Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I feel as if I weigh a million pounds as I allow my body to sink into the mattress, but not being able to see the door makes my body begin to shake all over again. With the way I feel right now and the terror swimming inside of me, it may take literal years for me to feel comfortable in my skin again. I reposition my body on the bed so I can see the door, but it doesn't make me any less scared. I have no means of protecting myself. Even if I had a gun, I wouldn't know how to use it if it wasn't fully ready with nothing left to do but pull the trigger.
I try to close my eyes but find it an impossible task. I know there will come a time when my body will shut down, forcing me to sleep, but the naps I got in the car on the drive here seem to have been enough to keep me awake and worrying.
I don't know how long he will stay gone. I don't even know if the meeting he spoke about is here at the house. It could've taken him an hour away for all I know, and that makes me tremble more. I trust his ability to protect me. I know I can feel as safe as is possible with him here, but what if the other people he has confidence in can't protect me?
My nerves are so frazzled that when the door opens, I can't even fake being asleep with how hard I jolt in the bed.
I don't say a word as he enters. After a quick glance in my direction, he simply walks past the end of the bed, pulling his shirt over his head by the back of the neck. I think it's quite possibly one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. He enters the bathroom just as his fingers work open the buckle on his belt, the clinking sound it makes fading away when he closes himself into the bathroom.
The sounds of the shower leak out into the bedroom, and I feel a little wild and restless knowing that he's in there. I have no idea how the night will look when he comes out. He could very easily leave the room once he's done, but I know he has to be exhausted. Other than the few stops for gas and snacks, he hasn't slept.
What seems like forever is probably only fifteen minutes in total with him locked behind the bathroom door. He's every woman's wildest fantasy when the door opens.
Steam billows out from behind him, the towel around his trim waist hugging him dangerously low on his hips.
His hair is a wild mess, and from the looks of it, he only ran the towel over it for a few seconds. His scent wafts into the room, clean and masculine, and I bet it's a completely different scent than what clings to my skin although I used the same soap.
He doesn't say a word as he walks to the dresser. Turning his back to me, I watch unabashedly as the towel pools at his feet before he slips on a pair of boxer briefs, the same kind I'm wearing, only his fit snuggly to every inch they cover.
He hesitates at the side of the bed, as if he can't decide if this is the best thing for either of us. He stares down at me when I lift the blanket in invitation, pausing before accepting it.
"Peach," he whispers, the only word that has left his lips since he entered the room, and I know why he says it.
He's feeling much like I am, and the vulnerability I've felt these last two days clings to me like a second skin.
I just want to forget, to spend a few moments where I don't feel like my entire world is spinning out of control.
Despite the years and distance between us, this is something we always got right, even though we didn't get the opportunity to spend much time together before Damien walked in on us that day.
"It's okay," I whisper, hoping he doesn't change his mind.
I have no way of knowing how this will go tonight or what it means in the grand scheme of things, but I'm desperate for the warmth of his skin against mine. From the look in his eyes, I think he feels the same way.
He swallows as his eyes run over me, and by the way they glisten, you'd think I was in this bed naked and waiting for him rather than wearing a pair of his boxers and a baggy t-shirt. He always made me feel as if I was the only woman in the world who existed, and right now is no different.
Tears burn my eyes as he stands there, seeming to struggle with his choice, and I can't help but wonder what's going through his mind.