Hooked

Chapter 9

Grace

I didn't think. I couldn't. There wasn't anything to think about. I'd dreamed this happening between us for years, and I never expected it would happen. It seemed like such an impossibility. There was no way Nolan would wait for me, hope for me, still want me. That was the only thing that stopped me from jumping into his arms the first time I saw him last January.

Yet, here I was, his arms tight around me, holding me like I was an apparition who could disappear at any moment. He kissed me gently, his tongue exploring my mouth in a sensual dance. I needed more than gentle.

My nails dug into his neck, and he groaned. I broke our kiss and stared into his eyes. "Nolan..."

He didn't say a single word, but the desire covered his face. That said everything.

"I—" want you, need you. Haven't been with anyone since that one time with you. All the thoughts bounced around my head. I rose on my tiptoes and kissed his nose.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Gracie," he whispered against my lips. "But you're here. You're really here."

I fell back on my heels, my hands grazing over his chest as I reached for his hem. His chiseled muscles flexed under the thin fabric of his shirt. I hesitated. This wasn't the same Nolan. I wasn't the same Grace.

His fingers squeezed my hips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Everything. I stepped back, my knees buckling at the edge of the bed. I didn't fall. Never would I fall again. My arms wrapped around my middle, and I looked away from him. He wouldn't want to see me, not now. Not after what happened.

Nolan's gentle hands rubbed up my arms, comforting me, and he didn't even know why. We needed to talk. I needed to tell him everything. I sat on the bed, unable to hold my own weight or the weight of what I'd been through. The bed buckled beside me, and I fell against him. Home, this was home. The tears rolled down my cheeks.

"My grandmother didn't even give them a funeral." The words tumbled out, breaking free from the prison I'd kept them in. "It took me a few years before I found their plots. Even then I had to sneak out to do that."

Nolan hugged me into his side. He kissed the top of my head.

"I always knew she was a hateful woman, but..." I leaned back, pulling away from him. Staring into his eyes, I let it all out. "She picked me up from camp, and she stole my life from me."

"Why didn't you call me? I would've been there in a heartbeat." Nolan stared at me with such open affection that the tears started rolling faster. "I would've done anything for you even then."

I pressed my lips together. "She took my phone, deleted all my accounts or had someone in her church do it. I had no way to contact anyone." I swallowed. My throat burned, and I needed to tell him every detail. "I wrote you letters, but she stole them before I could put them in the mail. She made me watch as she burned each one in the fireplace."

"Oh God, Gracie," he said, leaning his forehead against mine.

I pushed away from him, standing so he could see me. "If I didn't do..." I let the sentence fall away as I curled the fabric of my shirt into my fists. Nobody had ever seen this. I didn't want to show him, but this was Nolan. He never judged me. He needed to understand. I yanked the shirt over my head.

Nolan's gentle fingers traced over the scars on my stomach.

"She used a thin wet rope." My ragged breath hitched as he continued to explore. "After the first ten times, I did what she wanted. I was a good girl. It was easier, but those scars will never go away. The only thing she allowed me was time at the library. If I went to the library, I was okay. Mrs. Landry helped me, but she also made sure I didn't... She was afraid of my grandmother, too."