I spent the next minute or two wracking my brain, inwardly groaning when reality slammed into me like a freight train.
Oh, yeah, the dickwad of a Dom I sought out.Just the thought made my back itch. Which, I suppose, was far better than it hurting. Everything after my encounter with the Dom was a blur. I couldn’t be sure what was a dream and what wasn’t.
Finally, after several minutes had passed, I had no choice but to force my head from its resting place. When I was finally able to get my eyes and body to cooperate, I found myself face-to-face with Judah.
“Wh––why?”
I could see the internal war raging within him over whether or not to let me go. In the end, Judah released his grasp, his brown eyes watching me closely.
Too close.
Several minutes passed, his dark eyes drawing me in. He was looking at me as if I could crush his world with a simple word. Little did he know, it was probably true. The dark rings from lack of sleep stood out against his porcelain skin, but it did nothing to hide just how adorably attractive he looked.
“Please don’t freak out again.” The words were quiet, but I heard them all the same. It was then that I could see just how stressed he looked lying there. Almost as though he feared my reaction.
“Why would I?” I asked in confusion.
He closed his eyes, his words coming out strained. “I can’t do another freak out right now, Zeek.”
I tilted my head to the side and studied him. I was clearly missing something.Had I called him in one of my panic induced moments?I wondered. I didn’t think so. Especially since I had no clue where my phone was.
“I gotta…pee.”
“Okay.”
Judah didn’t move as I slowly pushed myself up off the couch, stumbling slightly as my head grew dizzy from the sudden rush of blood flow. After a moment, I gained my bearings enough to shuffle off in the direction of the bathroom.
While I peed, I did my best to shake off the thoughts and confusion that plagued my fatigued mind. Once I’d finished, I flushed the toilet and washed my hands, taking a moment to look myself over in the mirror. I had to admit, I looked like crap. And that was putting it lightly. I needed to shower, possibly shave, and then I needed to get some food. Not necessarily in that order. The problem was that I was still dead-beat tired.
Who really cares about any of it? What’s the point?I thought, letting out a sigh as I turned away from the mirror.
Opening the door, I was surprised to find Judah leaning against the wall across from it. He had his hands resting at his sides, but the look on his face was filled with concern, empathy. Gritting my teeth, I did my best to ignore the way my body reacted to his.
“Hi?”
“How are you feeling?”
Confused. Lost. Dead inside. Empty. Pick any of them.Of course, I didn’t say any of that. Instead, what came out of my mouth was a simple, “Fine.”
I need coffee.
I passed Judah, refusing to ask the questions I so desperately wanted to spout. I readied the single-serve coffee maker and waited the full minute for the machine to spit out the steaming mug of liquid gold. It was so quiet in the kitchen you could almost hear a pin drop as the two of us stood in silence, neither saying anything until after I’d had my first sip of coffee.
“What do you remember?” Judah lifted his eyes to mine, studying me closely.
I shrugged one shoulder. “Not much.” The one simple movement caused my back to hurt, pulling at the open wounds.
“You don’t remember me and Mistress Destri coming here?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t even aware that she knew where I lived. And I knew for a fact that Judah didn’t know. So, I guess it made sense. Someone would have had to bring him here. Or at the very least, tell him where I lived.
He went on to tell me how he came to being here and how I had looked upon their arrival. Apparently, I had crossed the threshold and entered sub-drop. Which, was something I avoided at all costs. Once had been more than enough. And the second time…well, that was even worse.
That certainly clears up everything that I missed,I thought when he’d finished explaining how the two of them had been taking care of me.
“Uh––how long was I…you know?” I questioned, almost fearing his answer.
“Three days.”
