Then, the feel of fingers along my hip, lightly squeezing and letting me know I’m not alone in bed.
“Bad dream, Little T?”
His husky voice spreads over me, wrapping me tightly in a cocoon of protection but not of sound mind.
It doesn’t erase what I’ve done and Nessa’s voice begging for pardon.
The words wanting to trigger slip my lips don’t make it out because it doesn’t matter.
She’s dead, and I’m glad she’s dead.
However, I’m not happy she can’t suffer the way I am. I gave her the easy out when I could’ve made her life so much harder.
“You wanna drink of water?”
I want you to go away.
Nonetheless, I shake my head and pull the comforter over my chest. I don’t want to deal right now.
I understand him being here. However, I know he’s keeping a close eye on me as well.
“What do you need?”
“Why are you in mybedright now?” I clip back, turning my head toward him and barely seeing the expression on his face. My curtains are closed, no light making its way through, and I justdon’twant to be coddled. “My babysitters didn’t sleep in bed with me.”
“I’d hope not,” he mutters. “I’m just here.”
“You can go.”
“Do you really want me to? Because I will.”
Wow.
Look at me with options.
“I’d really like you to fuck off.” I pluck at his arm and drop it on his side. “You can sleep here, but just…don’t baby me.”
“Babying you has never been on my list of things to do, Little T. If anything, you need less.”
“Mhm.”
A few beats of silence go by when he says, “Mae was looking for you. I hope it’s okay I put her to bed.” My heart clenches that he’d do that. “You fell asleep on the couch.”
Right.
And I’m wide awake right now.
“I didn’t eat the Chinese food,” I blurt, hoping he fights with me so it gives me something else to think about. “I wasn’t hungry.”
“You did the best you could. Two bites are better than none.”
I look heavenward because, of course, he’d know that. “Does he tell you everything?”
“No,” Cairo immediately replies. “Just the things he thinks I’d want to know about.”
Whatever, fine.
“How’s the tattoo appointment going?”
