Frisked in Fondant: Tulle and Tulips, Book 6 by Nikki Duncan Read Free Book Online Page A

your parents?”
    She shook her head, but almost immediately began talking. “I’d gotten into a fight with a friend at a sleepover, so my dad picked me up.”
    “When we got home,” Gisella continued, trying not to think about what she was retelling, “it wasn’t to find Mom asleep in bed.” Memories flooded back. If it wasn’t for Kyle’s hand on her skin she’d be lost in them. “We walked into the kitchen to find a mess Mom would never have allowed. Then we heard a scream.”
    The same scream shattered the quiet in her mind. The same plea had fallen from her lips the night before.
    She sounded like a foreigner to herself, like someone else was talking while she relived the two most violent nights of her life. The far and not so far removed history.
    “Dad picked me up and put me in the laundry room. He promised to be right back.”
    “He didn’t come back.”
    She shook her head. He’d shut her in the dark room and then left her there. She’d heard it all too clearly and it came back to life as she told Kyle about her first home invasion.
    “Get away from her.” Dad’s command was muffled by space and the door, but it was the tone Gisella knew better than to ignore.
    “Ron. No.” Mom sounded sad. Like she was crying.
    Stronger than her dad’s command, or maybe just more violent, was another man’s voice. “Shut the fuck up.”
    “Take whatever you want,” Dad said. “Just don’t hurt her.”
    A thud reached Gisella a second before her mom cried out. “I don’t like being told what to do,” the man said.
    Dad said something else Gisella couldn’t make out. Mom cried harder and begged the man to stop. Gisella sank into the tight space below the laundry room sink. Covering her ears offered no relief, so she held her breath and wished she could vanish into the wall.
    “I couldn’t disappear,” Gisella said, coming back to the present, “but when I realized no one was coming for me I snuck out.”
    Kyle brushed a tear off her cheek, making the memory slightly bearable.
    “Mom and Dad were on the floor. Dad held Mom. They both had been shot.”
    “Hearing that had to be horrible.”
    “I don’t remember.” Shrinks had assured her it was normal to block certain details. Those same shrinks had blamed her eating problems on her grief. There was something to both theories.
    “How you handled yourself last night makes mores sense now. You’re strong, and when anyone else would have given up or collapsed, you stood strong and fought to survive.”
    “I couldn’t let those bastards make me beg and cry like my parents did.” She’d refused to give them the pleasure of her weakness.
    Kyle turned more fully toward her. “You’re a remarkable woman, Gisella Sands.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Chapter Five
    The Archies belting out “Sugar, Sugar” woke Gisella. Before opening her eyes she became aware of Kyle’s leg beneath her cheek. He laughed. “You are a woman full of surprises.”
    Just like the night before, she felt safe. And treasured. “You’re still here.”
    “You’ve been asleep less than an hour.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “Besides, you’ve been on me.”
    She didn’t know how to handle his smile or his lack of concern about her drool on his chest. “Why didn’t you just roll me over?”
    Kyle’s thumb brushed her lip. “I like you on me.”
    Her phone rang again. She rolled sideways, stretching toward the bedside table for the phone. It was her best baker, who never called unless there was a pretty major problem. “Hey, Paige. What’s up?”
    “The rolling machine’s broken and we have that six-tier cake to finish for tomorrow.”
    “Damn.” Fondant could be hand-rolled, but it was a skill no one on her staff had mastered. “And I let Tommy T’s borrow the spare one.”
    “I know you were already here today, and I promised I could handle this one.”
    “I’ll come in.”
    Paige sighed. “I’m