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She stood up and moved to him He took her by the hips and settled her over his lap, hiking up her dress

"No," she snapped, hands over his "I’ you, doll Innocent little touches, I promise"

She hesitated, and then let him, albeit with a look of suspicion

He suppressed a s Why are you always so hard?"

"Same reason as you"

"Power?"

"Shit childhood"

He went still "What makes you think I had a shit childhood?"

"You grew up on my side of the tracks There’s no need to elaborate randood life"

"She did what she could, but I was always led astray"

"Because of yourat hih every part of my life, didn’t you?"

He nodded, slowly "I already told you I did"

"Then you knohat she did"

"Yes"

"Well, it ood, and I wasn’t a very nice kid"

He chuckled lightly "Neither was I"

"No? What made you a little shit?"

"My parents threw ave a shit about me, so after that abuse, it was sort of a relief to be out of there"

Instead of looking at hier "What a bunch of assholes"

"Yeah"

She waited for him to say more, but Borden hadn’t talked about that part of his life since… Well, ever Not even to Kate

"You knohat desperation is like, right?" he asked her quietly, searching for her understanding

She nodded soles at sixteen I couldn’t make it in the streets otherwise I ard Very fucked up I latched on to sos would helpto fix how broken s did that?"