Page 24 of Risky Behavior: Submitting to the Ruthless Guard

Leowokemeupnot once, but three more times throughout the night. I was sleep-deprived and my body was spent, but I had never felt better in my life. I had no idea what was going on between the two of us, and I was terrified to ask. It felt like he was my forever, but I didn’t want to assume anything. The problem with not getting clarification was that my mind was racing all over the place. The knock on the bedroom door when we were showering was a surprise. I had seen the security detail when we arrived last night, but they had kept their distance and didn’t come into the house with us. However, that knock was some of the best news I had heard in weeks. Beckett and Raven had arrived, and now I was sitting across the counter from my best friend in the entire world.

“This place is kind of amazing. Are all of Beckett’s homes like this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen the house in New York and the one in Colorado. This is the first time we’ve been here, and I’m pretty sure he has more. It’s hard to keep up with. Real estate seems to be a passion of his that goes deeper than just running the business because it was his father’s.”

“What’s his family like?”

“A bit of a mess,” she said with a laugh. “Well, that’s not all true. His sister Ashlee and his nephew are wonderful. I can’t wait for you to meet them. William is literally the cutest kid in the entire world.”

“I can’t wait to meet them either. I guess I had hoped I’d end up with this big family that I’d happily marry into, but clearly that wasn’t in the cards for me. If I can live vicariously through your happily ever after, then that will be fine, too,” I said with a wink as I handed her the breakfast sandwich I had just made. Spending some time in the kitchen for midnight snacks had helped me find my way around.

“What happened, Tal? I feel like Leo and Beckett filtered everything to keep the truth from me. What was Miles really like? How did you end up here?”

I took a deep breath and tried to fight off the impending tears that plagued me every time I thought back on it all. “He was really awful, Rae. The things he did… I can’t even think about them. Until last night, I was one of the lucky ones. Leo helped keep him away from me, but he grew restless. The first night we got there, I kneed him in the balls and he left me alone. He has all these women who he fucks. Some lived there, I think, but he always kept me separated from them. Last night he went too far with me and Leo… well, Leo saved me from either getting raped or murdered.”

She stood up and came over, pulling me into her arms as I let the tears fall. “I don’t know what I would have done, Rae. If Leo wasn’t there, then I really wouldn’t have made it. I just kept telling myself I had to stay alive. Nothing else mattered but when it came down to it, it did matter. I couldn’t let him do that to me.”

“But he was there, Tal, and you’re safe now.”

“Yeah, but for how long? Miles Carter doesn’t strike me as a guy who gives up. You trust them, right?”

“I do. I trust Beckett with everything, and Leo seems to have proven himself.”

“He’s kind of amazing.”

“Who, Beckett?”

“Yeah, him too,” I said with a small laugh.

Raven went to the coffeepot and poured me a cup. I was so busy getting something for her that I hadn’t gotten any for myself. “Come sit down with me. I want to hear all about Leo while I eat.”

My smile broke through my tears and I wiped my face clean. “What do you want to know?”

“You can start with why you both hadn’t come down for breakfast yet and you showed up a minute ago with matching wet hair.”

“I guess we weren’t that good at keeping things a secret,” I said with a laugh.

“Does it need to be?”

“I guess not anymore.”

“How did it all start?”

“You’ve seen him, right? I mean, sure Beckett is hot, but Leo…” I laughed as I fanned myself with my free hand.

“How long have you two been together?”

“I don’t even know if we are together. Things have been so confusing. Last night was the first time we were alone long enough to finish all the things we had started.”

I smiled at my best friend. The things I had seen and experienced with Miles were appalling, but Leo was here, and he was already making things better for me.

“Do you think you guys will come back to New York with us?”

“I don’t know. How have things been since you got back from Colorado?”

“A whirlwind. You will never believe it, but Beckett owns a sex club!”

“A what?”