When I did, I watched his body twitch then he came up on hisforearms and his sleepy blue eyes turned my way.
He looked ready to move further but he caught himself whenhe saw me.
I stared into his eyes, knowing I probably made noisegetting up, doing my thing in the bathroom, getting dressed.
But it was my quiet sob that had woken him.
Marcus Sloan.
God,he killed me.
I leaned my shoulder against the doorjamb, drawing in breaththrough my nose, controlling the tears with some effort, taking more time toswallow them back.
After another breath, watching him watching me unmoving, Ispoke.
“You know what got me through?”
“Baby,” he whispered but still didn’t move.He just laythere on his stomach, up on his forearms, his head turned to me, his eyes gluedto me, just like he knew that’s what I needed him to do.
Just that.Stay on my couch and let me say what I needed tosay.
“Thought I was nothing,” I shared softly.
He pushed up, the muscles in his biceps bulging, threw offthe blanket, and turned to sit on his ass.
He hadn’t taken off his trousers.
That couldn’t be a comfortable way to sleep.
But a gentleman in a lady’s home got as comfortable as hecould get, but unless he was invited to do it, he didn’t take off his trousers.
Lord.
Marcus Sloan.
“Proved it to me, that guy,” I told him.“Raping me.Theworld had beengivin’ me signs since I was born.Buthe proved it to me.”
“I need you to come here,” Marcus requested gently.
I ignored him and kept going.
“Told myself that.Was certain of it, at first.The thingwas, if I was nothing, why was someone sending me daisies?”
That cut it for him.
He started to push up.
Quickly, I asked, “Please.Don’t.Please let me finish.”
He settled, gaze locked to me, and he showed me with hisexpression that he didn’t like it but he kept his place.
For me.
“So pretty,” I whispered.“So bright and happy.They wereeverywhere.I wanted to think dark thoughts.I wanted to cut myself down.Ijust couldn’t keep it up.And it wasn’t Miss Annamae this time who helped mesee what it was important to see.”
“Darling—”
I’d beat them away but they came right back and I knew itwhen the bead of cold wet slid down my cheek.
