Chapter 69

Alyssa bit her lip, sighed, looked at the ceiling as if praying for strength. “N-no bondage. I can’t . . .” She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I just can’t.”

Reality hit Luc in the face. What had Jack said? He and Alyssa had realized quickly they weren’t compatible. That made complete sense now. “Not unless you’re ready. If that day never comes, I’ll understand.”

She gave him a jerky nod. “Thank you.”

Caressing her shoulders, Luc brought her against his body. She wanted to leave the story there. She’d been fifteen, a virgin, and had been raped. But he sensed the story was only beginning.

“It wasn’t a boy from school who hurt you?”

Alyssa wrapped her arms around her middle and shook her head. “I—I don’t know if I can talk about this. I haven’t told anyone this since the night after it happened.”

She’d kept this to herself for fourteen years? “You never told Jack? Tyler? A therapist?”

A sad smile crossed her face before it dissolved. “J