Page 44 of The Billionaire's Angel

“Then they grabbed me, took me to their base and came at me with threats and ultimatums. And you think that's what it's going to be. The shouting and the pain. But then they throw you in a cell and leave you there. Alone. You think it's going to be all about the torture, but the boredom is almost asbad.

“Sometimes I think that's what knocked something loose in my head. All those long stretches of nothing and thenboom.I'd be tied to a chair, and there'd be a camera, and they'd be trying to get me to confess to… Whatever they wanted that day. And everything inside me would focus on just not dying, just not talking, and then I'd wake up back in the cell, and I'dwait.”

A sob of sheer relief broke free in my chest.He knew.Gage knew something I never thought I'd be able to put into words. It wasn't just the pain; it wasn't just the randomness of the attacks. It was the long stretches of isolated boredom inbetween.

It was the waiting that made youcrazy.

I'd had a beautiful house, but in the end, it hadn't been much better than Gage's cell. I'd been alone. No one to talk to. No Internet. No telephone. No friends. Endless days alone interspersed with sudden, terrifying violence. I never in my life thought I'd find another person who understood what that was like, the way it warped your sense ofreality.

“Angel, don't cry. Please, don'tcry.”

His thumb rubbed the tears from my cheek, and I said through hitching breaths, “I'm okay. I'm okay. It's just…You know. You know what it was like. The way it gets in your headand–”

His arm tightened around me, and his lips dropped to my forehead, rubbing my skin as he said, “I know, Angel. Iknow.”

I don't know how long we lay there, Gage holding me against him, our legs tangled, my tears soaking his T-shirt as he stroked my cheek and ran his fingers through myhair.

He only spoke once. “I'll go if you go. I'll talk to Cooper. He's got someone on staff. Those guys see some shit in their jobs, and he has a lot of ex-military. He'll have some names for me. He'll probably be able to suggest someone for you. I don't want you to live like this anymore, with these nightmares, remembering what he did to you.” Before I could speak, Gage went on, “I don't want to live like this anymore either. I want my lifeback.”

“Okay,” I said, winding my arm around his back and stroking my fingers down hisspine.

He'd go if I’d go. I'd spent so long living in fear, but I'd been willing to accept a lesser version of it as normal. As safety. But it wasn't normal. As long as Anthony could stalk me in my sleep, I’d never truly feelsafe.

I relaxed against Gage, letting him surround me, sinking into the feel of his fingers in my hair, his hard chest beneath my cheek, the muscles of his back under my hand. I don't know when it changed. When those strokes on my skin shifted from soothing tosensual.

I don't remember deciding to reach up and pull his face to mine. I just remember his mouth, gentle at first, then opening, his tongue stroking mine, his body shifting to press me back into the mattress, rising aboveme.

Chapter Eighteen

Sophie

He kissedme like that forever. Long, drugging kisses that had my head spinning. Then he was on top of me, settled between my legs, his fingers on the top button of my white nightgown. I tried to sit up, and he raised his head, his blue eyes hot on mine when he said, “Don't move. I don't want you to hurt yourhead.”

“My head doesn't hurt,” I lied. I'd gotten so used to the dull ache from the bump on my head I was almost able to ignore it. I'd spent most of the day in bed, despite insisting that I was fine, outvoted by every single person in the household. Hell must have frozen over because even Mrs. W and Amelia had agreed I belonged inbed.

Gage shook his head. “If you think you can lay still, I'm going to undo this button. Then I'm going to undo the next one. And the one after that. But if you're going tomove…”

I opened my mouth to argue, then abruptly snapped it shut. What the heck was I fighting about? Did I really want Gage to stop? I knew if I did, he would. All I had to do was tell him I wasn't interested, or I needed time, and he would backoff.

In answer, I settled back into the pillows, a smug little smile playing across my lips as Gage slipped free the first tiny, faux pearl button. My nightgown, like my others, was made of sheer white cotton, trimmed in lace. It wasn't sexy, by any means, but it wasn't the virginal white flannel Anthony had made mewear.

It wasn't seductive, but it was pretty. Feminine. This one had a row of buttons from the scooped neck line to below my waist. So many tiny buttons and Gage was undoing them, one byone.

He lay between my legs, propped up on one elbow, his eyes fixed on the inches of skin he was baring, button by button. When he reached the bottom of my rib cage, I was sure he would fold the nightgown back to reveal my breasts, but hedidn't.

He traced a finger along the inner swell of one breast, sliding it beneath the cotton to stroke my warm skin. A low hum of appreciation sounded in his throat before he withdrew his hand from the nightgown and went back to thebuttons.

He slid down a few inches, putting his face level with my breastbone, and turned a little on his side so he could reach the last of the buttons, just below my belly button. Finally,finally, he folded the nightgown back, carefully, precisely, baring my breasts to his hot bluegaze.

“Sophie,” he breathed. That was it. Just,Sophie. Then, a little louder, his voice gravelly and strained, he said, “If you change your mind just tell me to stop, okay? Just tell me, and I'llstop.”

I didn't want him to stop. I couldn't imagine ever wanting him to stop. I wanted him to speed up, not stop. My nipples had drawn into tight beads under his eyes, my breasts swollen and hot, needing his touch. I shifted restlessly beneath him, and his eyes flashed atmine.

I saw a quick, mischievous grin before he murmured, “Don’t move and I'll give you what youwant.”

I tried. I swear, I really tried. But as his hot mouth closed over one nipple and his finger teased the other, I just couldn't. I arched my chest, pressing my breast harder into his hand, rising to the heated suction of his mouth, the flick of his tongue against the torturedpeak.

I heard myself gasp and moan. My knees lifted, legs wrapping around his body. I whimpered his name. I may have begged a little. He only switched sides, scraping his teeth against my skin, sending shards of pleasure arcing through mybody.