Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
A voice in my head tried to remind me that I couldn't have a relationship, but I silenced it and focused on Remy instead. When it came down to a choice between a possible future with Remy and one without him, it was an easy decision. I’d learned from what had happened with Gio and I wasn't about to go through that again.
I'd tried to protect my son from my enemies, but I’d lost him anyway. And in trying to protect him as a child, I'd missed the most important parts of his life. I wanted to laugh because Ronan had tried to explain that very thing to me.
I considered the surgeon and his mysterious group of men and women. I didn't know their backgrounds, but it was like he said, there was always that potential of someone coming out of the woodwork to hurt me or someone I loved. The solution wasn't to push my loved ones away, it was to hold them closer and cherish every moment. And God knew I had the resources to protect my family like Ronan did his. It was something I'd have to talk to Remy about if I was lucky enough to get a future with him, but that particular conversation would definitely have to wait. At this point, I just needed him to agree to give me a chance to prove I was worthy of him.
"A date," Remy said softly, reverently. "I've never been on one either."
His fingers were caressing my face and his eyes never left mine. He shifted his body closer so our lips were just inches apart. That valve inside of me loosened another notch because I knew in that moment that he was going to give me this. It seemed silly, but I was beyond thrilled at the idea that we could share this first together.
"So you'll stay?" I asked, just to be sure. I ran my hands up and down his back.
He nodded. "I'll stay," he murmured and then his mouth closed over mine. The kiss was deep and hungry, but slow and thorough too. When we separated, it was all I could do not to grab his ass and pull him forward so we could grind our dicks together. I reminded myself that sex was off the table for a while. Remy wasn't a sex-on-the-first-date kind of guy. Neither was I, for that matter.
Remy continued to hold my face as his eyes studied me. "I talk, Luca. That's all I do when I'm with Gio. Talk. He doesn't respond to me or ask questions or tell me anything about himself, but I just thought that if he knew I was there and that I would be there night after night, maybe… I don't know, I guess I'm kind of winging it. I'm sorry, I should've asked you—"
I kissed him to silence him and when he was dizzy with pleasure, I pulled back. "Thank you, Remy," I breathed. "Thank you."
"I'm not really doing anything," he began to say.
"Yes, you are. You're letting him know he's not alone. Dr. Taylor said Gio is actually answering a few questions during their sessions. He wasn't doing that before. Whatever you're doing, it is helping. I don't know how to ever thank you for that. My son hasn't had anyone he could rely on for so long," I said, but then my words got stuck in my throat as I considered how afraid and lonely my child would have been for all those years. Tears stung the backs of my eyes like they usually did when I allowed myself to think of the mental and physical torture my son had endured.
Remy wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me hard. He held me for the longest time. I loved how his fingers stroked the back of my neck in a soothing manner.
"Let's go home, Luca," was all Remy said. They were the perfect words because I wanted to do nothing more than get him out of there and back to my place.
Where he belonged.
Chapter Twenty-One
Remy
As with every time I walked into Gio’s hospital room, I was nervous. I had this terrible fear that I'd say the wrong thing to him that would shut him down again. I'd had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Taylor about my visits and he’d assured me that I was doing everything right, but it was probably even more intimidating now to chat with the teenager. It was like I’d told Luca, I'd gone to see Gio because he'd been my last link to Luca. Gio hadn't shown any interest in talking to me, so I'd been the one to talk.
I'd started off by talking about nothing in particular, but as the days had gone by, I'd found myself telling Gio things about my life that I'd never intended to share. Maybe because he hadn't been interested in conversing with me, it had been easier. And it wasn't like I had a lot of other things happening in my life that were worth discussing. I hadn't gone into the details of being abducted and what my life had been like before I'd been sold to Les, but I hadn't held back about the fact that I was a drug addict and that I'd sold my body to get the money I needed both to survive Les and to get the drugs I'd craved.