AllFreeNovel
Share Us
40
Haven
I’d just settled into bed for the night with Bingley curled on my pillow and nested in my hair when I heard footsteps pause outside my bedroom.
Wick.
I could just barely make out his silhouette when he peered in the open doorway to check on me.
“I’m awake,” I told him and then lifted my covers in invitation. “You can come in.”
Without a word, he stepped into my room and crossed the floor, grasping the raised sheets and crawling under them with me.
Bingley meowed in greeting and stumbled across my face so she could go to her human daddy and investigate him with sniffs and licks.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were in here too,” Wick said softly, petting the kitten a moment before he scooped her up and leaned over the side of the mattress to set her on the carpet.
Darting across the floor, she raced from my room, probably on the hunt for a snack or toy to play with.
Once she was gone, Wick turned back to me and immediately gathered me into his arms. Grateful for the contact, I sank against him, clutching the sleeve of his shirt as he buried his face in my hair and cupped the back of my head, rocking me gently.
He held on tightly like that for another minute before asking, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Stroking his arm, I let out a small laugh. “Wick, I’m fine.”
Shuddering, he burrowed closer, seeking reassurance and comfort. “I still can’t believe he hit you.”
“Slapped,” I corrected, because to me, slapped sounded better than hit. Less severe. Less traumatizing. I wasn’t yet willing to face the fact that I’d dated a guy who could hit women so brutally.
“He raised a hand against you,” Wick bit out, unwilling to split hairs. “And I… I didn’t stop him in time. Jesus.” His voice broke. “I’m sorry. I’m so—”
“No, shhh.” I pressed my fingers to his lips. “No more of that from you. You were a little busy being hit a whole heck of a lot more than I was. You were…my God. I still have no idea how you broke free of those guys to come assist me.” With a small affectionate smile, I reached up and tugged a few of his bangs between my fingers, plucking at them lovingly. “You were seriously badass.”
But Wick wasn’t swayed by humor. “If I’d been badass, he never would’ve touched you.”
“No. Don’t—”
This time, he set a finger gently against my lips to hush me. Then he blew out a long breath, pressed his forehead to mine, and fell silent as he continued to hold me close as if afraid to let me go. All the while, he allowed me to play with his hair as much as I wanted.
My attempt to keep things light and upbeat dissolved. A heaviness settled upon me, and I found myself whispering, “You can go ahead and say it.”
Wick lifted his face. “Say what?”
I swallowed. “That you told me so. That it was a stupid idea. That it wouldn’t accomplish anything I wanted it to. That I’d just get hurt. That I… God, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you’d get hurt too. I was just so blind to my anger, and—”
“Shh.” He gently cupped my cheek with his palm, quieting me as his thumb massaged the tense muscle on the side of my neck. “If I’m not allowed to voice my regrets, then neither are you.”
I sniffed, and tears welled in my eyes. “But it wasn’t your fault. I started this. I—”
“And he could’ve fucking let us walk instead of calling in his crew to beat the hell out of us. He could’ve not hit you, or spread damaging rumors about you, or cheated on you in the first place. There might’ve been a whole hell of a lot we could’ve done differently, done better, but there’s even more he should have.” Sliding his thumb up to my cheek, he wiped away my tear. “Now… It’s over and done, and we can’t change what happened. But I’ll promise to push down the guilt I have if you do the same.”
When I squeezed my eyes closed, not sure I could comply, he leaned in until his lips whispered across my ear. “Come on, Haven. Just try it. For me.”
For him, anything. I nodded and looked up. “Okay. I’ll try.”
I couldn’t see it in the dark, but I could feel his smile all over me. “That’s my girl,” he praised, kissing my cheek tenderly. “We’ll get him back.” Then his mouth found my forehead. “Some way.” And my eyelid. “A smart way.” Finally, the other eyelid. “I swear it.”
When his breath washed over my mouth, an electric current sizzled through me.
