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“You did the best thing.”
* * *
Alex
“You can let goof me now,” Sabrina says softly. She says it, but she doesn’t mean it. Her body is still trembling from fear, and I don’t want to let her go. I take a look around the room. The cozy chair in the far corner has a throw and a blanket on it. The open door of the room off to the side leads to her bedroom. The bed is made; it doesn’t even look like she’s been in there.
When I glance down, I see she’s wearing yellow-and-black flannel pj bottoms and a matching long-sleeved T-shirt with a bee on it that saysBee-u-tiful. Sabrina’s been sleeping in the chair. I’ll bet every last cent that it’s where she sleeps every night.
I saw the back bedroom Cameron, her abusive ex, kept her in. He locked her away in the back of the house whenever he wasn’t home. It was a miracle she escaped. A fucking bloody miracle. This is a small apartment, so the room is small. It might be too confining for her. But she needs to sleep. There’s no way she’ll get any Z’s on that chair.
Reluctantly, I let her go. She lowers her lashes to hide the pain, the sadness. I want to wrap her in my arms again. She drops her gaze to the floor, and I get a glimpse of her gloriously thick chestnut curls, but miss those expressive green eyes. Sea-foam green, and so pretty. On the rare occasion where she laughs freely, they light up the room.
“I’m wiped, Bri. Do you mind if I stay awhile? I’ll take the chair. You get some sleep. We’ll both feel better after some rest,” I say.
“No, no. You take the bed. I’m not sleepy,” she insists. The bags and dark circles under her eyes tell me otherwise.
I call her on it. “Bullshit. You’re exhausted.”
“I fit better on the chair,” she argues, then admits, “I sleep there all the time.” After she realizes what she said, she starts to backtrack. “I fall asleep watching television a lot.”
I lead her toward the bedroom door and take a peek inside. “Bed’s big enough for two. Promise not to take advantage of me, and we can both get some shut-eye,” I tease.
“I can—” she starts to protest.
“Babe, here are the options. One, you sleep on the bed, I take the chair. Two, you take the chair and I sleep on the floor, right there.” I point to the small space in front of the chair. “Three, we share the bed like adults.” I cross my arms over my chest. “What’s it going to be, buttercup?” I ask, soft but firm.
She licks her lips, staring up at me unbelievingly, then murmurs, “We can be adults.”
Thank fuck! I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping on the floor. I lead her into her room. “Which side do you sleep on?” When she looks at the bed like she’s trying to size it up and find the answer, I know she hasn’t slept here once since she moved in.
“Right,” she says, although it sounds more like a question than a statement.
“Cool.” I walk around to the other side and sit on the edge of the bed, facing away from her, and slip off my boots. I feel her scurry into bed like a scared rabbit. I decide to lie on top of the sheets to keep her comfortable. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I close my eyes.
When I hear her get out of bed, I turn my head and watch her run out into the small living room, grab the blanket, and come back in. She hands it to me.
“I don’t want you to get cold.” As she gets back under the covers, she says, “I’m sorry I’m a mess.”
“You’re not a mess. You need to sleep, though. Close your eyes, buttercup.”
“Thank you for not making me feel stupid,” she says in the dark.
I reach out and find her hand by her side, taking it in mine. “You’re not. We’ll figure this out.” I wait for her breathing to regulate as she drifts into a fitful sleep. I’m grateful to hear a soft snore, telling me that she’s drifted into a deep sleep. She needs it.
* * *
Sabrina
For the firsttime in what seems like eons, I wake up feeling rested. I also find myself nestled up to a man’s hard body, with my arm wrapped around his waist like he’s my personal teddy bear. I feel a hand on my back, then hear, “I know you’re awake.”
I feel like a kid getting caught taking two cookies out of the cookie jar instead of one. Alex was so nice to offer to stay, and I’m all over him like an octopus. I try to move away, but his hand stays firm.
“How did you sleep?” he asks. I look at him grinning down at me and have the urge to kiss him. I’ve never initiated a kiss with a guy, like ever!
“Best sleep I’ve had in years,” I admit.
“Good. I’m going to scrounge up breakfast before heading into the station. What time do you have to be in?”
