needs stability, guidance, and someone who cares for her and will continue to show her she matters even when she acts out in an attempt to prove everyone in her life walks away when she needs them the most.”
Hmmm. He could do that. Had been doing that. “Do I need to back off?”
“Pursuing intercourse? No. Whatever you’ve been doing, keep doing it. Any major changes in your behavior toward her now will only solidify her reasons for not telling you.”
That was what stung the most. Bodie hadn’t told him. The trust he’d thought they were building between them fizzled, died. He might have to act as though this revelation hadn’t hacked him off at the knees, but Bodie was going to have to put some effort in to earn back what she’d lost.
He rose, sighing heavily as added weight thumped down on his shoulders. He’d stepped onto a minefield he wasn’t quite sure how to navigate. If his emotions weren’t twined with her, if his heart wasn’t into her one hundred percent, he’d walk away from her. How many times had he told Bodie the lifestyle was about trust? Asked her to trust him?
What else was she lying about?
Oh, he could understand why she’d lied to him about this. What her asshole parents would do to her, he wished on no one. Should they try get their dirty paws on his girl, he would deal with them once and for all. But it didn’t—couldn’t—erase the fact she’d evaded the topic and lied.
They’d be lucky if the relationship lasted.
But he wasn’t going to think like that, he chastised himself sternly. Giving up on her now wasn’t an option, and if he kept thoughts of breaking up with her in his head, she would sense them. His little liar was astute that way.
No, ending it wasn’t the right thing for either of them.
“I’ll take that into account,” he told Connie. “I’m so goddamn mad with her right now. Not only for lying about her experience, but for remaining in a position where she’s open to danger.” That he intended to remedy tonight, whether she liked it or not. She wouldn’t be living within snatching distance of her parents for the foreseeable future. He’d chain her to the fucking bed first. “I really want to make sure she can’t sit down for a week. A month.”
“That is, of course, your prerogative. You know my opinion.” Connie waved a hand toward the door. “Go find her and take her home, Braun. She’s had a long night. Just remember arguing with her won’t solve your problems, and if she has her back up, angry confrontation will only create a rift.”
“So sayeth the wise woman.”
She laughed tiredly. “Feeling like an old wise woman tonight. You’ve got my number if you need me. Now skedaddle and go let that girl know you still adore her. She’s terrified she’s going to lose you.”
Braun sighed again as he walked to the door. “She won’t, not over this. Thank you, Connie. I’m sorry we messed up your evening, but I really do appreciate it. You want me to send Liam in with a drink, give you some time alone?”
Connie shook her head and closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the couch. “Thanks, but no. You can switch the lights off if you wouldn’t mind; I’ll just grab a nap and recharge my batteries for an hour.”
“If you’re sure. There’s a spare bed in the house if you need it.”
She snorted. “Don’t think Bodie will appreciate sharing a bed with either me or you. I’m good here. Now don’t make me tell you a second time to go get your girl.”
Unwilling to anger an exhausted Mistress, Braun eased out of the room, killing the lights before he shut the door firmly. He hated imposing on her; he knew not all of her clients were the easiest to deal with. Some, like Bodie, were complex, and deciphering the way their minds worked put therapists such as Connie under a great deal of emotional and mental pressure.
Striding down the walkway, Braun’s thoughts turned from inconveniencing his friend, to the woman he desired fervently enough he was willing to forgo his next breath to have her.
Innocent.
It explained so much, he realized now. Everything she said and did, the way she acted sometimes, glimmered with that tint of innocence. He’d smudged it now, with his hands and mouth. Intended to do so much more than just smudge it before he was