I close my eyes and lie back on the floor, throwing my arm over my face.
“I’m so sorry,” I pant, trying to even out my breathing, swiping a hand over my clammy face. “I must’ve scared you.”
She lies on the floor beside me. “No, not at all,” she whispers, as she tucks herself in the crook of my arm. “Are you okay?”
I sigh. “Yeah, yeah, I’m all good.”
I lie there, inhaling her sweet-scented shampoo, allowing it to ground me further.
The sun pierces through the room, and I squint. I glance at the alarm clock and see it’s eight in the morning. I never sleep in this late.
I look down at Belle. Her head’s resting on my bare chest, and her arm is stretched across my stomach. I admire her beauty and the way she looks good draped over my body. Her light snores fill the room, and I commit this image to memory. Every moment I spend with this woman has me falling further for her. I stroke her hair gently, causing her to stir beside me and stretch out. She looks up before realising she’s tangled around me.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she says, scrambling to sit up. She runs her hands over her face.
“Nothing to be sorry about, beaut.” And there really isn’t. If I could take her right now, without her running scared, I would.“It should be me apologising for waking you.” I put my arms behind my head, leaning back on the pillows.
“It made a change from me not having nightmares.” She smiles over her shoulder at me, a little sparkle in her eyes.
“Well, having you tucked into me, gave me the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
“Maybe tonight you could join me in the bed.” She stretches again. “This fucking floor is not comfortable at all.”
“Oooh, so I’ve convinced you to stay longer?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Well, no, not really.”
“May as well make the most of it then, hadn’t I? Not every day a woman gets saved by her knight in shining armour, and gets to stay in his tower,” she jokes.
I stand from the floor, offering her my hand and lifting her to her feet. She falls against me and steadies herself by placing her hands on my chest. She glances up, our eyes connecting and her breathing hitches as she bites her lower lip and looks down at the floor. I lift her chin with my finger, pulling her gaze back to mine.
I need to know that she feels this pull too and it isn’t just me.
I pull her lip from between her teeth, and she closes her eyes, like she’s savouring the connection. I lean down, placing the quaintest kiss on her lips. Her tongue darts out and I take it as her acceptance, deepening the kiss as I grab her around the waist, pulling her into my body. She places her hands on my chest pulling back slightly, her breathing heavy, and in that moment, I know she felt it too.
Our eyes connect again. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” she whispers, and I see the conflict in her eyes.
I shake my head. “Don’t apologise.”
She sighs heavily, pressing her forehead to my chest. “I need to sort myself out, I can’t get distracted.”
I rest my chin on her head. “I’m here waiting whenever you’re ready.”
In that kiss, I knew, as much as I wanted to save her, she might just save me.
She is going to be mine. I just have to be patient.
Chapter Eight
Bella
I brace one hand against the cool tiles, letting the cold water rain down over me. Droplets race along my skin, gathering at my feet before spiralling towards the drain, disappearing one by one. The chill soaks into my bones, cooling the fire still raging beneath my skin. Being near Clay ignited something I thought Liam had destroyed the day he packed my bags and kicked me out of our marital home. I truly believed I’d never feel a connection with anyone ever again.
When Clay woke last night, something inside me broke. He thrashed beneath the quilt, his screams tearing through the room, bouncing off the walls like echoes of old wounds. I recognised it instantly—the helplessness, the breathless panic. Someone like me knows a nightmare that doesn’t just visit but lives with you. This wasn’t the first time Clay had faced that darkness. He was used to it, and that hurt more than the scream itself.
He relaxed almost instantly with my touch, and in that moment of calm, wrapped against his body, that I knew I was doomed. He makes me feel safe and protected, and with that comes the strength to fight . . . fight for my children. Get them home where they belong, wherever that might be.
