I kiss her hair. “You’re amazing, love.” And I mean it. I never expected her to last as long as she did. Hell, I didn’t even expect her to come home with me, even while I was asking her to. The idea of her in my bed seemed too far off, too much of an untouchable fantasy.
And now she’s here, her naked body pressed against me. Her breaths have evened, and I’m pretty sure she’s already fallen into a light sleep.
“We really wore you out, huh?” I mutter into her neck. She lets out a soft moan.
I stroke her hair while we soak, staying absolutely still. When the water cools around us, she wakes with a shiver.
“Ready for bed?” I murmur in her ear.
She nods, standing slowly. I step out of the tub first, grabbing a fluffy towel and drying her off. Goosebumps cover her skin as I finish, kissing each of her inner thighs.
I dry off quickly, noticing her noticing my erection. I can’t keep my dick calm around her.
After hanging our towels up, I turn to find her with her arms outstretched. I pick her up, stifling a groan when she wraps her legs around my waist.
As I carry her to the bed, she grinds against me, all while yawning into my shoulder. I can’t help but let out a laugh. “Do you want me to fuck you to sleep, love?”
She pulls away to look at me, smiling sleepily. Then she nods. “No one’s ever done that to me before.”
I watch her as my chest shakes with silent laughter. Is she serious? Is it even possible to literally fuck someone to sleep?
She kisses me sloppily, and I realize I’m about to find out.
Once we’re settled under the covers, I pull her into a spooning position. I prop her top leg up, giving me room, and slide into her.
Fuck. How is she already so wet?
I fuck her nice and slow, not even trying to build her up to an orgasm. She sighs as I hold her to my chest.
It doesn’t even take a minute before her body sags against mine. Soft snores fill the air, and I have to stop myself from laughing.
After cleaning both of us off with a warm washcloth, I find one of my old T-shirts and pull it over her small frame. She mutters something before settling against the pillows again.
Some type of emotion expands in my chest, one that I haven’t felt toward many people. I clamp it down. Tonight has been too perfect to fuck it up by telling her how I really feel. It doesn’t matter. The fact that she’s in my bed is a miracle all by itself, and I’m not dumb enough to walk into this with any type of expectations.
So after a minute of staring at her form under the blankets, I kiss her on the cheek. “See you in the morning, love.”
CHAPTER FIVE
WREN
I WAKE with a gasp. My body is shaking, and I have to blink back the tears in my eyes.
The images of my nightmare are already fading from my mind, but that doesn’t stop the panicked feeling in my chest.
Where am I? What’s going on?
Light. I need light.
As I reach for the lamp on the nightstand, a familiar scent of sandalwood and oranges hits my nose. And as the light clicks on, pushing back whatever imaginary monsters are lurking in the dark, I relax a bit.
Last night’s events flood my memory. It’s not enough to completely calm my nerves, though.
I turn, reaching for Elliot, but I find the bed empty. My heart sinks. Where could he be?
The sound of soft piano music wafts through the bedroom. Is he still up? The clock on the nightstand tells me it’s a little after three.
I frown. I know I should go back to sleep, but my heart is pounding too fast, and my mind is too alert. If I lie back down in the dark, I’ll just get anxious and panicky.
That’s how this always works.
With a sigh, I slip out of bed and go to the bathroom. There’s a brand-new toothbrush set out on the counter, and I smile at the thoughtful gesture.
After peeing and brushing my teeth, I head toward the sound of whoever’s playing a piano. But I don’t make it past the bedroom door before my feet freeze.
The hallway is dark—dark dark. My skin prickles as my heart rate picks up again. I’ve never gotten over my childhood fear of the dark, and it always intensifies when paired with the nightmares I get when I’m stressed.
Wait. Why am I stressed again?
Oh, right—Adam.
I flick the bedroom light on and open the door wide. It floods part of the hallway with a soft, yellow glow. Then, with a cautious step outside, I peer at the surrounding walls for a light switch.
Of course, I don’t find one.
My fingers dig into the doorframe. You can do this. You’re not a little kid. There’s nothing that’s going to hurt you.
The sounds of a faint conversation drift by, along with the music. I’m pretty sure it’s coming from downstairs.
Maybe if I run fast enough, I won’t get too scared.
It’s a bullshit thought, and I know it. But I can’t just stand here forever, and going back to bed until I have an anxiety attack is somehow even less appealing.
So, with a deep breath, I take off down the hallway. The light from the bedroom fades as I turn around a corner. If I’m remembering correctly, the stairs are over here somewhere.
The music is getting louder, and I hear someone laugh. My breathing gets heavier as I take the stairs slowly, too afraid of falling to go quickly.
When I reach the bottom, the back of my neck is prickling. It feels like someone—or something—is going to snatch me into the darkness.
But I can see a faint light coming from farther in the house, so I take off again. When I finally burst into the room, the music stops immediately.
“Princess?” Oliver stands from the piano bench, stalking toward me when he sees the panic on my face.
I run to him, jumping into his arms with a sob. My legs wrap around his waist as he holds me. “I woke up alone, and everything was so dark. I—I got scared.”
His arms tighten around me as he moves to the piano bench and sits back down. One of his hands runs up and down my back while the other holds me securely. “Fuck, Wren. You’re shaking so badly. Is this just from being scared?”
I bury my face in the crook of his neck. “I get nightmares when I’m stressed.”
Embarrassment creeps up onto my face. I’m acting like a kid. And I knew this was going to happen tonight—why did I just magically forget when Elliot asked me to come home with him?
“That’s awful,” Oliver murmurs. “Do you need anything? Water? Food? A blanket?” His fingers skim my bare legs, and I realize I’m in nothing but a T-shirt.
I frown, thinking. Do I need anything? Normally when this happens, I just turn on a light and read to distract my mind until I’m tired again.
But then I remember something, and I gasp, clinging to Oliver. “I heard voices!” I scan the room, looking for Rhett or Elliot. But all I find are a few empty couches and chairs and a lit fireplace.
Oliver just smiles softly, stroking my hair. “Voices? Or a voice? I was on the phone, Wren. There’s no one else here.”
But I can’t stop looking around, peering into every dark corner in the room.
Oliver grabs my face, turning me to look at him. “Wren. You’re safe. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”