Page 14 (1/2)

My shiver turned to a clutching in ht in my throat

The next part of the dream was his belt as he wound it around h to render ht it cut into my flesh He pulledthem above my head, then pulled a knife fro in down underit downas he cut away every layer, then the tip of the blade, cool and sharp, around a nipple, along s…

“You don’t want to see me like this”

I ju dreaarh his short-cropped hair and turned away

Oh, how it broke my heart There was such sadness in his words

I set downall e, I reached out h I like you exactly as you are”

He took“You would not be the first to turn away”

“That thought never crossed my mind” I said, then added, “Were you a soldier? You can tell me how it happened if you’d like I’d like to know”

For a second, he said nothing He stared atThen, he shook his head “I can’t…”

“It’s all right,” I said, asha so personal from a man I barely knew

Randalas a hardness took his face, his eyes glazed hat looked, not like sadness, but rage

I stayed silent, and eventually he spoke

“When I was a child,” he said, “I lived in the house of a very cruel man I’ve never talked to anyone about it” He blew out a breath and I took his hand in mine

“What happened to him? To the man that did this…” I asked, a clench inback my own tears

He sniffed as his lips pulled back from his teeth, he snarled, “I killed him”

Chapter 7