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“Mind?” he repeats with a chuckle. “Where have you been the past few hours? I’d love to stay with you. If nothing else, then out of my own personal need for you.”
“Good.” Because my own needs demand him to stay as well. “Will you lie down with me and hold me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
6
DAKOTA
I feel so good.When was the last time I woke up feeling this good? This rested and refreshed? It took weeks of insomnia to make me appreciate a good night’s sleep.
And who wouldn’t sleep well after being with Bane yesterday? My cheeks flush before I’ve even opened my eyes; the memory’s so fresh and strong. And hot.
How unexpected. This whole situation, from beginning to end.
But now he’s here, and I don’t have to worry anymore. I believe him when he tells me that. I’ve never felt so safe, not even when I was a little kid. Probably because I didn’t understand how unsafe I could be and how ugly the world is sometimes.
You can’t appreciate safety until you’ve experienced the opposite.
I stretch an arm over my head, yawning, smiling to myself. I’m actually hungry, which is something else I haven’t felt much of lately. My appetite has been nonexistent. Now, I could eat a horse. I open my eyes to a sunlit bedroom, wondering if Bane would be interested in going out for breakfast.
I’m about to ask him when I realize he’s not here, at least not in the bed. The space next to me is empty; the ruffled pillow is the only sign of him ever being here at all. Did he sneak out?
And there goes my appetite, along with the little peace and quiet I enjoyed. “Bane?” I call out, but the only thing that answers is my own echo. “Bane, where are you?” I know I’m talking to myself, but I can’t help it. The alternative is accepting the fact that he ran out on me and couldn’t be bothered to say goodbye.
He was using me. That much is clear as I wander the apartment, feeling lost and alone and so, so stupid. All he wanted was to get laid, probably from the very beginning. He never cared about me.
And now I want to search the entire apartment, looking for anything he might have taken while I was asleep. There I was, practically announcing myself as a trust fund baby, thinking he wouldn’t latch onto that and use it to his advantage. Stupid, stupid Dakota. So desperate for protection and connection that she’d welcome a perfect stranger into her home and basically let him have the run of the place.
And the thing is, it isn’t like I’ve never met grifters before or people who only wanted to be my friend because they knew about my family’s money. But this feels different because this felt sincere. I actually believed him when he said he’d protect me. I let my guard down and gave every part of me to him, and how did he repay me? By reminding me how stupid it is to ever trust anybody. People are only out for themselves.
I gaze out the window in the living room, watching people down on the street. Always in a hurry, these people. Lost in their own worlds, living their own lives, unaware of what’s happening above them. They probably don’t even know they’re being watched.
And somewhere out there is the man who likes watching me. Maybe I should just let him go through with whatever he has in mind. It might be better than spending the rest of my life in fear—because what kind of life is that, anyway? Never being in the moment, always looking over my shoulder. Sleeping during the day, then sitting awake all night. I’ll go crazier than I already have, and that’s saying something because look how crazy I was yesterday. Thinking I had found the hero I was looking for.
I’m on my way to the bedroom, prepared to strip off the sheets and maybe never use them again because they remind me of him—when the rattling of the doorknob sends fear rocketing through me. My head snaps around in time to see it jiggling, and I’m running before I know it, flying down the hall and into the bedroom. He’s back, whoever he is, and I’m all alone. What am I supposed to do? How do I protect myself?
I duck into the closet and pull the door closed before I hear a voice ring out. “Dakota? Are you awake yet?”
Bane.
Relief doubles me over, or maybe that’s my body trying to catch up to the insanity that’s run through my brain the past few seconds. With my hands on my knees, I take a few deep breaths, torn between laughing at myself and hating him for not at least leaving a note.
“Dakota?” He sounds more concerned now. I guess since he hasn’t gotten an answer. His voice is louder, too, like he’s coming down the hall.
I stick my head out of the closet. “I’m in here. I’ll be right with you.”
“What are you doing in there?” he asks when he finds me on my way out, shamefaced.
“I thought… you know… I thought you left.”
Immediately, his expression pinches like he’s in pain. “I’m such an asshole. I’m sorry. I should have left you a note, but I figured I’d be back before you woke up.”
He came back. He was always planning on coming back. I can’t believe how happy this makes me. It fills my heart with warmth and contentment. He didn’t take advantage of me. He meant what he said when he promised to keep me safe.
“It’s fine,” I tell him when it’s obvious he won’t forgive himself. “Did you say something about breakfast?”
“Oh, yeah. I picked up bagels and everything. Coffee, too.” He waves me after him, and I follow happily until we reach the kitchen, and something else occurs to me.
