Free Fixation (Magnetic Desires Book 3) by Misti Murphy

through me. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
    "There’s teeth marks on your neck. I thought you’d be avoiding men like that now." She didn’t need to add, you have Tia to take care of now .
    I spun around. "It’s not like that, Mellie."
    "I was there, remember? Before you took off. That’s what you used to say then, too." She crossed her arms and pain lanced over her features.
    "I’m not running anywhere, Mel. Please trust me on that."
    "How can I?"
    I took a deep breath, and exhaled. If I wanted her to trust me, I needed to tell her about Leo. "It’s Tia’s father."
    Her mouth fell open. "He’s here, in Reverence?"
    "No. In Carlton."
    "I thought… I assumed she was Brady’s."
    I hissed through my teeth. "That man was a snake, and I never—"
    "So her father, he’s not a nice guy? Does he know about her?"
    "Pour that wine, Mellie. Let’s go out on the deck. I don’t want her to know yet."
    She filled the glasses and we carried them out to the deck, taking seats on the wicker couch. I drank half my wine and pulled my legs up under my chin. "You know her father, Mellie. It’s Leo, Drake’s brother."
    "You’re fucking kidding me?" She gaped.
    "I haven’t told him about her yet. He’s a good guy, but he doesn’t trust me, because he thinks I took his money and ran. I haven't had a chance to tell him about Brady finding me and..." I fluttered my hand over my throat, "...everything else.  Until I can I’m not sure I want to tell him about Tia. He probably wouldn’t believe me anyway."
    "Are you going to tell him about what Brady did to you?"
    I cringed, wrapping my arms tighter around me. "It's hard to even think about it."
    Mellie tucked my hand into hers. "He locked you up. He tortured you. I'm glad he's dead."
    I fought back the urge to vomit, my gut squeezing. A strangled sob tore from my parted lips as I stared at her. "How do you know that?"
    "I might not live here with you, but I've been here when you're sleeping. I've heard you screaming. I'm so sorry that happened to you."
    "He was sick. He thought I'd give in to him." I shook my head. "I could never."
    She squeezed my hand. "So tell me how you met Leo. That's a crazy coincidence."
    The chill inside me dissipated on hearing his name. "We met on a cruise. I was trying my hand at conning men for money to get away from Brady and there was Leo. Actually, he asked me to marry him the first time we met."
    She gaped. "You're kidding me?"
    I relaxed into her, resting my head on her shoulder. "I said no, of course. But he was so damn insistent I bet him he couldn't win me over."
    "For the money you owed Brady?"
    "Yeah."
    "Well, I guess we all know how that worked out. The man got under your skin in more ways than one." She chuckled.  "So what are you going to do?"
    "I’m going to make him realize we’re meant to be together, that I didn’t leave him of my own free will. But, I need you to do me a favor."
    "Anything."
    "I need you to get one of your friends to go to his gallery. I need them to buy a painting for me."
    Mike came to the back door with Tia, already in her pajamas, and she raced out to say goodnight. "Do you want me to tuck you in, princess?"
    "Uncle Mike said he was going to read me a story."
    I glanced at him, and smiled. "Are you sure?"
    He scooped Tia up into his arms. "You two relax. Tia and I have some serious fairytale retelling to do."
    They wandered back inside, and we drank our wine while silvery stars lit up the night sky. No matter what happened with Leo, I would never leave this place. Tia deserved to grow up surrounded with family. I had to figure out how to work things out with him, because she deserved to have her father, and if the man I'd fallen in love was still inside him, he needed her, too.

Chapter Eleven
     
    Leo
    "Good morning, Leo." Alex glanced up from her laptop as I crossed the gallery floor. "We have a buyer for the streetscape. I’ve set up a meeting for two."
    "Sounds good." I dropped the mail on