Elijah: The Boss's Gift Read Online Free PDF

where he usually stored his keys.
    “I don’t see why this is anyone’s business.”
    “You’re living in my house. I demand answers.” He
stood waiting. No one told him no, and she saw it as she looked at him.
    “Some of the men who came to her for sex, liked to
touch. She gave me to them to get more money. Sometimes it wasn’t so bad. They
just liked to touch my hair. Some liked a hell of a lot more. I dealt with it.”
    He cursed, and she flinched from the anger in his
voice.
    “What else?”
    “Nothing else.”
    “The foster
homes. Why didn’t any of them stick?” he asked.
    “I’ve never been a great person with being used as a
sex object. One of the families I was sent to had older boys who didn’t think I
had the right to say no. Not only did I say no, I made sure they paid for
touching me.”
    She gripped her arms a little tighter. All of those
memories were in the past.
    “Are you a virgin?” Elijah asked.
    Cherry burst out laughing, shaking her head. “You’ve
got no chance. I fought a lot of them, but I didn’t always win.”
    “You were raped?”
    She raised a brow. “I learned how to deal with it.”
    “You shouldn’t have to learn how to do anything.”
    “There’s no need to get angry. This happened years
ago. No one has touched me in two years.” She didn’t understand why he was angry.
“You should be happy. Mindy doesn’t have to go through any of that shit.”
    He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t make me feel
better.”
    Tilting her head to the side, she stared back at him.
“You’re really angry.”
    “No woman should be used by force.”
    “Well, I’m not going to be taken by force again.” She
stepped down, going close to him. “Thank you for getting my stuff.”
    She paused as he cupped her cheek, titling her head
back. “I’ll pay for your schooling.”
    Cherry jerked back. “What?”
    “You heard me. I’ll pay for your schooling. You’re not
going anywhere. We’ve got a deal, and it’s something I want to do.”
    “But you don’t have to do that.”
    “I don’t care. You’re doing me a favor. Mindy has
wanted me to have female company for a long time.”
    “She talked about your good qualities and believes
you’d make an amazing husband.” All morning she had to listen to Mindy talk
about her father and how amazing he’d be to have as a husband. She clearly
didn’t have any clue what Elijah did in his extra time.
    “I love my daughter.”
    He rested his hand on her shoulder. The tips of his
fingers caressed over her skin near her pulse.
    She didn’t like her body heating under his touch.
“Thank you for getting my stuff.”
    “When do you need to go to school?” he asked.
    “College. I finished school two years ago.”
    “College then.”
    “I’ve got classes this afternoon,” she said. This was
completely out of this world. There’s no way a man took a woman and then helped
her like he was.
    “Get your stuff. I’ll take you to college. I’ll have a
man put on your protection.” Elijah walked toward his office.
    “You don’t need to do that. I’m happy with our deal.”
    “Do you ever want to be a nurse?”
    “Yes.” She answered without hesitation. The dream of
becoming a nurse was what kept her going through the darker days.
    “Then I’ll take you to college this afternoon. You may
not get the chance again for another five years.”
    “That’s how long you want the deal to last?”
    “The deal is for however long Mindy wants you around.”
    Tucking some hair behind her ear, Cherry nodded.
“Okay.”
    “Get ready. I’ll take you to college.”
    She didn’t argue. Passing him on the stairs, she
picked up her suitcase and her bag of books.
    “Why do you have so many books from the library?” he
asked.
    “I couldn’t afford the books.” She stepped around him
and headed upstairs.
    “Take them back to the library. I’ll pay for them.”
    She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. What was the
point in arguing?