“Nothing in life is free. Not the food you eat, not the clothes on your back, not the bed you sleep in. You have paid for all of those, yes?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “You did not expect anyone to give them to you for free. Because taking from others is wrong, and you are proud. So am I. Since I am without money, I only have one currency with which I could pay you. And when I left Mexico, I swore I would never whore myself out for my survival again.”

  He dropped the spoon in the pan, its clatter a loud clang in the kitchen. “You think I would make you fuck me for a meal? Or a shirt? Or a comfortable night’s sleep?”

  Laila hated to admit how she’d given herself to scum for years to survive, but she saw no other way to make him understand. “It is the way the world works.”

  “Not here. I’m choosing to give you things. You don’t have to pay for them.”

  He was playing games with semantics. “That is the same thing.”

  “Why would you think that? I’m heating up soup and vegetables. I’m making enough for two, and I’m offering to give you some.”

  “In Emilo’s compound, if I wanted to eat, I had to suck cock. If I wanted warmer clothes, I had to spread my legs. If I—”

  “Are you listening to me? This is not Emilo’s compound. I’m not asking you for anything in exchange for your meal.”

  “They did not ask. They simply forced.”

  “I would never do that, Laila.” He looked furious. “Ever! So sit down and eat—”

  “No.”

  He ground his teeth together, and Laila worried he would lift his arm across his body and backhand her. Or clench his fist and plow it into her belly. It wouldn’t be the first time a man had done that. But even fearing pain, she stood her ground and put on her most defiant face.

  “Why are you so stubborn?”

  “Am I? Why is it, when a man wants to make his own way, he is proud? When a woman wants to do the same, she is stubborn?”

  Finally, he heaved a frustrated sigh. “You ate food in the RV.”

  “My sister paid to get us out of Florida, including whatever I ate.”

  “She’s paying for this, too.”

  “She is not. This came from your pantry.”

  “Be reasonable!”

  “I am being realistic. I apologize if that upsets or offends you.”

  Trees raked a hand through his hair. “After everything, can’t you extend me a little trust and believe that I’m offering you some food, no strings attached?”

  “I would still feel the strings, like a puppet.” When he glared at her, Laila sighed. She was going to have to get graphic with him. “The winter before I turned fifteen, Emilo had been keeping me in a bunker to punish my sister for not catering to his every whim. Valeria and my mother were allowed to see me for fifteen minutes a day. Those were the only fifteen minutes I wore clothes. As soon as they left, Victor and his brother Hector would strip me bare. It was merely humiliating at first, constantly being naked and fondled, passed from brother to brother, being forced to fuck one in front of the other. That was how I earned my meals. But as the winter went on, the bunker turned cold. I had no blankets, so I shivered every night and slept under the mattress for warmth. For Christmas, Hector offered me long pants, a new shirt, and warm socks. He told me it was a present, but that night I found out the cost of my present was anal penetration against my will. So perhaps you can see why I’m cynical.”

  Fury the likes of which she had never seen thundered across his face. Reflexively, she stepped back as Trees snapped off the stove and shoved the pan from its burner. He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her close. “Little one… I’m so sorry. If I could kill them now, I would. I would strangle the worthless life from their bodies and gleefully watch them die. They deserve that and more for what they did to you as a child.” He set her down and cupped her face. “But I would never, ever demand anything of you that you didn’t want to give—no matter what. I gave you a safe word in bed: red. With that, you can stop me anytime. But I swear, I would give you the shirt off my back and my last morsel to keep you safe.”

  He probably meant that—at least in his mind. Likely, he saw himself as the noble savior come to rescue her from her wretched fate. And perhaps he was. After all, the rest of his team had saved her from Emilo’s compound less than five months ago. She’d been wearing only a towel when the operation had gone down, and she’d been nervous everyone in the helicopter would expect her to fuck them in appreciation. Instead, an operative named Cutter had given her his shirt. Hunter Edgington had insisted she take a blanket he’d stowed in his bug-out bag. His younger brother, Logan, had given her his rations. None of them had so much as laid a finger on her or looked at her with anything more than pity.

  Had she misjudged Trees because he hadn’t been there and because she’d rarely been around good men? Perhaps…but did the nature of men ever really change?

  “Thank you for those words.”

  “They aren’t just words. I mean them.” He nodded toward the stew. “Let’s eat.”

  She shook her head. “I still have no way to pay you.”

  He heaved another frustrated sigh, as if he was struggling to hold his temper. “How about if you do the dishes? If you’ll do that, I’ll consider your meal paid.”

  His proposition surprised her. Laila turned his offer over in her head. “That is acceptable.”

  “Thank god.” He settled the pan on the burner again and dumped the can of vegetables into a bowl, then shoved it in the microwave. Three minutes later, they were eating at his kitchen table in silence. And even if the stew had come out of a can, it tasted like heaven.

  “How did you wind up in Emilo’s compound? I know your sister married him, but…”

  “Not by her own choice. My father married Valeria off to Emilo.”

  “Why?”

  “Papá was a farmer with fallow land. We were dirt poor, and he wanted to be rich. He wanted to be important. Emilo sought to use my father’s property to aid his growing drug empire. They came to an agreement, which included Emilo paying lots of cash to marry Valeria.”

  “So he sold her to that scumbag on purpose?” Trees looked shocked.

  Laila hadn’t been at all. “My father had been nothing his whole life, and now he could join his poor family to a wealthy one and gain influence. Others would look up to him. He could finally stop a life of toil and enjoy his days. Of course he did.”

  Trees scowled. “Did he know how dangerous Emilo was?”

  “Everyone did.”

  “And he sold his daughter to that monster, anyway? How old was she?”

  “Barely eighteen.”

  “Jesus… Then what happened?”

  “Papá suddenly had money and he got a mistress. My mother was stunned and heartbroken, so when Valeria pleaded with us to come spend the summer with her, Mamá quickly said yes. We had no idea…” How their lives would change. That they would never see home again. God, how naive they had been. “Emilo quickly realized he could use me to control his headstrong wife’s behavior. Mamá tried to protect me, so they separated us. As a last resort, I called my father to tell him I was afraid because I barely saw my mother and I did not like the way Emilo’s men treated me.” Her voice broke.

  What had happened next had been nothing short of hell.

  “What did he say?”

  “That his life was much better without us. Mamá had grown old and unappealing. My sister and I were too spoiled.”

  Trees dropped his spoon in his stew. “He left you there, knowing you were being raped?”

  “I did not tell him that exactly. I did not know the words for it. But he must have been aware.” She had never been close to her father, but the sense of betrayal after he’d hung up had been absolute.

  “So, for his own comfort, he left you to a bunch of drug thugs’ nonexistent mercy?” He sounded stunned, horrified, and furious. “I’m adding him to my list of assholes who need killing.”

  “You are too late. When he got greedy a couple of years later, Emilo had him killed.” She hesitated. “I have mixed feelings about that. Some would say he got what he deserved…”

  He reached for her hand. “In my opinion, he did. But he was your father—your blood—even though he didn’t fulfill the responsibility of a dad.”

  It was foolish to accept solace from Trees. It probably made her weak. But she needed comfort, and she soaked his in. “Exactly.”

  “What happened to your mother?”

  “She got sick and developed pneumonia. Emilo refused her medical attention. I tried my best to help her, but…” Laila tried to swallow back tears—and failed miserably. “Then Valeria was rescued. I was happy for her, but…”

  “You were alone.” Trees squeezed her hand. “You’ve never had anyone to help you, and everyone you’ve ever loved has been taken away.”

  Finally, he understood. She didn’t want to weep in front of him, but trying to hold back made her cry harder. “Yes.”

  Trees pulled her into his lap and gripped her chin until she met his gaze. “I’m here for you, little one. I know I’m not your sister. I know you want to see her, and I don’t blame you. But it’s not safe. Once it is, I’ll take you to her myself. But until that day comes, I’m here and I won’t let anything come between us. Do you hear me?”

  She still didn’t trust him completely, but he was all she had in the world right now. And he seemed determined to take care of her in a way only her sister had ever tried to. “I do.”

  He released her chin and kissed her forehead before he dragged her bowl across the table. “Good. Eat up.”

  Then he fed her patiently, one heaping bite at a time. Taking food from his hand was so intimate and oddly comforting. She followed the stew with a bottle of water. Once her bowl was empty and her stomach sated, her lids felt heavy. It took all her will not to lean against his reassuring strength, cuddle into his warmth, and drift off.

  “You’re tired. I’ll do the dishes.”

  “No.” She leapt to her feet. “We made an agreement. I will uphold my end of the bargain.”

  “You don’t have to. I won’t demand anything from you.”

  She almost believed him. “I will still do them, as I promised.”

  As she cleared the table and made her way to the sink, his phone dinged. He glanced at it with a curse, then shoved it in his pocket. “I have, um…a friend dropping by. Why don’t you rest in your room? I’ll finish this.”

  “I told you. Because it is my responsibility—”

  “I need to talk to her alone.”

  Her. Laila’s heart stuttered. A girlfriend? A lover? Everything inside her balked, and that fact stunned her. She should be happy if he gave another woman his attention and desire. She didn’t want either.

  Deep down, she feared that was a lie.

  “Leave the dishes. I will finish them after she leaves.” But what if she didn’t tonight? The thought of this unnamed “friend” spending the night shot a hole in Laila’s chest. “Or tomorrow.”

  “All right.”

  It was a good time to put distance between them and figure out why what this man did with another woman mattered. Why was she having feelings for him?

  But her feet didn’t want to move.

  “Laila—” His phone beeped in warning, interrupting him. “Fuck.” He punched in a code, then hit the screen a few times. Headlights flashed through the living room windows, which overlooked the front of the house. Then a little sedan came to a stop and a stylish brunette with a fresh balayage stepped out, wearing a trendy blue sweater and jeans that respectably covered every inch of her legs. Slim leather boots with chunky heels and a designer purse completed the look.

  She was pretty, put together, and refined. Of course Trees wanted someone like her.

  “I…will go.”

  Trees looked at her like he wanted to say something, but the woman knocked on the door, breaking the moment. “Thanks.”

  Every footfall felt heavy as she headed to the bedroom Trees had provided her and shut the door—mostly. She should not want to eavesdrop. It was nosy. It was rude. It was wrong.

  But she couldn’t help it.

  Was this jealousy?

  “Hi, Madison. Come in.”

  “Hi, big guy,” the woman said with a sweet, soft Southern drawl.

  Laila told herself not to, but she cracked her door a bit wider to peek at the two. Trees hugged the woman with familiarity, resting his chin on her head. She laid her cheek on his chest and closed her eyes with a smile.

  Something ugly speared Laila. It very much felt like jealousy.

  When had she started caring about Trees?

  After he pulled away, Madison smiled up at him with obvious fondness. “I brought your key back.”

  She dropped it in his outstretched palm, and he pocketed it. “Thank you for looking after the house and the dog while I was gone. I owe you.”

  “You don’t. I’m always happy to help. You know that, right?”

  Was Madison flirting?

  “You’re a sweetheart. Did Barney behave himself?”

  “He always does because he’s a good boy. He scarfed up all his food in nothing flat every night and loved the scratches behind his ears.”

  Trees laughed, then opened the front door again. A big black dog with brown jowls and happy eyes barked at Madison before planting in front of her with a whine. “He likes you.”

  She shot Trees a teasing stare. “Barney always lets me know he’s happy to see me. You…I have to guess about sometimes.”

  He forced a laugh. “Would you like a drink? You hungry?”

  “No. I’m fine. I know you just got home, so I won’t keep you.” She petted the big dog, and he wagged his tail. “I just got off work anyway, and I need to stop off and check on Daddy.”

  “You sure I can’t pay you for taking care of the house and the animal while I was gone?”

  She cocked her head. “I wouldn’t say no if you want to take me to dinner this weekend.”

  “I wish I could. I’m pretty sure I’ll be working.”

  “Another weekend, then?”

  Trees hesitated, then sighed. “Madison, you know you’re a good friend, right? But I—”

  Suddenly, the big black dog barked and turned in Laila’s direction with a growl before darting straight for her. Laila gasped and tried to shut the door, but it was too late. The big dog crashed inside and took up a stance in front of her, ears peeled back with a growl.

  She froze. What should she do to make sure a dog this size didn’t decide she was a snack?

  Trees was there in an instant. “Heel.”

  The dog sat, but he didn’t look happy.

  “Good boy.” Trees petted the beast behind his ears. “You okay?”

  “Fine.”

  Madison approached, giving her a discreet once-over.

  Laila knew what the woman saw—a brown girl with an unruly mane of dark curls, wearing a dirty tank top and short-shorts that barely concealed the essentials. Trees’s friend would probably think she was gutter trash. A nobody. She wasn’t wrong.

  Madison turned back to Trees. “I didn’t realize you had company. I’m sorry.” She faced Laila again, hand outstretched. “Hi. I’m Madison.”

  “Laila.” She took the woman’s hand cautiously.

  “I’ll leave now and let you two get back to your…evening.” Madison flashed them a big smile.

  Laila didn’t believe it. Or maybe she only felt that way because she couldn’t bring herself to smile back at the pretty flirt who batted her lashes at Trees.

  “I’ll walk you out,” he offered, then turned to the dog. “Come.”

  The canine gave her another narrow-eyed stare before he headed out her bedroom door. Trees followed, then turned back to her, his gaze questioning.

  Laila didn’t know how to answer. How could she explain why she had been spying and eavesdropping when she didn’t really understand herself?

  “I’ll be back,” he said finally, then left.

  From the cracked door, she watched Trees guide Madison with his big hand on the small of her narrow back. In the foyer, they disappeared from view. The front door opened and closed.

  Laila raced to the window that overlooked the front of the house. She could just see them around the shrubs. Madison said something with a smile. Trees nodded solemnly. Then she rose on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his thick neck, planting a kiss on his cheek before hopping into her little car and driving off with a wave.

  Suddenly, the front door slammed. Laila jolted as she heard Trees lock it.

  He headed straight to her bedroom.

  She held up her hands. “I am sorry. I did not mean to pry.”

  “Why did you? The fewer people who know you’re here, the better. I don’t want to put Madison in danger for knowing things she shouldn’t. She didn’t ask for that.”

  Madison hadn’t, and Laila felt guilty for not realizing that her curiosity could put someone else in danger. “You are right.”

  She felt terrible. Madison’s only sin was her “friendship” with the bodyguard who intrigued her more than she liked.

  He sighed. “It’s my fault, too. I didn’t know she was coming over, and I should have explained why you needed to stay out of sight.”

  It would have helped, but ultimately, her inexplicable jealousy had been to blame. “She likes you.”

  “She’s nice,” he said neutrally.

  “I mean she is interested in you as a man.”

  He hesitated. “Maybe, but I don’t think she’s into me specifically. I think she’s looking for something.”

  “Love?”

  “More than that, I suspect.”

  “She would warm your bed if you wanted.” Laila hated to point that out, but surely he knew.

  He merely shrugged.

  “I understand. She already has.” Laila wished she had never brought it up.

  “No. We’re just friends. Only friends. I don’t know what she needs, but I know what she doesn’t. Me. I could never make her happy.”

  So far, he seemed kinder than most men, so his assertion made no sense. “Why?”

  “It’s complicated. Why are you asking? Do you want me to fuck her?”