I playfully punched him in the arm. “Shut up. I hate my yawn. My sneezes are even worse.”
“Ooh, what do your sneezes sound like?”
“Like a mouse playing a trumpet. Short and trumpety.”
He laughed, causing a few people to look our way. “I hope I get to hear that someday.”
“Well, I hope you don’t. It’s bad enough you encountered one of my puppy yawns. Chase always said I sounded like a newborn puppy when I yawn.”
The playfulness between us waned, and Cap’s smile fell. “He was a very lucky guy. Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s get you to my room.”
He quickly got up from the couch and held out his hand, extending it for me to take. Reluctantly, I took it, knowing that I said something to upset him. He was a bit standoffish now.
He ushered me down a hallway, stopping at the second to last room. “This is my room,” he stated, opening the door for me.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I entered his personal space, but a velvety black comforter with off white furniture in every direction wasn’t it. There was a checkered black and white rug on the floor, and ornate lamps on each bedside table. On his wall were a few rock posters from various rock bands, including Grief’s Conviction, all of them signed.
“Wow, this is a nice room.”
He plopped on his bed. “Thanks. I wish I could say I had a hand in styling most of this, but truth be told, it was actually Leo that picked most of this out.”
“One of your brothers?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Before he got all alcoholic grumpy, he actually took pride in things… home design was one of them.”
“Interesting.”
“I can sleep on the floor,” he stated, noting the hesitation I had that left me hanging out in his doorway.
“No. It’s okay. This is your room after all.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” he stated, moving off the bed. “Make yourself comfortable. I know there are no clothes here for you, but if you check that top drawer, I have my pajama pants and a few T-shirts you can wear.”
“Okay.”
He gave me a friendly smile. “I’m glad you’re staying the night, Ruby. I know this makes you super uncomfortable, but you’re making a big step by coming here. Maybe soon, you can return to work. Your boss said you’re welcome back any time you feel ready.”
I shook my head. “I hated that job. The likelihood of me returning is pretty much non-existent.”
“Why did you hate it so much?”
Sighing, I moved across the room, sitting down on his bed that was now empty. “It had shit pay for the amount of work I did for him. He relied on me way too much, and constantly criticized me for having tattoos. I had to cover them with long-sleeved shirts. Wearing dresses was a definite no, seeing as my calf is full of tats.”
“I’d love to see that someday,” he said with a smile.
“My tats?”
He nodded. “As you can see, I have quite a few of my own.”
He did, and I wished I could explore them all, but the frightened part of me refrained, knowing it was impossible. Not when my heart belonged to Chase.
“I think I’m going to try to go to sleep,” I answered, quickly changing the subject.
“Okay. I have a few things to do, but I’ll be back in here later.”
He hesitated for a few seconds, but gave me a single nod before leaving the room.
The second he was gone, I sank down on his bed, feeling completely vulnerable for the first time since getting here. His club had been nothing but nice to me, but I still was afraid, thePTSD of my sexual assault hitting me again full force. The only way to get rid of the images in my head was to try to sleep it off. Which is what I tried to do… I just didn’t realize those images would follow me into my dreams.
