He studied me for a long time. “Okay,” he finally said. “Then let’s go to bed.”
I stood up, and rubbed my sweaty palms on the front of my pant legs. “Enzo…” I didn’t know how to say what I needed to tell him.
But he just said, “I know. It’s okay.”
I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding as relief washed over me. I didn’t want to be alone, but I also didn’t think I was ready for what he would want from me.
“It’s okay,” he repeated softly. “Let’s get some sleep. And we can talk some more in the morning.”
I walked ahead of him into the bedroom. Despite his reassurance, I was nervous. “Do you have an extra toothbrush?”
“There’s a new one in my travel bag under the sink.”
Shutting the door behind me, I found the toothbrush and brushed my teeth. My hair was still damp, so I used Enzo’s comb to untangle it. The bathroom smelled like bleach, as did I. The skin on my arms was bright red.
Setting down the comb, I lifted the T-shirt I was wearing. My stomach and breasts were red too. Everything still burned.
Maybe it would burn away a few layers of skin so I wouldn’t have to carry their touch with me everywhere I went.
Tugging down my shirt, I finished up and left the safety of the bathroom.
Enzo was sitting on the side of the bed, waiting. When I came out, he stood and came to me. Taking a strand of my hair between his fingers, he rubbed them together. “So soft,” he murmured. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head. Then he released my hair and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
I got into bed, still fully dressed. Taking a deep breath, I released it on a heavy exhale, feeling some of the tension finally leaving my body as I sank into the soft mattress. The white sheets and gray comforter smelled clean and were soft on my raw skin. I pulled them up around my neck, trying to get warm.
Enzo came out a few minutes later. I watched him walk around the bed so he could sleep closest to the door. He took off his jeans and shirt and laid them on the chair near the window, leaving on his boxer briefs, then he climbed into bed and turned off the lamp beside the bed. Rolling over, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into the curve of his body.
My heart sped up, and I stiffened when I felt something long and hard against my ass. “Enzo—”
“Shhh…I just wanna hold you, that’s all.”
He held me tight against him, his arm heavy on my ribs and his hand spread wide over my chest above my breasts, his fingers on my collarbone. I was sure he could feel my heart racing.
I laid there for a long time, my body strung tight, feeling his hard chest rise and fall against my back with his steady breaths, until I gradually began to relax and my eyes started to grow heavy.
I wasn’t sure if I was awake or dreaming when I heard him say, “Don’t ever leave me again, Sera.”
With a sigh, I sank into sleep until the screams rose inside of me again.
CHAPTER6
Enzo
Awoman was screaming in my dreams, her terror ripping through me as though it were my own.
I flew out of the bed like it was on fire, my hand going immediately to my nightstand drawer where I’d stashed my gun earlier. Before I was even fully awake, I had a bullet in the chamber as my eyes swung around the room, searching for the threat.
But there was no one there except me and Sera, who was lying stiff and still, her face contorted in terror as breathless screams tore from her throat, triggering things inside of me I’d rather not revisit.
My heart began to pound, and my hands started to shake. I broke out into a cold sweat. Sera struggled against the invisible bonds holding her in place, tears flowing down her cheeks. Carefully, I slid the safety on and set the gun down on the nightstand. It rattled as it hit the wood, and I quickly let go of it. Memories of Alessandra and Elliot swept through me, distorting my vision of reality. Concentrating on my breathing, I fought down the panic attack that was threatening to overwhelm me.
Quite a traumatized pair we were.
I knew how to talk her down earlier, and I used those same tactics on myself now. Sera needed me. I didn’t have time to give in to this pussy bullshit. So as I climbed back onto the bed, I counted three things I could feel. Three things I could see. Three things I could smell. And when I reached her, I was out of my own head enough to take her by the shoulders and sit her up. “Sera. Baby, it’s me. It’s just me.”
Her head lolled to the side and her eyes rolled back in her head as she tried to fight me off with weak strikes of her fists. I kept talking to her, repeating the same thing over and over until the screams died in her throat and her eyes fluttered open. Lifting her head, she blinked as she tried to focus on me.
“It’s me, baby. It’s just me. You’re safe. You’re okay.”
