Tommy
My room was lit up like a damn Christmas tree when I arrived back there thirty minutes later. I would have been back sooner but Raze had given me a lot to think about. And I had taken my time in making Briella a basic sandwich and heating another bowl of soup.
Pausing in the doorway, I blinked at the sudden brightness. Every single light and lamp in the room was on, but there was not a single noise. Cocking my head to the side, I let my eyes drift towards the bathroom, nothing.
It was like she wasn't even there, although I knew she was. I could smell her. The scent of freshly washed skin and hair filled the room, and under it the smell of her was vivid. Sweet and beautiful. For a moment I let it swirl around me.
A movement on the bed caught my attention, and that's when I finally saw her. She was on the far side, her back to me and she looked unbelievably small under the covers. Curled up around herself like she was trying not to be seen, she had hidden away from the horrors of the last few days until sleep had finally overcome her.
And I wanted to go to her, crawl in next to her and hold her in my arms. I wanted to whisper in her ear that she was safe, and that I would let nothing happen to her ever again. But I knew deep down that I couldn't do any of that. Not only would she freak out if I got into bed with her, but it would be a lie.
I couldn't guarantee that she would be safe. As much as I hated admitting it to myself.
Sighing, I headed towards the bathroom, turning off the lights as I went until they were all off except the lamp closest to the bed. I didn't want her to wake up in complete darkness either.
Shrugging off my clothes, I didn't even bother to check the water as I stepped into the spray, letting it cascade down over my face.
What the hell was happening to me?
I wasn't a soft man. I kept any feeling I had locked away deep inside, but with Briella? She made me into a creature I didn't even recognise. She made me question myself. Hell, I was thinking about going against Leviathan and the Legion to keep her.
Raze was right.
I had to give her up. There was no other way. She was the only thing I could think of. The only damn thing I saw when I closed my eyes.
Even the thought of touching another woman’s body didn't help. I doubted I would even be able to get it up for another woman. Not unless I was thinking of Briella.
Groaning loudly, I slammed my head against the wet tile. The pain radiated through my forehead and into my brain. It didn’t make any difference.
I had come into the shower to calm down, and the opposite had happened. My cock, at the very thought of her, was swelling uncomfortably.
I groaned again, and moving my hand down my wet skin, I reached for myself. Curling my fingers around my wide base, I slid my tightened fist upwards. My eyelids fluttered closed and I let the thought of Briella take over.
Fisting my cock, I let my head fall against the cracked tile again.
What kind of man did it make me? Jerking one-off whilst she slept in the next room, abused and scared? If I was up to the task of being her mate, my own needs wouldn't have entered the equation.
A small sound caught my attention, and my head snapped upwards, my throbbing cock forgotten.
Briella.
That small, agonised sound had come from the bedroom. And if I had heard it over the shower, then it wasn't small at all. Turning the shower off quickly, I reached for a towel, deftly wrapping it around my waist.
The sound was louder now the shower was off. A heavy, terrified sobbing.
Was someone hurting her? Had one of my men come in and scared her? Or worse, were we under attack? Was Acco there to take her back?
Without thinking, I rushed towards the door, flinging it open with enough force that it bounced off the wall and rebounded, almost hitting me in the face as I stepped through.
“Briella?”
She was sat upright on the bed, her hair sticking up in every direction. Her eyes wild with terror. She turned her head towards me sharply, and I realised with a start that she was still half asleep.
“Briella, what’s wrong?” I took another step forward, stopping before I reached the bed.
“I…” she stuttered. “It’s nothing. I had a bad dream, that's all.”
Her eyes flicked down my body, lingering a moment before they found my face again, and even with just the light from the lamp, I could see she was blushing. Heat crept up her neck and over her cheeks.
