Unleashing Sin - A. M. Wilson Page 0,47
are twitching.
After what feels like an eternity, he says, “Let me start this by sayin’ I love women of all shapes and sizes, but you used to be nothin’ but skin and bones. Sickly, even, and I’m not saying that to be an asshole, it’s just the truth. They starved you in that fuckin’ place. That said, I can’t even begin to describe how pleased I am to hear that a pair of size 0 jeans no longer fits you.” His brows relax, and his eyes soften in a way I’ve never seen them do before. “You scared me. I could hear you crying from in the kitchen, and all I could think was that I hurt you. Seeing that you’re getting healthy again is about as far in the opposite direction from my thoughts. That’s nothing to cry about.”
Everything he said was nice, but one thing, in particular, stood out to me. “I scared you?”
His face changes, beginning to shut down like I knew it could. Closing his eyes, he turns his face from mine, I watch his throat swallow, and when he opens them again, his expression is clear.
“Yeah,” he murmurs. “A little bit ago, we shared something that felt spectacular, but I know you aren’t ready for. I couldn’t tell what place you were in when you walked away, and then a few minutes later, I heard you sobbing like your entire world was ending. I was scared I hurt you the same way those bastards did. I can tell you if I ever did, I’d never forgive myself.”
“You wouldn’t.”
His eyes hold mine. “I could. Even if I didn’t mean to, I could.”
I place my palm along his bearded cheek. “You wouldn’t.”
“I appreciate the confidence. You good now? No more crying about a pair of jeans?”
I smile slightly and nod.
“Good. We’re going to eat, and then I’m taking you clothes shopping. No more of this bi-weekly delivery from Elias’s mother. That woman lives to shop, but she’s not doing you any favors by bringing clothes to you.”
“Elias’s mom is the one buying me clothes? Why didn’t either of you tell me?”
Alex slides out from beneath me and stands, wiping his hands along the legs of his jeans. “It wasn’t important. You needed to focus on other things. Though, now I think is a perfect time.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You can.” He commands my attention with just his voice. I give it to him. “I’ll be by your side the entire time. Not a single man will look at you.”
My mind goes to the one place it always does when I think back to some of those dark times. “It’s not just the men I’m afraid of,” I whisper.
Alex reaches down and grabs the pair of sweatpants I left on the floor. Approaching me, he holds them out. The gesture reminds me instantly that I’m still naked from the waist down. And he was holding me in his lap. Why does that send a rush of adrenaline through me?
“What does that mean?”
Without making eye contact, I dress as quickly as possible. “It’s not just men. There are women too.”
“Explain.”
“Why?” I cross my arms over my chest for comfort as a chill spreads over my body. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Because in order for me to protect you properly, I need to know everything I’m looking out for. You and I are going shopping today, and if there’s something I need to know to ensure your safety, you need to tell it.”
“There are women who work there. At least one. When I was kidnapped, I wasn’t dragged into a strange man’s car or abducted. Not the way you’d expect. I was…lured. I thought it’d be safe. A woman coaxed me. Said she could be my friend,” I mutter, feeling that familiar shame creeping in at my naivety.
“Fuck,” he curses sharply.
I go on. “They used children too. It’s less suspicious at the park when a child is asking another to play. They use the kids to scope out parents who don’t seem to be paying attention. When the parents relax because their kid found a new friend, that’s when they move in. It’s not just at parks either. Another big place is department stores because parents are easily distracted when they’re busy shopping.”
A silence stretches between us. When I summon the courage to look at him again, my stomach hollows.
His jaw’s locked so tight a knot forms in front of his ears, and