A Convict's Lover by Kayla Trautman (the false prince series .txt) 📕

of her but some of it was just tangled with her legs. Daniel wasn't in the bed with her. Instead she saw his long hair covering his bare back, reaching a little bit down past his trousers as he stood looking out the window. Trousers were the only thing that he was wearing.

She sat up and held the sheet to her. He heard the movement and he turned around to look at her, "You're awake. Good afternoon." He started to take a step towards her but stopped when he saw her tense. She was scared of what was to come. But she had to speak to him. She couldn't just not talk to him. She swallowed, "How late is it?"

Daniel frowned and walked over to her. Ignoring her moving over to the other side of the bed, he climbed on the bed and crawled over to her. She didn't want to be near him right now. He continued to go over to her but she moved over some more but screeched as she fell off of the bed and on the floor.

"Julie?" Daniel got off of the bed and sat on his knees beside her. He wanted to reach out and touch her, bring her close to him, hold her and tell her how sorry he was for frightening her and asssure her that he would never hurt her but she would have never let him right now.

She sat up and wrapped the sheet around her. She brought her knees up to her chest and looked down. He touched her knee and she flinched. He cursed under his breath and dropped his hand to the floor, "Julie, please. Did I hurt you this morning?"

She shook her head and whispered, "No." He shouldn't have done it. It was too soon. He knew it was but she just looked so beautiful in the morning after a night of sex and a relaxed look on her face. She never looked more relaxed than when she did when she was sleeping. When she was awake she was always so tense, cautious. And he wanted her so bad, he couldn't resist.

But he was wrong and now he was paying for it. She's been traumatized with what Bertly did to her and he could tell that someone had hurt her before. She was fragile and not ready for anything like she had gotten this morning.

"Julie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that this morning. I was rough when I shouldn't have been. I knew you weren't ready for that yet but I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized quickly.

She looked up at him. She didn't move or say anything but the way she looked at him told him that she was welcoming his words. He touched her knee and was relieved that she didn't flinch this time, "I'm really sorry. I won't hurt you. Please."

He could see the tears in her eyes. He had scared her so much. He could see the fear in her eyes. Dammit! He cursed himself in his head. He would never make that mistake again.

Julie took a deep breath and sighed. She had to calm down. He didn't hurt her but ... it scared her. She took his hand that was on her knee and his warm fingers immediately wrapped around hers. He gently started to pull him towards him but let her make her decision.

She got up and moved to straddle him. He wrapped his arms around her as he held her in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, "I didn't know that ... it would be like that. I didn't mean to accuse you of ... anything ... you just frightened me. I've seen aggressiveness in my lifetime and I don't wish to see anymore if I could have my way."

He layed his cheek against her breast and sighed, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't planning on being as rough as I was with you this morning. It was too soon. Please forgive me." She kissed his hair, "I forgive you." She wiped the fresh tears away from her eyes and took a deep breath to settle her.

"You know I would never hurt you, right?" He pulled back to look up at her. She looked down at him and started toying with a strand of his hair. She looked at the hair she had in her hand. That hair had been around her like a cocoon when they were making love. It was so long.

She asked, "How come you let your hair grow so long?" "I've been running for a long time and even before that ... I was just against society." He replied in a nonchalant tone. "Julie." He said, a demand in his voice that he knew she would understand.

Julie looked at him and he cupped her cheek in his hand. He ran his thumb along her lips, "I would never hurt you. I promise. I'm going to protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. I know your father has hurt you. I'll be here ready to listen when you want to tell me but I'm no fool. So don't try to lie to me about that."

She closed her eyes and climbed off of his lap to sit beside him. She hugged his arm to her and layed her head against his shoulder. She sat with her legs folded in front of her. He layed his hand on her knee and squeezed gently, "It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. You can trust me."

She sighed and kept her eyes closed, "After mom died ... it was like was punishing me for her death. He'd have my hands and feet tied together. Gagged but I could still see. He didn't blind me. My hands were tied behind my back.

"He made a small wooden coffin. He knew it was too small. He had said that it made the impact on me even greater. He was drunk a lot then. I blame it on his drinking making his already bad tempered abusiveness even worse.

"He'd have me tied up like that and have three prisoners put me in the coffin. He would always pick the ones that were either truly sadistic or just wanted revenge for the beatings they got and would take their anger out on his ten year old daughter.

"They'd sometimes drag me by hair or my feet so that I'd bang my head along the way. They'd punch me sometimes, say call me the most foul words. Papa loved it. It made him happy to see the daughter that looked so much like his dead wife suffer at the hands of convicts.

"By the time they had me in the coffin I was exhausted and barely fought as they closed and locked the lid to the coffin. It was completely dark. No cracks. He made it perfectly. My legs were bent and to the side so that I could fit in it.

"They would keep me in there for hours while I screamed and they would do it everyday. They finally stopped when I turned eleven when one of the convicts purposely broke my leg. He had him hanged and then he stopped drinking. Of course he would have a drink here and there when we had guests but he would only take a sip of it. Just for show.

"He was never abusive before when mom was around. He wasn't even bad tempered. But once she died ... he loved her so much and he resented me for looking like her. I resent myself for looking like her. For being that constant reminder.

"I couldn't mourn her and cry for her because if Papa thought that I was even thinking about her, he'd take his belt to my backside."

Daniel put his arm aroun her and brought her into his arms, "I could kill him for what he did to you. It wasn't fair and it was immoral. I swear to god, if it's the last thing I do I will not let anyone say another bad word to you, yet alone harm you.

"All that hurt is locked up inside you. I'll take care of you, Julie. I promise." She hugged him back and cried silently into his chest.


Chapter 16

Julie was curled up on the couch in the library, just lounging there. She's been alone with her thoughts for the majority of the day. Too long, Daniel thought as he leaned his shoulder against the door frame, arms folded across his chest, feet crossed at the ankles. She was so deep in thought that she hasn't even realized that he's been standing there for the past twenty minutes. He decided to make his prescence known now. He missed her today. Far much more than he should have.

"I can't take this anymore." He said. Her head popped up and she looked at him with surprise. She muttered, "How long have you been standing there?" "A while." He answered as he crossed the room to stand a few feet away from the couch. He wanted to be near her but he wanted to give her the space she needed.

She sat up and put her feet on the floor, smoothing out her dress, "I didn't hear you come in. I guess I was just ... distracted. I'm sorry." He nodded and put his hands in his pockets, "Yeah. I've noticed. Julie, please. The distance between us is killing me. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

She took a deep breath and sighed. Finally she looked up at him and spoke loud and clearly, as if she was forcing herself to say the words, "I have to go home. I can't stay here any longer. I have my brothers that I miss and we can't live in this fantasy you've built here. I'm not your wife, nor will I ever be.

"You have to let me go home." Her words shocked him. He knew that he could never be with her or be the man she wanted or deserved. He knew he couldn't have her. He had nothing to offer her but a life of running from the law and danger lurking around the corner if he was found by his uncle. He couldn't do that to her or anyone.

And he knew that he had to save her but he couldn't keep her here forever. But he couldn't let her go home and he had to figure out what to do with her. But he didn't want to. He didn't want this to end. It couldn't. It would. Just not yet.

Daniel went over to her and sat beside her. He took her hand but she pulled back. She even moved over a couple inches, trying to separate herself from him. He sighed, "Julie. You're not going anywhere. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with you but you can't go back there. He's going to kill you one of these days. And he's likely to beat you for running off with me even though I didn't give you choice in the matter.

"Knowing those things I couldn't just let you go back home." She shook her head, "Mr. Horminion, I