Words don’t feel like enough, but I force myself to settle for them instead. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, fine,” she brushes me off, uncaring, unaware of the knots coiling in my stomach. “Did I get everything you needed?”
I swallow. I’m still looking, still assessing every visible inch of her. “The camera cut off.”
“Oh. Sorry, I should have charged it more.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Leon?”
“Hm?” My eyes snap to meet hers, looking away from analyzing her preference to weight bear on her left leg. Did she always do that? Or did she injure herself at the party?
“Don’t…take this the wrong way, but…are you alright?”
A bark of laughter escapes my lips.Me?I shake my head in disbelief. “We can debrief in the morning if you’re tired. I caught enough of the evening to begin making progress.”
“Okay. I’ll go then.”
No, no. No. I’ve only just got her back. She’s only just becomesafe.
“You have a room here,” I blurt out. “If you want it. Save you the trouble of getting across town.”
Please, please. Please.
I feel so tightly coiled. If I make one wrong move, I’ll completely spring into chaos. I won’t be able to let her go. I can’t let her leave this house. Not until this feeling ends, not until I’msureshe’s okay.
“I suppose that makes sense.” She bites her lip. “Will you be coming up?”
Her cheeks instantly redden as I look up at her in alarm. “I mean, you said you were going to begin making progress. I was wondering if you intending to sleep tonight,” she corrects herself hurriedly.
“There’s not much point. Usually, after something like this, I’m a little…pent up.” It’s not even a lie, although this level of anxiety is definitely new. “But you should rest.”
She nods and starts to leave, only to linger in the doorway, hesitating.
There’s something she’s not saying. She must have been hurt, after all. They must have gotten to her. They must have threatened her…
“Are you sure you’re alright?” I press, unable to keep the desperation out of my tone this time.
“Yes. It’s just that I’m…um…I started ovulating.”
Her words are like a master key, making quick work of all the emotions I’ve had restrained in the back of my mind. “What?”
“I got the notification on the ride over and?—”
I’m like a moth to a flame. Her eyes go wide with something indiscernible as I make my approach.
My hands instantly reach for her face to hold her there, and finally, there’s the touch I’ve been craving. It’s an overindulgence to examine her like this, checking her head, her jaw, her neck, hands skimming over skin just to make sure.
“I’m not tarnished goods.” She breaks me from my spell with the harshness of her words. “Do you really need to inspect me like this?”
My movements immediately freeze up. “I’m not?—"
“Can we just get this over with? It’s been a long night.”
She’s not looking at me. I need her to look at me.
“Yes, it has.” The words come out more tenderly than I intended, but it works. Those huge green eyes look up at me, and I watch as her mouth drops into a slight “O”.
