Read Online Layers Off by Lacey Silks - Free Book Online Page A

happened to me. Remembering the way he touched me there that night, skimming his lips along my silhouette, trailing his tongue through my warmest crevices, brining me completely undone—now it opened fresh wounds I had hoped already healed, but which hadn’t. I shifted awkwardly away from Julian.
    Reminiscing about the special time we’d shared led me directly to the black dungeon I’d escaped. They led me into the arms of disgusting men who abused me. Their sweaty smell and bile taste filled my mouth. Rough skin scraped against my palms as I was forced to fondle unkempt body parts. Their tight grip on my hair stung my scalp until I moaned in pain which they mistook as pleasure. Don’t touch me! No! Never again! I screamed in my mind.
    “Shh, K. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
    Julian held me tight against him as I trembled. When did I start shaking so badly? And when did he pull me into his body? I sat in a fetal position, cuddled in his lap.
    “Let it go. Let it all go,” he said, tightening his arms around me, pressing my head to his chest. “You’re safe with me, always.”
    My sobs were muffled against his chest as Julian kissed the top of my head. I concentrated on the rhythm of his heart under my face and inhaled his sweet aroma. The comforting smell of freshness filled me. Calmness slowly rolled over the shakes, smoothing them to manageable ripples as he brought me back to the present. My breathing calmed and I realized where I was – far away from the dark hole I’d been buried in. I snuggled into his arms, nuzzling deeper into his body as if I were an infant. But that’s exactly how I felt in those moments. Although irrational now, the vulnerability and helplessness I’d felt that month was founded on the torturous days and nights during my capture. In Julian’s arms, I felt as if he’d given me a new beginning: another chance at life not many women in my situation were given.
    Once I remembered I was safe, I wiped my cheeks, saying, “It’s still difficult remembering the good times. I don’t want it to, but it reminds me of that month.”
    Julian lifted my chin with the tip of his finger. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s too early. All I want is for you to be healthy.” He kissed the top of my head again, breathing me in.
    “No, I’m glad you said it. I didn’t think you remembered.” I let out a long breath, running my fingers through my hair. Things could have been so different if I’d acknowledged what had happened between us six years ago.
    “How could I not? You were my first.”
    Did I just feel Julian flinch? I could swear the words had just slipped out of his mouth. I pulled away and regarded Julian’s face. That slight hint of pink covered his cheeks, and the way he looked at me right at that moment, with the innocence of his youth and adoration meant only for me, I couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside. After all these years, this man still had the same effect on me as the day I met him.
    “Really?” I whispered. “But you were like, twenty-one?”
    “So? I never found anyone I could connect to the way I did with you, that day on the train.”
    “But you could have had any other woman.” Was it really possible that the hunk I’d met on the train lost his virginity to me? He sure hadn’t looked like a virgin back then. And what he did to me in that office – it surely couldn’t have been the work of a first timer. And more importantly, could it be true he’d only wanted me?
    “Having a high profile name draws in the wrong kind of crowd, so I stayed clear of any other women . You know how busy we were with the business and all,” he stuttered nervously. “There was barely any time for fun. Besides, I only wanted you. Always did, and always will.”
    Holy crap!
    “Those moves you did that night seemed quite experienced.” I hesitated, feeling the warmth swoosh in my belly again.
    “I may have been a virgin, but I was not a saint,