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“Sure. If you’re sure, it’s not going to inflame the situation.”
“It can’t really make things worse, can it?” she grins. “If I stay here, he’s not going to leave his room, anyway. I’d rather feel loved tonight, not hated.” She pauses, looking over to me. “And I kind of don’t want to be alone right now.”
“I’ll make you feel more than loved,” I murmur, kissing her neck. She giggles and playfully pushes me away.It's late when we get back to my place. I take her straight up to my room, determined to get her into bed and resting. I peel her clothes off and practically force her into the bed, determined to tuck her in. She giggles as I climb in beside her.
I kiss her and wrap my arms around her, hoping she feels safe in my arms. Every time I close my eyes, I think about what happened to her. In one moment, everything could've changed. I'm so thankful that it didn't, but I can't stop thinking about how badly things could’ve gone.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.
I know she’s not. She jumps at every noise, and she looks distracted. Not that I blame her. She was attacked. While nothing happened, it easily could have. That's got to be hard to think about. I’m sure as hell struggling with it.
“I will be,” she whispers.
“Close your eyes. I'll be here all night. I'm not going to leave you,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. She smiles and closes her eyes as I trail my fingers up and down her back.
I watch her, listening to the sound of her breathing.
All I can think about is that little shit that hurt her. God help me if I see him. I’ll break his neck. I have no idea how Dan didn't kill the guy. If it had been my hands on him tonight, he wouldn't be breathing. I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. Me being angry isn't going to help her get over this.Somehow, I fall asleep.
I wake up early the next morning to the sound of banging on the door. I groan, mumbling something under my breath as I drag myself out of bed. Anna wakes up with a start as the second round of pounding begins, her eyes wide. The way she’s reacting makes me wonder if she had nightmares. I hand her my robe, which she slips on and wraps tightly around her waist, and then I grab a pair of boxer shorts and throw them on. I move through the living room toward the front door, more annoyed that whoever this is has woken Anna than me.
Anna lags behind me, not getting too close, but still wanting to know what’s going on. I open the door and Dan bursts in. He walks straight past me and over to Anna, who I can see is bracing herself for another argument. Hell, I am, too, but I’m tired of all the fighting. It’s hard to believe that just a few days ago, Dan and I were friends.
“Do you love him?” he asks her. She glances at me, her eyes wide, then she looks back at her dad. No hello or anything, just straight into the question.
“Yes.”
“How long has it been going on for?” he asks. My jaw clenches because he asked me that same question and I didn’t answer. I couldn’t lie to him.
“Since you made me come over here,” she whispers, her eyes darting to me.
“Jesus, Anna, I wanted you to make him feel a little better, but not like that,” he mutters, rubbing his jaw. His hair is a mess, and the dark circles around his eyes make it clear to me he didn’t sleep much last night, if at all. Has he been up all night, thinking about us?
“And you?” he asks, turning to me. He’s frowning, but the anger seems to have lessened. Or maybe that’s just because it’s barely seven in the morning. “Do you love her?”
“I told you that I did last night,” I say, my voice stiff. “Yes, I love her.”
He sighs and stares me in the eye, then turns back to Anna. I can see the fear in her expression as she waits to hear what he’s going to say. Hell, even I’m holding my breath. He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck. I frown, wishing he’d just get on with it.
“If you really love each other,” he begins, nearly choking on the words. “Then I’m not going to stand in your way.”
He walks out, leaving Anna and me standing there, staring at each other in disbelief. I sit down, and she wanders over to me and takes my hand, sliding onto my lap. Her bare thigh peeks out from under my robe.
“Did that just happen?” she whispers, her eyes wide. “Do you really think he’s okay with us being together?”
