Vin nodded in understanding and linked his fingers through hers. “It’s okay,” he reassured her and sighed in relief when she continued.
“The police officer went to my house and questioned my father. He convinced him I was lying and my mother backed him up,” she said brokenly as tears began to stream down her face again. “If she’d just told the truth maybe we could have gotten away from him. Maybe they would’ve seen him for what he was and those poor women...” she cried.
Vin dragged her against his chest and felt the tears leaking quickly through his dress shirt as her sobs consumed her. When she finally quieted, he asked, “What happened after that?”
“I was waiting at the police station,” she choked out as she fought to get herself under control. “I thought it was over – I thought they’d arrest him and I could go home and my mom and I could pack our stuff and leave...start over.” She took in a couple of long breaths. “And then he walked into the room and I knew...” she began.
“Your father?” Vin said as he stroked his palm up and down her back.
She nodded against his chest. “He beat her so bad that night that I was sure she would die. I never said another word about it to anyone else,” she said softly.
“How’d you get out of the house, Mia?”
“I snuck a spoon out of the kitchen and used it to pry one of the nails loose on the board covering my window. It took all night and most of the next morning because the spoon kept bending. When I did finally get out, I saw the van and I knew he was back and it would just be a matter of time before he realized I was gone. I couldn’t go back into that place...” she whispered harshly.
Vin forced himself to remain calm as he imagined how scared and alone Mia must have felt at that moment and the desperation that must have been driving her to choose taking her life rather than facing her abuser. “You chose to cross the fence,” he mumbled.
“I ran as fast as I could so it wouldn’t hurt so much. I thought it would be quick.” She laughed harshly against his chest. “Two years...I spent two years worrying that any sudden move would set it off.” Vin felt her fist tighten in his shirt and he dropped his lips down on her head in an attempt to soothe her. “I was such a fool.”
Vin lifted her head up so that she was forced to look at him. “I think you’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met,” he said gently as he used his thumbs to wipe away the stray tears that slid down her pale skin. Her eyes settled on him and he felt a shot of lust go through him when her hands brushed his sides.
It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest they call it a night but before the words could leave his lips, she was pressing up against him, her trembling mouth brushing over his. The kiss was whisper soft and chaste and he was sure it was over before it had begun when she drew back slightly. But then she was back and the pressure on his mouth increased as she tipped her head and focused on his upper lip, then his lower one. When she pulled back once more, he opened his mouth to tell her they had to stop but Mia chose that exact moment to kiss him again and he felt her breath mingle with his as her tongue darted over his upper lip.
Vin shuddered at the contact and then snagged a hand around the back of her head. All his intentions to do the honorable thing evaporated when her tongue shyly dipped into his mouth and he met it with his own. She squeaked in surprise when their tongues touched and a warning went through his head that her reaction was a clear sign that she truly was innocent, but his body, especially his dick, didn’t care. As her tongue disappeared back into her mouth, he followed and forced her lips farther open with his. She stiffened for just a moment before suddenly becoming completely pliant and his desire went into overdrive as he lavished every surface of her mouth with attention. Her sweet flavor burst on his tongue and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping an arm around her waist and dragging her closer.
Mia whimpered as he continued to kiss her and he felt arms snake around his neck as he dragged her against him so her breasts were aligned with his chest and she was all but straddling his lap. A voice in his head kept telling him to back off because things were getting out of hand but every time he told himself this kiss would be the last, his mouth refused to heed his order and went back for more. It was Mia who finally drew back as she desperately tried to catch her breath, but instead of releasing her like he should have, his mouth searched out the soft skin of her throat. But the second his lips brushed over the scarred skin, she froze against him and he knew it was over. She scrambled from his lap before he could even say anything and then she stood there, her wide eyes a mix of lust and confusion.
“Mia,” he began.
She shook her head violently and then turned and left the den, Bane on her heels. Vin shifted on the couch to try and ease the aching in his suddenly too tight pants and ran a hand through his hair. The second he’d realized Mia would be stuck with him for the foreseeable future, he’d decided on one rule and that was not to touch her. Less than two weeks in and she’d managed to strip him of that with a simple, innocent, mind-blowing kiss. God, he was so fucked.
Chapter 4
She’d kissed him. The man had ignored her for two solid weeks and the first time he paid her any attention, she’d kissed him. What was wrong with her? Mia buried her face in her pillow as shame washed over her. Not only had she kissed him, she’d crawled up his body in an effort to draw in more of his delicious heat but the second he’d touched her scar, all the desire that had been surging through her had been snuffed out. And then he’d said her name and given her that piteous look, the one that even she in her inexperience had recognized.
Her first mistake had been opening her mouth and telling Vin more of her shameful secrets. A man as strong and powerful and confident as him wouldn’t have any choice but to try and alleviate her distress and she’d turned his attempt to comfort into something it wasn’t. She could just imagine the sad looks she’d be getting tomorrow. Or worse, the ‘last night was a mistake’ conversation.
Mia flopped onto her back and let her hand drift over Bane’s smooth fur. She’d gotten too comfortable. That was her mistake. The security of the house, being needed by a group of rag tag animals that no one wanted. Being needed had felt good. Being safe had felt even better. But it was time to figure out her next move because if she didn’t, she’d probably end up doing something really stupid like falling for the gorgeous homeowner who clearly wanted nothing to do with her.
***
“May I use your computer?”
Vin put down his coffee at the sound of her voice and stopped reading through the endless emails that he’d been trying to get a handle on ever since he’d gotten back to the office. He’d never know how the hell Dom had managed to keep things running for so long on his own because the problems that cropped up seemed endless.
Mia stood in the doorway leading to the kitchen, that God awful yellow dress covering her slight frame.
“It’s in the study,” he said as he stood up and grabbed his mug. Coffee?” he asked her as he refilled the cup.
She shook her head and he moved past her, ignoring the tension that wafted off her. He also ignored the memory of her full breasts mashed against his chest as those soft lips brushed over his. He reached the study and entered the password on his computer, then called up the Internet and punched in a website before moving back so she could sit in the leather desk chair. As her fingers closed over the mouse, he dropped his hand over hers to prevent her from navigating off the page. She looked up at him in confusion.
“The dress needs to go, Mia,” he said softly and almost smiled at the horror that passed over her features. He realized how his words sounded and motioned to the screen. “I have an account on this site. Order a few things. There’s an option for the store to deliver them the same day.”
She glanced at the site and then down at her dress. “What’s wrong with my dress?” she asked in confusion.
“What’s wrong with it is that every time I see you in it, all I picture is you
back in that shed.”
She stiffened and pulled her hand from under his. Her expression went blank and he wanted to grind his teeth in frustration. “Shutting down isn’t going to cut it,” he muttered and when she tried to stand, he leaned over the chair and boxed her in by putting his hands on the armrests.
He’d hoped for some kind of response but she had already withdrawn emotionally and it was pissing him off beyond all reason. It was ridiculous to think she owed him more than the others that had tried to help her like Dom and Logan, but he wanted it anyway. Before he could think better of it, Vin leaned down and sealed his mouth over hers. Her reaction was instant but unexpected. Instead of shoving him away or railing at him, she opened for him without hesitation. His good intentions went out the window as his tongue slid into her welcoming heat and he felt her hands close around his wrists as he began exploring her. And then she was kissing him back and his control snapped when her lush tongue twined with his.
Dragging her out of the chair, he pulled her tight against his body and fisted his hand in her hair to hold her still as he slanted his mouth over hers over and over. It took her freezing in his arms when she felt his hardness brush against her to get him to release her and put some space between them. “Fuck,” he muttered as he pushed her gently back in the chair and leaned over her once more. Her skin was flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses and it was all he could to do to keep himself from leaning in for another taste.
“I hate this fucking dress,” he whispered as he glanced at the dress. “Because it reminds me of what that fucker put you through and I want to reach down into the depths of hell and kill him all over again. So please do me this one favor and get something else because there’s no way in hell I can watch you parade around in those shorts and my shirt either,” he snapped before drawing back and spinning the chair so it faced the computer. He snagged his coffee where he’d left it on the corner of the desk and left the study.
***
“How are things going?”
Vin looked up from his computer to glance at Dom as he entered the office.
“Contracts really fucked up the Brigham deal,” he muttered.
“I meant with Mia,” Dom interrupted.
“Fine.”
He felt his brother’s sharp gaze on him and finally leaned back in his chair. “What?” he asked in irritation.
“How are things going?” Dom repeated.
“She’s struggling with the news that they found another body.”
Dom shook his head and sank down into the chair across from Vin’s desk. “Yeah. Declan’s pretty pissed that the local cops leaked that to the press.”
Declan Hale was Dom’s former brother-in-law and the lead detective on the case. Vin had only met the gruff cop a few times but he seemed like an okay guy.
“You better tell Declan it might be a while before she’s ready to talk to him. Her experience with cops hasn’t proven to be a very good one,” he said dryly before giving Dom a rundown of Mia’s attempts to ask the local police for help years earlier.
“At least you got her to talk,” Dom said.
Vin felt a wash of shame go through him as he remembered his less than stellar method of provoking Mia this morning and his too observant brother noticed.
“What did you do?” Dom asked. Vin remained silent and Dom shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus, Vin, are you kidding me?”
“Fuck, Dom, nothing happened,” he snapped. At Dom’s accusing glare, Vin felt his anger grow. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
“That girl saved two people I now consider family so she is my business. I didn’t put her up in your house so you could fuck around with her head.”
“Don’t you think I know that, Dom?” Vin yelled as he slammed his hand down on the desk. “I’ve got a handle on it.”
Dom fell silent though his disapproval was clear, and that stung. But it wasn’t as if his brother was pointing out something that wasn’t true. Vin’s reputation with women hadn’t been stellar after his disastrous relationship with Elise, though his search for Ren had more or less turned him into a monk the past year.
“She was upset yesterday and things got out of hand when I tried to comfort her. We kissed but that was it.” A sliver of guilt went through him at leaving out this morning’s encounter but since he didn’t have a reasonable explanation for that kiss, he wasn’t about to mention it to the overprotective Dom. “She knows it didn’t mean anything,” he said firmly.
“You sure about that?” Dom asked.
No. “Yes,” he bit out before returning his attention back to his computer. “We need to figure out our next steps with her,” he said. “She needs to start getting her life back together.” He knew the comment had him sounding like a heartless bastard but the truth was the sooner she was gone the better. The problem was, he just wasn’t sure if it was better for her or for him.
***
Shit, was he actually nervous? He’d traversed the most dangerous, war torn regions of the Middle East as both a SEAL and during his search for Ren, but the thought of confronting Mia again was actually making his gut churn with anxiety? How the fuck was that possible?
Vin went to the kitchen and snagged himself a beer. It had taken him all day to talk Mr. Brigham down after the contract fiasco but the man had finally conceded that only Barretti Security Group could supply the protection he needed for his contract workers in Syria. It was days like these when he missed his military work the most. At least he got to shoot people back then.
Since Briego had actually come around from the back of the house to greet him when he pulled up into the driveway, he guessed Mia was outside. As much as he would have liked to avoid her since his mood wasn’t all that great, they needed to clear the air about the two kisses that never should have happened. He carried his bottle with him to the backyard and leaned against the open patio door. A smile crossed his lips when he saw Mia playing with Briego and the strange looking little pig that he still hadn’t gotten used to acknowledging lived in his backyard. He’d been stunned to learn Santo, the groundskeeper, had turned the garden shed behind the house into a makeshift home for the animal. At least it kept Mia from setting the pig up in her room with the rest of her menagerie.
What surprised him more than his dog’s strange antics as he kept trying to herd the pig, was the fact that Mia was wearing a new outfit. It was as simple of an outfit as they came – jeans and a light sweater – but the fact that she’d humored him actually warmed something inside of him.
When Bane came over to greet him, Mia turned and then froze when she saw him. It was disappointing to see all the pleasure she’d been having seep out of her just because he’d shown up. She studied him for a moment, then went to sit on a blanket she’d spread out on the grass. He forced himself to move and didn’t ask her permission before plopping down next to her.
“Good day?” he asked as he took a swig of his beer.
She just shrugged.
“I like the outfit,” he said as he looked her up and down once more. God, she really was a pretty little thing and he felt his dick stirring in agreement.
“I only bought a couple of things. I’ll pay you back,” she quickly said.
That hadn’t been his point but he didn’t have the energy to fight with her about something so unimportant.
“Mia, do you know what happened to the dogs’ collars?” he asked as he watched Briego nuzzle against the pig that was snuffling around in the grass.
Mia remained stubbornly mute and he figured he knew the reason why. “They weren’t shock collars,” he said quietly. She snapped her head in his direction. “The controllers on the collar activate a doggy door along the side of the house. The dogs don’t feel a thing,” he explained.
She blushed and turned her head away. “I...I threw them in the water,” she stammered. “I’m sorry, I thought...”
“The dogs have a job to do but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them. Besides my b
rothers, they’re all I have,” he said.
Mia nodded. “I’ll pay to replace them.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just thought I’d ask before I got new ones.”
They both fell silent as they watched the dog and pig play. Bane was laying quietly next to Mia, his big head on her thigh.
“We need to talk about-” he began.
“The kiss. I know. I shouldn’t have done it,” she said softly, her eyes focused on the gently moving water beyond the house.
“It’s just that-”
“You’re older than me. More experienced. It was my first real kiss and I just got carried away. I’m sorry.”
Jesus, not only was his heart pounding at the admission she’d just made of how innocent she truly was, she was actually apologizing to him?
“Mia,” he tried again.
She finally looked at him. “Can we just forget it, Vin? Please?”
He saw she was embarrassed so he nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“The pig stays outside, Mia.”
She laughed and the sound reverberated through his ears. God, it was so deep and husky. And her eyes fucking lit up when she did it.
“Do you think if I gave an interview to one of the news stations the rest would leave me alone?” she said as she sobered once more.
“Not likely,” he admitted and at her crestfallen look he knew it wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for. “Why? Is that something you want to do?”
“Not really. But I want to start my life over. I want to find a job, get an apartment.”
That was exactly what he wanted too. So why did her saying it actually irritate him?
“I was looking at jobs online today but who’s going to hire me once they find out what my name is? Not to mention the reporters...”
Loving Vin (Barretti Security Series, #1) Page 4
