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“Please don’t,” I begged.
My jaw ached where he’d struck me. It was almost too much to speak.
“I’ve been imagining what you looked like naked for the longest time. You always paraded around that school like an innocent virgin, but I knew better. You’re just a whore, and I’m finally going to give you what you deserve!” he roared, and he grabbed my nipples between his fingers. He twisted them hard enough to make me whimper and then he moved back, forcing my legs open as he tortured me. I cried out.
“Shut your whore mouth. You’ve been wanting this for a long time,” Anthony smirked, and I started to scream. I didn’t want this. I wanted him off. I just wanted this to stop.
I didn’t stop screaming. When I opened my eyes, I expected to see the cruel eyes of Anthony above me and feel the harsh sting of handcuffs around my wrists holding me in place.
Where the fuck was I? Was I still in his bed? Where was he?
The door burst open, and I scrambled back against the headboard in a panic, but Anthony didn’t come through that door. Cyrus did.
I broke into tears at the sight of him, not out of fear, but abject relief.
He strode into the room and sat down on the bed next to me. He didn’t have to coax me to him. I practically threw myself into his arms. He wrapped them around me protectively, shielding me with his warmth and safety. One palm cupped the back of my head and he rocked me, only slightly but enough to jostle me into awareness that I wasn’t in the clutches of that terrible dream anymore.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you. It was only a nightmare. You’re safe,” he reassured me. He kept his tone soft, gentle, and calming. I clutched his shirt, not caring that my own had ridden up and he could probably see the dark pink lacey fabric of my panties.
My heart was pounding out of my chest, and it was hard to breathe. I closed my eyes, unwilling to face the fact that the room had somehow grown smaller, that the world felt like it was closing in on me and I gulped in air erratically.
“Ava, you’re not alone. I’m here.”
His lips pressed against the top of my head. I curled against him, wanting to close whatever distance remained between us.
“I just… he was here… I…” I muttered, but I clapped my lips shut once I realized what I was doing.
“Shhh, sweet girl. Just focus on breathing for me. That’s all. I want you to worry about nothing else,” he instructed gently.
There was nothing else for me to do, so I obeyed. With my cheek against his chest, I breathed in all that was Cyrus. I let him consume me.
One minute passed and then another. Eventually, the room seemed to open back up and the world relinquished its terrible hold on me. The panic finally relented and the vise that had been holding my lungs prisoner let go.
“I don’t… I’m sorry,” I mumbled, feeling thoroughly embarrassed that I’d woken this man up in the early morning hours screaming from a nightmare.
“It’s alright, Ava. Sometimes our own minds can get the best of us,” he murmured.
Reluctantly, I loosened the death grip I had on his shirt. When he moved to get up, a small sound of panic escaped my lips and he turned back immediately.
“Please don’t go,” I pleaded.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” he asked softly.
“I really don’t want to be alone,” I admitted, and he nodded with understanding. Quickly, he strode over to the closet and disappeared inside, only to emerge with a thick pillow and a blanket. I watched in confusion as he placed them down on the floor next to the bed.
“I’ll be right here, Ava. If you need to, all you need to do is reach down and touch me to know I’m there if you wake up again,” he explained.
I opened and closed my mouth several times, not knowing what to say.
“Get back under the blankets and close your eyes,” he said firmly, and I was so emotionally exhausted that I just did as he asked. I placed my head on the pillow, watching as he got comfortable down on the floor next to me.
All I could think about as I fell back asleep was that it was literally the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.
I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve any of it.
