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I gather my courage and click it, removing Peter Simmons from the Nemesis Watchlist. Months. I kept him on there for months, and there isn’t even a hint of a crime. I need to stop. I have to.
I sniff loudly as I put my phone away, a sense of loss overcoming me. I’ve spent so long hating him. Some days it’s all that kept me sane. And now? Now all I’m left with is sorrow.
I curl into a ball, a sob tearing through my throat. Memories of my parents assail me, and hot tears start to stream down my face.
Devastation unlike anything I’ve ever felt before fills me, and I give in to it, I let it consume me, allowing myself to cry the way I should have done back then.
I tense when strong arms wrap around me and turn in his embrace. “Grayson,” I whisper, choking on my sobs.
He holds me tightly, one hand in my hair, the other wrapped around my waist. He doesn’t say a word — he just holds me the way I need him to.
32
Grayson
I hesitate in front of Aria’s bedroom door, still battling my annoyance. I said I’d sleep with her tonight to help keep her nightmares at bay, but I can’t stop thinking about her with Riley.
She denies flirting with him, but what she told me definitely wassomething. That was more than just friendliness. Riley has been hitting on her for months now, and she can’t be so clueless that she doesn’t realize it.
I drop my forehead to her door, tensing when I hear a muffled sound. Is shecrying?
I walk into her bedroom, finding her curled up in bed. I’m hesitant as I walk up to her. She doesn’t even notice me, she’s that lost in her pain.
I slip into bed, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. Aria tenses and turns in my embrace, pressing her face against my neck.
“Grayson,” she whispers, her voice laced with heartache.I thread my fingers through her hair, my free hand running over her back, consoling her as best as I can.
It fucking kills me to see her cry like this and having no idea what happened.
Aria stills in my arms when her tears dry up, her lips pressed against my throat. “What happened?” I ask, my voice soft.
She shakes her head and tightens her grip on me. “Memories of Mom and Dad,” she murmurs. “I’m fine most of the time, but some days are tougher than others.”
I nod and press a kiss on top of her head. There’s nothing I can do or say that’ll take away that pain, so I just hold her, praying it’s enough.
“What are you doing here?” she whispers.
“I told you I’d sleep with you. Do you still want me to?”
Aria nods and snuggles in closer. I’m glad I get to hold her tonight. I might not be able to mend her heart, but I can hold her as she falls apart. I can catch the broken pieces of her heart.
“I don’t know if this will help, Ari. But know that I’m here, okay? No matter what you see when you close your eyes, know that I’m here.”
I roll onto my back, taking her with me so she ends up lying half on top of me, her head on my chest. She’s quiet as she lies in my arms, her breathing uneven. My eyes flutter closed as the minutes pass, but Aria is restless.
“Tell me something about you that no one knows,” she whispers. “I can’t keep my thoughts from going to that day, and I don’t want to think about it, Gray. Distract me.”
I’m a fucking asshole because my dick hardens at those words. My thoughts immediately turn to all the ways I’d love to distract her, and I grit my teeth.
I twist a little in bed, trying to hide how she turns me on and feeling fucking awful about it. Aria tightens her grip on me and her lips brush against my throat. My cock fucking jerks, and I bite down on my lip.
“I used to cage fight. I still do boxing matches every once in a while. That’s why I have a fully equipped gym with a ring set up upstairs.”
“Cage fight? What? Why did you used to cage fight? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
I tighten my grip on her hair and inhale deeply. “When I told you I grew up in a rough environment, what I meant is that I grew up in the system, Ari. Always moving from one house to another. Most foster parents are in it for the money they get from the government, and honestly? They didn’t treat us that well. They’re all good at passing all the checks, and no one really listens to the problem kids. At most, we get moved to a different house if we complain, but the kids that are forced to stay? They become victims. Sometimes it’s emotional abuse, but sometimes it’s physical. I learned how to fight to protect myself and others.”
Aria falls silent, and I worry I said too much. The violence in those homes, the crimes I committed … Aria doesn’t need to know about that. That part of my past needs to stay where it is.
