She finally stopped fighting me, her eyes snapping open and her breathing deep and irregular. She yanked her wrists away from my grasp and immediately sat up, her eyes looking around the bedroom for her assailant. She gripped her chest and felt her own heartbeat against her palm. “Oh my god…” Bathed in sweat with messy hair, it seemed like she just finished a real battle.
“Sweetheart, it’s me. It’s just the two of us.” I kept my hands to myself, giving her a second to realize her surroundings. There were tears in her eyes, and they weren’t the kind of tears I liked to see. “It’s just a dream.”
“A dream…”
“Yes.” My hand moved into her hair, and I pushed the strands back, revealing her tear-stained cheeks. “I’m here. Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here. You’re safe.” I didn’t need to ask what her nightmare was about. There was only one person who ever tortured her. She was free from him, but her trauma would be there for a long time.
“Okay…” She wiped her tears with her fingertips and sniffled. She stayed still for a long time, slowly making sense of what just happened. She breathed deep and hard until her breathing returned to normal.
My hand rested on hers, reminding her I was there if she wanted to talk about it.
It didn’t seem like she did. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t apologize.” I gently tugged on her arm and brought her back toward me.
She moved into my chest and hugged me, cuddling into my body for protection. “The nightmares started after you rescued me. I know he’s gone, but…I guess I haven’t moved on yet.”
“It’ll take a long time before that happens.”
She rested against me, and the longer I held her, the calmer she seemed to be.
I didn’t want to be like Egor. I didn’t want to torture this woman and give her nightmares. Mia was a beautiful woman who deserved more than that. “I know I said I would save you if you did something for me in return. But, Mia, you don’t have to stay. You’re free to leave whenever you want.” I wanted to keep her as long as I wanted, to tie her up and whip her on the nights I was in the mood for something darker. But I’d grown to care about this woman, and I wanted her to have what she deserved—freedom. I didn’t want to be like Egor. I wanted to be better than him.
“I already knew that, Carter.” She sat back so she could look into my face. “But to be honest, I feel safe here. I want to stay here. When I was your prisoner at your other place, the idea of staying with you forever sounded tempting. The only reason I continued to fight was because of Luca. But now that he’s coming here…there’s nothing else for me out there. Luca’s father left me because he was selfish—”
“Pathetic,” I said. “The word you’re looking for is pathetic.” If I ever knocked up a woman, I would never turn my back on her. Even if it was a one-night stand that I didn’t even like, it wouldn’t make a difference.
Her eyes softened. “And then Egor ripped me away from my son and destroyed me…you’re the first good man I’ve ever met. All I want is a quiet life for Luca and me. I just want to work and make sure he goes to a good school and becomes a man I’ll be proud of. There’s nothing better out there, Carter. I want to stay here. I want to be with a man who can protect us. If it were just me, it would be a different story, but since I have a son…I need a man to keep him safe.” She took a deep breath, her eyes watering. “Because obviously, I can’t. I failed him. I left him in an orphanage without an explanation…”
“Don’t do that,” I whispered. “You’re rewriting history. That’s not what happened, Mia.”
“But that’s how he’ll see it.”
I shook my head. “No, he won’t. He loves you.”
“I don’t know…I hope so.”
I squeezed her hand. “I know so. There’s nothing my mother could ever do to make me stop loving her. I’m a grown man who doesn’t need her anymore, but my respect for her will never change. You and Luca are welcome to live here as long as you want. If you’re looking for protection, I fit the bill.”
“You’re so sweet, Carter. I feel like I’m getting the most out of the situation. I get to have my life back, I get to sleep with a beautiful man who’s kind, and I get to focus on raising my son. I can’t picture myself ever dating again, so having good sex with a friend is a dream come true for me. Until you meet someone you fall in love with, of course. If that day ever comes, you don’t have to worry about us. We’ll get out of your hair.”