Binding Scars

Chapter 17

The night was long but at least she finally allowed herself some sleep at 2am in the morning. Niles had been sitting outside her door since, just watching her through the cameras until he took the time and got into the room and slept beside her.

It had been the first time that she woke up in his arms. Fast asleep and innocent, making her feel guilty for being a burden to him. Shouting at him and breaking down in front of him. A man who couldn't put a name to any of his relationships would be awful with dealing with emotions.

Though he's getting better, this time around sex wasn't the way out of a mental breakdown neither was locking her up but he had good intentions.

She left the bed and walked into her own room. She took off the dress and went into the shower immediately. She let the water wash over her body first while she grounded herself in how she felt. She did feel as though she was a prisoner, just catering to the man's needs.

The bathroom door opened, the shower door slipped open and he stepped in. His eyes raking over her frame, just the sight of her was enough to arouse a desperate need for her. Her eyes remained on his bottom. He was gifted, his entire body and built was just complimentary.

"We have to talk."

Her eyes moved back and forth, she was distracted.

"Now?"

"I'm going..but I can't leave until we sort things out. How are you feeling?"

He asked moving towards her, he turned her body and began scrubbing her back and shoulders.

"I'm fine."

"Slept well?"

"Barely...but I'm okay."

He was calm, calmer than the crazy night before. Calm that she did not think she needed the extra conversation at all.

"I am marrying you to get my power in the cartel. It's true but I don't think you were told honestly about your entire purpose to my life. I'd want to marry you any day, whether or not I needed to make ends meet with the cartel. I've trained you to be strong, cruel and vicious when needed. That might have been a game but what's a game without purpose? I'd long intended your fate in my life, that's why I made you the person that you are. My wife, a woman who could protect herself, run if she needed to and never be found. Stepping into the cartel requires you to do stuff every once in a while, people come for you all the time. If shit ever goes south, when you run, I need to be assured that no one will ever find you."

She slowly turned to look at him, her height just above his shoulders. She looked at him with that crippling innocence, she furrowed her bushy brows, and he groaned at how beautiful she was. The water fell on the skin, exhaustion evident on either one of them.

"This had never been about me amore, yes I wanted a woman who'd match me in everything that I did but you were enough already. Behind every successful man, there's a woman. In the cartel women are the masterminds, not baby making machines. You can put me back on track, smack some sense into me. I know you can do that- carrying an heir just comes with the perks. "

"So, you didn't lie."

"No, I just didn't tell you everything."

His fingers caressed her cheek, his eyes running through her face.

"I'm sorry."

She said, he raised her chin and perked her lips.

She felt stupid about how she let Simone get to her. Their relationship wasn't something anyone would understand, he had forced her to do things at some point and did things to hurt her too but there was always a 'but' to defend him.

Standing by her window watching him drive off left her more in thought. She was tied to him. It was wrong that she was okay with it, but she didn't hate it. Niles was willing to give her a home and a life. He was more willing to make her live her life even if it was the way that he wanted.

She exhaled and began for the bathroom. Though she had showered with him earlier, he couldn't keep his hands off her. So, she needed to bathe again.

After a handful of sleep, she roamed his bedroom. Going through his things and looking at pictures. Nothing stood out, Niles was private. Though the house was his, he had no emotional tie to it. There were no pictures of his mom, dad or grandfather. Neither him as a child or of his youth.

She went to his office and did the same thing, her eyes settled on the car keys. She took them and looked at them. She went out to the garage and pressed them. A grey 2018 Audi A8 Quattro lit up. She walked towards it. Though she was convincing herself she was doing nothing wrong. Her heart didn't stop beating hard against her chest.

She opened its doors and looked at the cameras one last time before she hopped in. The garage doors opened as she drove out. She came into sight with a Tesla. She hadn't seen Allon since that embarrassing afternoon. She wasn't planning to see him anytime soon either. She could stay away.

She drove out looking over her window. Security detail began rushing out, but she continued to drive off leaving dust behind her.