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I trust him.
“Will you stay in bed with me?” I ask softly, my voice smaller than I expected it to be. “Could you hold me?”
I wonder if that will be enough.
Or am I being too needy already?
But his eager nod and the way he shucks off his jacket make me laugh. He tosses it on my dresser haphazardly, then watches as I take off my robe and pull the covers back. I rearrange the nesting blankets to my liking, then sink down onto the mattress.
I let out a contented sigh.
But River still stands next to my dresser, his pupils blown with lust.
“River,” I say gently, pulling down the other corner of the covers, “come join me.”
I officially invite him into my nest.
He gives me a crooked grin, and I return it with one of my own.
“You don’t have to ask me twice, baby,” he purrs, and I giggle.
He joins me immediately, the bed dipping with his weight as he pulls the blankets over himself.
He groans in contentment. “Oh, fuck, that’s nice,” he sighs. I roll on my side to face him, and he turns to me, his smile falling. He reaches out to push a lock of hair away from my eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says intensely. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” His hand caresses my cheek, then his fingers trail down my lips. “I’m scared I’ll wake up and you won’t be here,” he admits quietly. “Maybe this is all a dream. Maybe I’ve fucking lost it, and you’re not real.”
I huff out a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I chastise him. “I’m here. I’m real.”
I reach out my hand to trace his stubble, and he nips at my finger. “You need to sleep,” I say softly. “Real sleep.”
“So do you,” he says. “When’s the last time you’ve been able to rest peacefully?”
I cock an eyebrow. “When’s the last time you have?”
I know I should sleep. But his scent calls to my inner Omega, and my stomach does another little flip.
“There’s something I have to let you know,” I blurt out before he can reply to my retort. “My Heat is coming soon. And it won’t be normal. It will be intense.”
His eyes darken. “Yeah?” he asks, his voice raspy.
I nod, overwhelmed by tears filling my eyes. “And I don’t know if…I’m not sure if I can…”
I pray that he understands what I’m saying.
I don’t know if I’m ready to be taken that way after everything.
“That’s fine, baby,” he says hoarsely. “Whatever you need, let me know.” He wipes away another tear, and I’m grateful for his gentleness.
I lean closer to him, and he turns onto his back so I can lay my head on his shoulder. A hand wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him, and I nuzzle into his warmth.
“I’ll take you any way I can have you,” he murmurs after a moment of silence. “And I know that makes me sound crazy. But if the only way I can be near you is to sit outside your fucking door, breathing you in, then that’s what I’ll do.”
I let his words wash over me as another tear falls.
“Okay,” I breathe, unsure of what to say.
River has changed since the last time I was with him.
