Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Now, that sounds exactly like Venus. What pushed you to make the move when you did? I mean, besides the obvious living conditions.”
“The Divine One told me he was tired of waiting for me to be reconditioned. He said he was going to use more extreme measures to bring me to heel. He was taking me as his next wife. And he was going to do the ceremony in front of the whole church.”
“I’m not even going to ask what that entails because I’m pretty sure I know. Tell me you escaped before he went through with that ritual.”
“I did. Thanks to Venus.”
I wasn’t sure she was doing it on purpose so much as it was a nervous habit, but Annie stroked and explored my hand absently while she relayed her experience to me. Almost like touching me was giving her some kind of comfort. Well, if that were the case, she could do whatever she needed because it sounded like this woman had been through a lot. The fact she could be around a man at all was surprising, let alone be able to touch one.
Before I could think too much about what to say to her next, I spoke. “I met Tina when I was a lot younger. My job meant I was in and out of her life more than a partner should be, because of that and other things, we never made our relationship permanent. In fact, we were only together a couple months before I left her. She knew why. My job, even when I first started in the military, was always very high risk. More than normal because of the type of work I did for the military and the CIA. I didn’t want to leave her widowed the first time I left and that was a very real possibility. She didn’t tell me she was pregnant when I explained to her why I had to leave, but I’m pretty sure she was. It was maybe eighteen months when she sent me the first baby picture with a letter explaining everything in detail.” I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips as I remembered the pictures and, sometimes, letters that followed. “She would write to me about milestones Calista passed, and describe to me everything she could remember as clearly and distinctly as she could. She understood why I stayed away, but wanted me to be part of Calista’s life the only way she could. It wasn’t until me and Calista talked about Tina after Calista came here that I realized how much I’d truly loved Tina. And I’d only known her for two months.”
“So she was your one true love.” Annie smiled and sniffed as she stood. “That’s a really sad, beautiful story, Dominic.”
“Just Dom, baby. It’s my road name and what everyone calls me.”
“Dom. Got it.” She shifted in her seat, toeing at the rug beneath the love seat a little before catching herself and sitting perfectly still for several seconds. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a proper shower. We didn’t have them at the camp, but it’s something I’ve grown to depend on. I like feeling clean. Also, I love shampoo that I didn’t have to make myself. And conditioner. It makes the tangles not as bad.”
I had the crazy urge to laugh, but simply nodded as solemnly as I could manage. “I could see how those would be things you’d get used to pretty fast.”
“I especially love the hot water part of the shower.”
There was no way to contain the chuckle that time. “Yeah, baby. I like that part too. A cold shower is not on my list of favorite things. Not sure I know anyone who particularly likes them.”
“Also, you should know that if I ramble or say or do the wrong thing sometimes, I’m not trying to make you look bad for associating with the weird girl, or to look deliberately stupid. Piston says I don’t understand social cues. I’m not really sure what that means, but if it’s a way of saying I sometimes make things really awkward or uncomfortable, he’s not wrong.” She gave me a pleading look. “Please be patient with me? Don’t kick me out or anything.” God, she sounded so fucking vulnerable. Like she fully expected I’d kick her out if she did or said the wrong thing. I think this was the moment I decided I was gonna kill someone. The only question was who and how many.
“Ain’t ever gonna kick you out, girl.” Emotion threatened to close my throat, making my words gruff and tight. My feelings were all over the fucking place. Probably a combination of telling this young woman about Tina and my own struggle to come to terms with how I felt about Tina. And the way my heart was trying to feel about Annie. And no. I didn’t want to feel anything other than possibly sympathy or the protectiveness I feel with all the women in the compound. This whole thing where I threw a bikini contest just to find out her first and last name wasn’t something I was ready to touch yet. Because something inside me had latched on to Annie Warren. I wasn’t certain I’d ever figure out how to unweave those invisible threads trying to bind us together. Worse? I wasn’t certain I wanted to.