I held her for a long time, telling her it was going to be okay. And itwasgoing to be okay. I'd make damned sure of it. When she finally stopped crying, I vowed to do anything in my power to make sure she never cried again.
She pulled back and gazed up at me. Her face was flushed, and she tried to smile. "I've been such an idiot." She wiped at her eyes. "I should've told you sooner." She gave a little laugh. "Like it's such a big deal, right?"
I tensed. I didn't want to judge her. Hell, after the things I'd done, how could I? But in my book, itwasa big deal. And the fact she couldn’t see that, well, it made me feel funny, like I might not know her as well as I thought.
But this was Chloe, the girl I loved. I clutched her tighter and said, "Baby, I don't want you to do this with anyone else. Not ever."
I heard a smile in her voice when she said, "Yeah?"
I nodded. "I mean it. Move in with me. Right now, today. This'll be our home. Together, alright?"
She clung to me, and I tried not to think about everything else – the guys, the money, the things she'd probably done to earn it. I loved her, and somehow, I told myself, we'd work it out.
I felt her smile against my chest. "I'll think about it."
"Don't think." Sudden panic clawed at my heart. "Just do it." Shecouldn’tgo back there, to that house, where guys would show up expecting something special, and leave smiling in the morning. She couldn’t. I wouldn’t let her.
I pulled away and gave her a pleading look. "You don't want to take money from me. I get that. And I respect the hell out of that, honest. But baby, please. Come on. Stay with me. Or shit, I'll buy you a house of your own if that's what you want. Just no more other guys anymore, alright?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I love you."
She hesitated. "I love you too."
I reached out, gathering her against me. Desperate now, I tightened my grip and whispered an urgent plea into her ear. "You don't have to sell yourself anymore. From now on, letmetake care of you, alright?"
At this, she grew utterly still. For a long moment, she didn't say or do anything. And then, she pulled back and gave me an odd look. "Sell myself?"
I leaned in close, trying to pull her back into my arms. I wasn't judging her. Or at least, I was trying like hell not to.
She yanked herself back and looked up at me. "Just what are you implying?"
I met her gaze. "Baby, I don't want to judge you. I mean, the things I've done for money…" I tried to find the words. "In a way, I guess I sold my body too, right?"
She stared up at me for a long, tense moment. For some reason, the look on her face was making me nervous as hell. I didn't get it. I mean, I knew she had to be embarrassed, ashamed even. And I couldn’t blame her. Whatever she'd been doing, it couldn't have come easy.
In front of me, she was looking unsteady now, and maybe a little shell-shocked. I reached out, wanting to wipe the look of horror from her eyes. But she took another step backward, as if desperate for some space.
In a choked voice, she said, "Oh my God."
I hated to see her like this. "Hey," I said in a low, soothing tone. "Like I said, I don't wanna judge you for doing what you had to do, but–" I shook my head. "It stops now, alright? You've gotta promise me."
She closed her eyes, and all the remaining color drained from her face. I wanted to reach out for her, but something made me stop. Obviously, I was missing something. But what?
She didn't feel dirty, did she? Who knows? Maybe she did. After that whole sex tape, I hadn't felt exactly right either.
When she opened her eyes, she looked at me like I was the biggest asshole on the planet. "Let me get this straight." Her body was trembling now. Her voice rose. "You think–" She swallowed. "You think I'm some kind ofhooker?"
"Chloe." I kept my voice soft. "I didn't call it that."
I mean, shit, I'dseenhookers, not that I'd used their services. But I knew the difference between a hooker and a high-end call girl. It was pretty obvious that a girl like Chloe didn't walk the streets.
She was breathing too fast and too shallow. "But that's what you think?"
"Baby," I said. "What is it? You okay?"
She glared up at me. "Okay?" She shook her head. "Nope. Definitely not okay here."
