Free Tiana (Starkis Family #3) by Cheryl Douglas Page B

know where he was going with that, but I was pretty sure he was venturing into territory I considered off-limits.
    “Does it?” His eyes imprisoned mine, refusing to allow me to look away. “All I could think was that I want someone to know me inside and out. I want her to know how old I was the first time I had sex or kissed a girl, my favorite book and movie, why I chose Yale, and why I hate ice cream.”
    I couldn’t breathe. I knew all those things about him. Fifteen. Thirteen. The Old Man and the Sea. The Godfather. He didn’t want to follow in his older brother’s footsteps. Brain freeze. I really knew him. Oh God, how had that happened, and what did it mean?
    “Don’t look so scared,” he whispered.
    I was rarely scared. Mia often told me I was the most fearless woman she knew, but one thing did terrify me: falling in love. Because I knew that led to being dependant on a man and ending up broke and homeless… like my mother.
    “I’m not scared.” It wasn’t until I realized my voice was trembling that I had to acknowledge the hand he was holding was shaking too.
    “Why?” he asked. “Why are you so scared of letting someone get too close?”
    There was no way he could understand. He hadn’t grown up the way I had. He hadn’t witnessed the systematic dismantling of a human being the way I had. My father’s control had been subtle in the beginning, or maybe I’d just been too young to realize what he was doing. He’d dictated where my mother could go, what she should wear, and how much money she was allowed to spend. She couldn’t have a job or friends or learn the language that would allow her to survive in her new homeland.
    “Talk to me, Eleni. Please. You know so much about me, yet I feel like I know so little about you.”
    I jumped when a car alarm went off behind us. “Are we going to sit here all night, or are you going to take me upstairs?” I wanted to do what I always did when my past overshadowed the present—close my eyes and get lost in sex.
    “Whatever you want.”
    I didn’t wait for him to open the door for me. I practically stumbled in my haste to get out of the car, to get some fresh air, to breathe again. A man jogged toward me when I rounded the rear of the car. He was tall and very handsome, with low-slung faded jeans and a fitted black T-shirt. His hair was damp, slicked back off his face, and dark, though I suspected it would be sandy blond when dry.
    “Hey,” he said, stopping in his tracks when he spotted me.
    Damon was reaching into the car, no doubt for his suitcase.
    “Hi,” I said.
    The stranger’s eyes traveled over my body slowly, taking in my bare legs before wandering over my breasts and eventually landing on my face. He made me feel exposed and unsettled. Or maybe it was just the painful memories and Damon’s questions that made me feel that way. Either way, this guy’s thorough examination wasn’t helping.
    “I’ve seen you somewhere,” he said, snapping his fingers. “You’re a model, right? A lingerie model.” His undisguised interest shifted to leering, making me wish I’d worn an overcoat in spite of the warm weather.
    “I am,” I said with a tight smile. I figured he must be one of Damon’s neighbors, so I didn’t want to be rude, but the way he was looking at me made me want to push past him and make a mad dash for the elevator.
    “Would you quit gawking at her and turn off that goddamn car alarm?” Damon snapped. “It’s giving me a headache.”
    “Relax,” the man said, pushing a button on his key ring to deactivate the incessant honking. “What put you in such a mood, Starkis?”
    “For starters, you’re looking at Eleni like she—”
    “Damon, please,” I said, setting my hand on his chest as I turned to him. I didn’t realize how shaky I felt until he planted his hands around my waist to support me. “I’m tired. Can we just go upstairs?”
    He glared at his neighbor before he said, “Get that car alarm fixed