"For what?"
"For all of it," She felt weary and sick to her stomach. "They haven't caught him, have they?"
"No." He lifted her hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. "I was scared."
"I know. Can you lie with me for a bit?"
Toeing off his shoes, he slid in next to her. "I was going to take a shower."
"But you didn't want to leave me alone for the time it would take." She sighed and snuggled. "I should be mad at this feeling of helplessness, but I cannot drum up the energy."
He wrapped his arms around her gently, pulling her closer, as if trying to shield her from every lingering threat. The silence between them was heavy, filled with unsaid words, but his steady heartbeat beneath her ear offered a fragile sense of comfort. For a while, they simply lay there, finding solace in each other's presence, neither willing to let go of the fragile peace they had managed to reclaim.
He rubbed her back soothingly, stroking and feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin silk of her nightie. "Question?"
"Hmm?" Lifting her head, she met his gaze.
"I know that Eric was here with you, and he told me he carried you upstairs."
"And?" Her curious gaze had him shifting his eyes. "I was just wondering... uhm... were you able to undress yourself or..." His voice tailed off as she continued to stare at him.
"Of course, you wouldn't have allowed him to..." He stopped abruptly, a flush staining his cheeks.
She decided to have some fun with him.
"Did he tell you how shaken up I was?"
Guilt speared through him and had him feeling ashamed at where his thoughts were heading.
"Yes."
"And that I was trembling so much I couldn't take my shoes off?"
"No. I..."
"Of course he had to undress me." She kept her face straight even when his eyes flew to the wisp of black silk and lace she had on.
"He did?"
"Out of the goodness of his heart. I had blood on my clothes."
The guilt tripled. "I'm sure he just wanted to make you more comfortable." He could not stop the frown. "I'm just wondering if he was the one to pick this out." He touched the thin strap of her nightgown.
"He did, yes."
The frown turned ominous. "He couldn't have found something more, or less revealing?"
"He knew I wanted to look pretty for when you arrive."
His eyes narrowed to slits when he saw the light dancing in her eyes.
"That wasn't funny. I was just getting ready to go find him and beat the crap out of him."
She laughed huskily, the sound warming his heart. "He's much bigger than you."
"The way I was feeling that would not have mattered a hell of a lot." Tilting her face up, he rubbed his thumb over her full bottom lip. "You were torturing me. I kept seeing him with his eyes and hands on you."
"I know." Suddenly her expression changed, the smile disappearing.
