He nods against my chest. “Yeah. I just … not tonight, please.”
“Okay, let’s go to sleep, I’m exhausted anyway.”
Once showered and in bed, I’m so focused on listening for any sounds downstairs that it takes a while to realise that Bailey’s on the edge of the mattress, keeping his distance. I reach out for him, and he quickly presses up against me, like he was waiting for an invitation. He nestles under my chin, his breath hitting my neck in quick little puffs. I know he’s scared, but I don’t know how to reassure him, not when I’m barely holding myself together. In my head I know there’s a fair chance I could fight Shane and come out on top, but my body still freezes at the memory of being tied up.
“Teddy,” he murmurs, stroking the hair on my chest.
“Yeah, Bay?”
“I’m sorry for bringing him back to you.”
I pull away from him a little too quickly, my head swimming. “How is that your fault? You tried your hardest to stay hidden from him. The photo was a screenshot frommysocial media. I don’t know how long he’s been keeping an eye on it, probably since the day I left, but he never would have found you if it wasn’t for that.” His nails dig into my chest as he clings to me.He stays silent, and I feel myself drifting off to sleep, exhaustion from the day’s events crashing into me like a freight train.
The surface drifts further and further away. I try to swim up, but I can’t get my body to move. I realise my wrists and ankles are bound, and I’m being dragged down into the depths of the sea. Bubbles explode from my mouth and nose, screaming until there’s nothing left to give. Water floods my lungs, making me cough and breathe in sharply—but I don’t drown. My body convulses as I take more and more of the sea into my lungs. Whatever is pulling me through the water gives a final tug, and I’m sucked right through the sea floor. There’s suddenly oxygen again. I cough and gasp for breath as the salt from the sea burns my throat and stings my eyes. Someone grabs my chin and forces my head up. I lock onto ice-blue eyes, and freeze.
“I told you what would happen if I ever saw you again.”
Pain sears through my stomach, and a yell breaks free from my lips. When I look down, there’s a knife sticking out of me.
“Teddy, wake up!” a distant voice begs.
I’m back in the sea, drifting up to the surface. The pain in my stomach is now a dull, lingering ache, and the burn in my throat is fading. I choke on nothing. My eyes fly open, and I almost jump right out of bed when I find blue eyes staring back at me.
The split-second it takes to realise it’s Bailey and not Shane hanging over me is enough for his face to crumple. “Bay,” I plead.
He shakes his head furiously, tears gathering in his eyes as he scrambles off the bed and stands with his back against the wall. A sharp pain shoots through my head as I try to move after him.
“Bay, I’m not scared of you. Come back, please.” He doesn’t move, just stands there with his palms flat against the wall, chest heaving. “Jesus Christ, Bay, it was just a nightmare.” I shake myhead, trying to push away memories that keep popping up in fragments.
“About me?” he asks so quietly I almost miss it.
“No! Of course not about you. Just come here, please, mo leannan.” I hold my hand out rather than trying to chase him around the bedroom. He stares at it for a moment before taking hesitant steps towards me.
As soon as he’s within reach, I grab his wrist and pull until he’s forced to straddle my lap. I reach up and hold his jaw, stroking tears from his cheeks.
“I dreamt I was drowning, and my arms and legs were tied, so I couldn’t swim up to the surface.” Bailey’s lip wobbles, so I pull him down to catch his lips between my own in a light kiss. “The dream shifted, and Shane was there. When I woke up, I saw you above me, and it scared me for a second.” I purposefully leave out the stabbing, but Bailey still recoils from me. Grabbing his wrist, I say, “Asecond,Bay,” through gritted teeth. “Then I looked into your eyes, and I was safe again. Do you get that? I was home. You and your brother are nothing alike, I promise.” I tilt his chin so he’s forced to hold eye contact. “Every time I look into your eyes, I remember.”
There’s a moment's silence. Then he whispers, “I love you.” Wiping his eyes before he leans down and kisses the tip of my nose. “I’ve always loved you, Teddy. Even when I couldn’t say it out loud.”
“You never left my heart, mo ghráidh,” I whisper back, stroking his jaw.
Bailey’s mouth brushes against mine, tongue swiping along my bottom lip, seeking entrance. I open for him, and lift my arse when he grabs hold of my waistband. He pulls off my boxers and lowers himself on top of me, grinding his clothed cock against my bare one, making me hard in an instant. I slide my handsdown his back, brushing the cotton of his underwear, but he pulls away from me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting up to chase his lips. The head rush hits me as soon as I move, and I collapse back against my pillow.
“Are you okay?” Bailey asks, hovering above me.
“Yeah, just … light-headed.” I rub my face.
“Did the doctor say you have a concussion?”
“No, it’s just from the pain. The stitches hurt like a bitch.” I lean on my elbows so I can see him better.
“So take the pain relief,” Bailey says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I don’t need tablets.”
He scoffs at me. “Just lie still, then. Let me take care of you.” He pushes a hand to my chest, forcing me to lie flat, then he slips down to the end of the bed, pushing my legs wide as he settles between them. By the time I realise what he’s doing, he’s already licking a stripe up the underside of my cock. I shiver and grab a pillow to prop myself up more so I can watch him. Bailey’s eyes flick up and hold my gaze as his fingers dig into my thigh. He closes his mouth around the head of my cock, and a low moan slips out of me. He’s barely started, but the sight of him between my thighs already has me leaking.
