A Billionaire's Mistake

30|Rough

"I think that hurt more than what he did, Lincoln. I've never said that before, but it's true. Not having their support broke me, and after a while, I eventually began to think they didn't believe me either. And for the next two years, he'd find me alone at the church, and he'd do it again. And I knew that no matter what I did, no one would believe me. My parents wouldn't let me stop going to church. They'd make us continue to go as a family every Sunday, and every Sunday— They'd know that I was around my abuser and didn't do anything about it. They still smiled at his parents. They still donated to their church. They didn't do a fucking thing to stop him from hurting me."

My throat bobs as I search for some sort of advice, some sort of reassurance, but I have nothing. Not a damn thing except a new fire lit under my ass to find this fucker. The more I'm learning about him, the more I think Reed's information was true about the threats, and I swear on everything I love, if her ex tries to come after her and hurt her again, I'll kill him with my bare hands without any questions asked. I'd kill for her in a heartbeat.

"Everyone always asks how I started a business so young, and it's because I had no other option but to get out of town when I was eighteen. I made sure I had enough to where I could move across the country and get the hell away from there. I never said goodbye to my parents, but I don't regret it. I don't think I ever will."

"You shouldn't," I snap, and it's not until now that I realize just how riled up I've become. I let out a deep breath and kiss her head again. "Sorry, I just...hearing what happened to you makes me so fucking angry, Sienna. You didn't deserve that, and I can't imagine... I mean, I put you in the same position he used to..."

"No, stop," she says and tilts her face up to mine, grasping my cheek gently. "You are nothing like him, Lincoln. When I told you to stop, that was all it took for you to get off of me. One word. You are the complete opposite of him. Even when Reed and I dated, he would sometimes pressure me, and I think that's why I never slept with him."

My eyes widen in shock. "Wait, you and Reed never slept together?"

"No." She smiles softly and heat rises to her cheeks when she sees the expression on my face. She trusted me enough to be the first person to have sex with after all of those horrible, horrible things that happened to her. I'm honored, I'm...so in love with her. I promise to never make her feel afraid about sex again. She will always be comfortable with me. Loved. Heard. Understood. "It's different with you, Linc, and I don't want to go back to just having sex. I want...more. I want a relationship, I think, if that's okay with you. I mean, if that's what you want, too."

I smile a full-toothed grin at her, which causes her to laugh. "You want me to be your boyfriend?"

"If you want," she says.

"There's nothing I would want more, Sienna, than to be your boyfriend, and I just want you to know how grateful and honored I am that you chose me to confide in and trust with that story. As your boyfriend, I'm going to make sure that you experience all of the things you never got to. Patience, understanding, being heard, feeling loved and appreciated. You deserve all of that and more, and as naive as I am as you are about dating, I know that I'm going to treat you right."

"And I know that," she replies, "which was why it was so hard for me to make a decision about us. I'm so fucked up, Linc, in more ways than one. I look for an escape route every place I go. Knowing where the closest weapon is in someone's house makes me feel safest. To go someplace new, somewhere I don't know, I have mini anxiety attacks. It's a lot for anyone to handle. I'm a lot."

"And yet here I am, handling it all. You're not too much for me. You're perfect for me."

She laughs. "Even if I force you to watch The Bachelor every week?"