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When I finally broke the surface of the nightmare, I woke with a gasp before a scream exploded from my lips. I struggled with the blanket, still trying to escape from the Will in my nightmare, and when I finally leaped from the bed, I landed straight into Aiken’s arms.
At first, I fought against his hold until the light switched on, and I looked up into his face.
“You’re okay, Everly. I got you, baby. I got you.”
I clawed at the front of him, practically climbing into his arms. He held me close, his warm body soothing me as my panic released me, and the nightmare cleared. My heart pounded hard and fast, and my breaths burst from my lips at a speed that was close to hyperventilation.
His large hand slid across my back in circles until everything slowed down, and I was able to take a deep breath.
“Just breathe,” he whispered above me.
I settled my forehead in the center of his chest, and he kissed the top of my head. When I felt like I was ready to get back in bed, I took his hand and pulled him toward my bed. I climbed in, expecting him to get in with me, but he didn’t. He stood at the side of my bed and looked down at me as if he were unsure.
“Please,” I whispered, hoping he would continue to hold me and keep the demons at bay.
He swallowed, his throat moving up and down, and then he nodded.
He moved in beside me, wrapping his massive arms around me before he pulled the blanket over of us. When I drifted back to sleep, I slept better than I had in months, and when I woke the next morning, he was still there holding me, his face soft in sleep and his body warm and protecting.
30 Aiken
SHE WAS TURNING MEinto someone I didn’t know. It was as if I left the man I was in Atlanta. I found myself holding her hand in the car, giving her forehead kisses, and when we finally stopped in New Mexico for the night, we got a king-sized bed instead of two queens, and I held her all night long.
I only wanted to soothe her pain and protect her. She was having a hard time. Her body stayed tense, her eyes tired, and when she woke from a nightmare screaming, I broke for her. I was having a hard time looking at her because each time my eyes moved over the cuts and bruises healing on her face, wrath turned in my gut.
I didn’t push her for more information, but in the back of my mind, I knew heads were going to roll when we got back to Atlanta. Someone was going to pay for what they did to her. Instead of drilling her with questions burning through my mind, I was there when she needed me. Even though having her body so close to mine was hell on my cock.
She had almost been raped; the last thing I wanted to do was scare her. So, when my morning wood protruded, threatening to push into her warmth, hard and aching, I made sure to turn away instead of press it into her the way my body begged me to.
By the time I got out of bed and dressed for the day, I had it under control. We ate the complimentary breakfast at the hotel before we filled up the gas tank and got back on the road.
We passed through areas I had never been to, and I hated that we couldn’t see much from the interstate. Not that we were on vacation. We weren’t. But I wasn’t sure if I would ever get the chance to drive across the country again.
“Have you ever been to California?” I asked, switching into the fast lane to pass a few slow cars.
“Yeah. When I was younger, my dad took Erik and me to the Santa Monica Pier. It’s one of my favorite memories, which is why I think it’s the best place to spread his ashes. He said the Pacific Ocean. He didn’t specify where. I think he would be happy with my decision.”
She was so caring. It was a shame she had been handed such a shitty family—excluding her father, who I found out tons about on our drive. He sounded like a decent man, and I hated that she was without him.
In some ways, she was lucky. She had gotten seventeen incredible years with someone who loved her unconditionally. I would have given anything for that when I was growing up. I had Junior, but while he was older by three years, he wasn’t a father figure. If anything, I was more level-headed than he was.
After another twelve hours of driving and several stops along the way, we made it to Santa Monica and settled into the first hotel we could afford. I wanted to go out and see the town, but I couldn’t. I was exhausted. After three days of driving, I was ready to shower and pass out.
She ordered food, charging it to the room, while I was in the shower. My body was stiff from being in the car for so long, but the hot water loosened my muscles. When I came out of the bathroom, I was welcomed by a steak and a baked potato.
Once we ate, we settled into bed and watched TV. With her head resting on my chest, she ran her fingertips up and down my abs until I started to fall asleep. I had never allowed a woman to touch me the way Everly touched me, but I loved her hands on me. I found peace at her fingertips.
We had plans to get up early, grab breakfast, and go straight to the pier to spread her father’s ashes so we could get back on the road. Everly didn’t want to miss too much school and work, and I needed to get home and replenish what I had spent on the trip and finish working toward my goal. If things continued, I would have my shop within a few months.
My eyes were closing, sleep dragging me under, when I felt her lips on my skin. She kissed me on my chest once more before sliding her soft lips up and kissing my neck. Her body leaned into mine as she climbed halfway on top of me. Her hands roamed my body, gliding up my sides, her nails scraping along my skin.
I opened my eyes to find her looking down at me with heat in her eyes. I hadn’t wanted to rush her—especially considering what she had recently been through, but as I looked up at her, her lips moist and plump, and her skin flushed with lust, I knew I had to taste her.
I leaned up and captured her lips. She kissed me back, her kisses tentative and unsure. To keep myself from pushing her too far, I tangled my hands in the blanket and squeezed it to keep myself from touching her.
If she wanted to play, I wanted it to be at her pace. She could take as much as she wanted and stop when she was ready. I knew myself, and I knew if I lost control, there was no slowing me down. I couldn’t let that happen.
Her mouth tasted sweet, and I found myself kissing her deeper to get more. She wrapped her arms around my neck, moving on top of me and straddling my thighs. My cock throbbed against her center, and I groaned into her mouth when she pushed down against me for the friction.
