Forty-Five

Kian

Gia didn’t seem to mind me tying her up. I probably should have asked her first. My problem was that I failed to engage my brain before I acted. It was a flaw I needed to work on. At least she knew I’d never hurt her. I was crazy about her. The fact that she submitted to me was a display of trust. I’d do nothing wrong to jeopardize that. Now it was time I returned the favor and confided in my woman.

“I’m ready to talk about them now,” I told her, holding her against me, stroking my fingers down her back.

“Okay,” she murmured, listening. “Take your time.”

A slither of moonlight pooled in through a gap in the curtains, highlighting the curvature of her body. The filthy bastard in me was loving the view and was disinclined to cover her. She seemed content to draw warmth from me.

“My parents died when I was sixteen.” I started from the middle because that cut was the deepest. “They were soulmates, but they fought a lot. Dad drank himself into oblivion, and Mom lived to get high. Half