AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laughed, and he sat up, sliding to the edge of the bed. His absence left a physical ache in my chest. I found myself reaching for him, but he was too far away. All I could do was watch him dress. He kissed me once, and then disappeared out the door.
I relaxed against my pillow and a piercing whine exploded against my right eardrum. I didn’t have time to scream or hiss. My body contorted in pain and a pulse of energy rippled through my limbs. The pain stopped. Everything stopped. Every thought in my head, every concern, every pleasantry. A complete whiteout.
“Hey, I thought you couldn’t walk,” Jackson said behind me.
I jumped and turned around. I was no longer on the bed but standing at the window fully clothed. How had I gotten there? It took a second, but the memory surfaced. I remembered getting cold and deciding to put some clothes on. Once I was dressed, something outside had caught my attention.
“Bex? Are you alright?” Jackson’s expression darkened in concern. He had two bowls of cereal tucked in his arm.“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I was cold without you. So, I thought I’d get dressed at least.”
Another pulse rippled through my body from head to toe.Everything’s fine. Enjoy your food.
Jackson’s lips pursed. “Alright. Well, cereal was all I could scrounge up without banging around down there and waking Myra.”
“Cereal’s perfect.” I smiled and padded across the soft carpet back to the bed.
“You sure this is enough? We can head down and get something else now that you’re dressed,” he said.
Another pulse.No. This is better.
“No, it’s okay. This is better,” I said, crawling back onto the bed. The sheets were colder without Jackson in them. “We’ll sit, eat, and then we can get some sleep. I want to feel what it’s like to sleep in your arms again, without a blanket covering my skin.”
His lips turned up in a soft smile. “That does sound better.”
He walked around to his side of the bed and sat down, handing me a bowl. I took it and we fell into an awkward silence as we ate. Even after everything, just sitting beside him made me feel shy. So much had happened between us. It hung like a weight around my neck.
“So…” I had to break the silence, or I’d lose my mind. “There’s something we haven’t really talked about yet.”
“What’s that?”
“After all this is over, would you want to—would you want to move back home? I understand if you don’t. I mean, I kicked you out, so I get it if you’d rather stay at your apartment.” My cheeks burned.
“Look at me.” He tapped my chin with a knuckle.
I turned. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
“Of course I want to come home. It’s all I’ve thought about since we left the hospital,” he admitted. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be with you. Touching or not.”
Tears welled at the corners of my eyes. “I don’t know how you could ever forgive me. I put you through hell.”
“I’m stronger than I look. Now, give me that bowl, and let’s get some sleep.”
I handed it over and he stood up, carrying the bowls to the dresser by the door. He turned and pulled his shirt off, over his head. My heart thumped against my ribs in surprise.
“What are you doing?” I asked, unable to keep the smile from my lips.
He shrugged and climbed up the end of the bed, leaning over me. “I’m kissing my wife goodnight. What’s it look like I’m doing?”
His kiss was soft, but it still sent an ache through me. I pressed myself against him and he rolled to the side, sliding back under the covers with me.
“Why’d you stop?” I asked, rolling to face him. Up close and personal, I could see the red marks my nails had left on his chest.
“As much as I’d like to take you again, I think we both need sleep.” He chuckled. “Besides, I thought you were tired.”
“I am.” I nodded, tracing one of the darker scars I’d left on his skin.
Another pulse hit me hard enough to flinch.Let him sleep.
