Page 50 of The Princess and the SEAL

Chapter 22

Ryan

GISELLE INSISTED ON COOKING dinner. We went to a local fish market, and she picked out all the ingredients, making an incredible salmon dish with asparagus and potatoes. I was impressed that she could cook, but Giselle was full of surprises.

After dinner, we relaxed and had a glass of wine. It felt good to be alone with her in my place. Like a normal couple.

I was getting used to having her around.

She placed her hand on my thigh. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Tell me about your family.”

Anything but that.

“Why?”

“Because I’m curious.”

“But why does it matter?”

“Because Ryan, this is what people do. Talk. Express themselves. It’s not healthy to keep your life bottled up inside.”

My internal shield popped up as if I was going to war. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, allowing my SEAL training to take over and counteract the heat in my chest. “Why? Why should I tell you? You aren’t going to be there for me. You aren’t my girlfriend. You won’t be with me at the dock when I deploy or greeting me when I return. Why should I tell you anything?”

She bit her lower lip. “Because I care. I’m sorry my life is the way it is. But I still care about you. I will always care about you. Let me in.”

Fuck. What did I have to lose?

Oh yeah, my heart.

Maybe it would help me to share. I had never told a soul about my past. Not even my Teammates.

I took a deep breath, willing my hands not to shake.

“Fine, Giselle. My mom was a crack addict. Fucked so many men that she didn’t even know who my father was. I don’t even know who my father is. I’m a fucking bastard. She overdosed, and then CPS took me in. I was in the system my entire life. No one wants to adopt a little boy who’s a troublemaker. So, I got passed around to foster home after foster home. And I was abused. Daily. I watched my foster sister get raped. I tried to save her, but my foster dad beat the shit out of me.”

The second the words left my mouth, I instantly regretted them.

Giselle clasped her hands over her heart and looked at me with a combination of pity and horror. She would never see me the same way again. As her hero. I was beneath her. Definitely not suitable to date royalty.

She reached out to me, but I pulled away. “Ryan, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have. Look, I’m going to call it a night.” I went to my room and closed the door. Fuck. I was being a jerk. She was just trying to get close to me, but I couldn’t help myself.

Why had I let her in?

After my foster dad burned his cigarette into my neck, I vowed to be the biggest, baddest motherfucker in the world so no one would hurt me again.

But I hadn’t succeeded. Because someone was about to hurt me.

And that person wasn’t a motherfucker the size of a pickup truck.

That person was a beautiful princess.