Because it means she’s still not completely safe. And that’s the only thing that matters. The drive back is quieter than it should be as my thoughts drift to Lia’s hand in my shirt. The way she pulled me back. The way she looked at me like she needed something I didn’t give her. The way I kissed her, and held it back.
My grip tightens on the wheel. Because I know what she wanted. And I know exactly what I would have given her if I let myself.
Rough.
Possessive.
Consuming.
The way I’ve always been with her. The way she responds to me. The way she needs. And I can’t.
Because all I can see when I think about it, is her on that floor. Is her going still in my arms. Is the possibility that I push too far. That I don’t stop. That I hurt her. And I won’t risk that.
Even if it means holding myself back until it feels like it’s tearing something out of me.
Even if it means I’m the one creating distance between us.
Even if I can see that it’s breaking something in her too.
I pull into the building. I go upstairs. The apartment is quiet when I walk in.
Dim.
Still.
I move down the hallway. The bedroom door is open. I see them immediately. Lia in the middle. Zach on one side. Jackson on the other. Both close. Both touching her. And she’s peaceful. Zach glances up at me.
“Everything sorted?” he asks quietly.
“No,” I answer. “Not yet.”
I step closer. Carefully.
I lean over the bed and press a kiss into Lia’s hair, breathing her in for a second longer than I should.
Zach shifts slightly.
“I can move if you want to sleep next to her.”
The offer sits there. Heavy. Tempting. I hesitate.
Because I want to. But then I see it.
The way the sheet has shifted. The bare line of her skin. The fact that she’s naked. And I know.
Something happened. Something she needed. Something I didn’t give her.
My jaw tightens.
“If I get into that bed right now,” I say quietly, “I’m going to want to take her.”
Zach watches me carefully.
“Maybe you both need that.”
I shake my head.
“No.”
