CHAPTER 65

She stared at him a long moment, her eyes somber and thoughtful. But what hurt him the most was that for a brief moment, hope flickered in her gaze and just as quickly shut down. Like hope was such a foreign concept that she wouldn’t allow herself to have it.

Then finally she nodded and whispered, “Got it.”

He kissed her forehead, feeling her tremble against him. “No, you don’t get it, baby. But you will. I promise you that.”

He tugged her into his apartment and let the elevator doors close behind them. She looked exhausted. Physically and emotionally. It was relatively early by his standards, but at the moment he couldn’t think of anything more he’d like to do than to take her to bed and let her sleep in his arms. He wanted her to feel protected. Safe. Most important, cherished. Like she mattered.

She didn’t have any experience in any of those. That much was evident in the painful retelling of her childhood and her adult years. He couldn’t change her past, but he could sure as hell c