out of his own curiosity. But Liana suspected it would be something he’d wish he hadn’t.
Gingerly, she pried the tape off the ends and tore apart the rest of the envelope. A clump of withered rose petals fluttered out, along with a note on a sheet of stationery, one that looked like the type they gave out for free in hotel rooms. "I'm getting tired of waiting. -Jack." She dropped the package as if it were
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