And the feeling of being violated wasn’t really there either. Shaw and I had shared something very personal, something very intimate, and neither of us felt the need to talk about it. As I lay there in his arms with my head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear was all the comfort I’d needed as we’d fallen asleep. We were happy, but I still felt like there was something else lurking in the shadows that remained a threat to our happiness. Sort of like a stain beneath a fresh coat of paint that somehow manages to find a way to seep through no matter how many times you cover it. Until it was thoroughly removed, it would always stalk us. The next morning was hectic. We had a session scheduled with Dr. Sparling later in the afternoon, but until then, we each had plenty on our plates. Shaw had a couple of his athletes in town that he needed to meet with, and I had the business of choosing an assistant to attend to. Though I’d love to have Ally back, no way was I going to take her agent title from her when she’d worked so hard to quickly become one of the best we had.
