Oak, Sophie - Away From Me (Siren Publishing Classic) by Sophie Oak Read Free Book Online Page A

needed. He’d been as happy as he could have imagined himself being for the years they were together. At first, it had been about sex and comfort, but after about six months, he’d gotten comfortable and settled into the relationship.
    “You were exactly what I needed. I wasn’t what you needed.”
    She’d been right. She’d played the role of his wife to perfection. She’d kept his house, hosted his parties and dinners, and kept the books. He’d never had to worry about anything beyond work. Between Gaby and his longtime assistant, Helen, he’d been covered on every front. Now, he wondered how hard it had been on her to think of herself essentially as an employee rather than a beloved female.
    Her mouth curled up in the semblance of a smile. “I thought I needed you. It’s funny now. I was twenty-six and so sure that I knew what I was doing. I was sure that you just needed time. I met you and decided you were the one for me.”
    He remembered the night like it was yesterday. Greg had introduced them. He’d heard about Heather’s close friend for months, but he hadn’t cared. He wasn’t ready for anything like a relationship. Cassie had only been gone for a year. It was far too soon to think about anything beyond his physical needs. He’d been annoyed that he had to meet her. He didn’t want to be polite to one of Heather’s friends. All of that had changed the minute he looked at her. She’d smiled shyly at him, and he was lost.
    “I knew you didn’t want anything serious…”
    He cut her off. “I signed a contract with you two weeks after we met. I know I wasn’t interested in marriage, but that contract was serious to me.”
    She took a sip of her drink and nodded, obviously conceding the point. “All right. I’ll rephrase. I knew you weren’t interested in anything beyond a D/s relationship.”
    He hated the way she put that but forced himself to remain silent. He wasn’t going to win her over by arguing semantics.
    “So I became your perfect sub,” she explained. “I’d never been in a twenty-four seven relationship before. I never even wanted one, but I knew it was the only way to keep you, so I tried it. I was really arrogant. I thought that if I became exactly what you wanted, you would love me. I thought we’d be married and have some kids and everything would be perfect.”
    “I never promised you that.” He’d promised her the exact opposite.
    “I know. It’s all right, Cal. I’m trying to explain. It wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I knew what you wanted, and I tried to change you anyway. You told me you would never love another woman, and I arrogantly thought I could change your mind.” She sat back in her chair. Her shoulders straight, her head held high. “I was wrong to do that to you. I knew from the moment I met you that I wanted to marry you and have babies with you. I should have honored your feelings and walked away that night.”
    He swallowed a long drink of Scotch. He wouldn’t have let her walk away. He’d known he had to have her.
    “Instead, I forced us both to waste three years of our lives. So, I want you to know that I don’t hate you. I’m pissed at myself, but I certainly don’t hate you. You couldn’t help the fact that I wasn’t someone you could love. I know you feel bad because you didn’t know about the cancer.”
    “You didn’t tell me,” he growled the accusation.
    “Hey,” she said softly. It was the voice she used to soothe him. “I didn’t want to worry you. It wasn’t your problem. It was mine. I knew it would bring back all kinds of bad memories. You didn’t need to go through losing someone again.”
    His hands clenched. He wanted her to hold his hands again. “That wasn’t your call to make, Gaby. You should have told me. You should have told me the minute you suspected something was wrong. I would have taken care of it. I would have taken care of you. I consider it tantamount to lying that you kept this from