“Skye?” Ocean called out, standing in front of me. “Can you hear me?”
I nodded.
“Say something.”
I shook my head, my only way of expressing that I couldn’t speak. My foot wouldn’t cross the threshold.
Ocean glanced over his shoulder, then back at me.
He tried to pull me inside, but my body refused.
Grabbing the doorknob, he snatched the door closed. “Let’s go.”
I couldn’t do anything but follow him.
The ride back to his condo was silent. He held me in his arms the entire way.
When we made it inside, he closed the door slowly, then walked me over to the couch. I sat down, finally feeling my body start to calm down from everything.
My head fell against his shoulder. “I can’t go back there.”
“You don’t have to,” he said, his hand sliding into my hair. He caressed my scalp, soothing me in ways I didn’t know I needed. “You don’t ever have to go back there.”
“But that’s my home.”
“Not anymore. You can stay here until you find something else.”
“I didn’t know that was going to happen. I thought I was okay.”
“I know,” he whispered. “I know.”
I hated the way I felt.
Never in my life had I been overwhelmed with so much defeat. There wasn’t enough security to make me feel safe in that place again. Too much had happened.
“Listen, nothing’s changed about what I told you. You can stay here for as long as you need. I’ll make sure all of your things get packed up and put into storage. Anything you want to keep with you, just let me know and I’ll have it brought here.”
I lifted my gaze. “Are you sure? I don’t want to?—”
He pressed his finger against my lips. “You’re not doing anything other than what I’m telling you. So don’t trip.”
I sighed, relief washing over me.
I almost felt like I didn’t deserve a man like Ocean in my life, but at the same time, he was exactly what I deserved if the timing was right.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“You’re always welcome.” He kissed the top of my head. “Now, what can we do to help you relax? I can still feel the tension in your body.”
My bottom lip slipped between my teeth, and a tingle trickled down my spine. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to relieve the tension.
Sadly, that wasn’t an option.
“I think I’m just going to take a hot bath and call it a night,” I answered.
“Say no more. I’ll go get it started for you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
