“Hey. Hey, calm down, Princess,” I shush her the same way I do James. “Calm down. You're okay, I’ve... got you.”
“Please don't leave me alone.”
My heart clanks against my ribs, almost as if it’s trying to escape my chest to go to her, which is fucking wild. “I won't leave you,” I promise. “I'm right here.”
“Will you just...” She glances down, her cheeks blooming a bright pink. “Stay with me?”
“Of course.” I open my arms, and she settles back against me. I trail a finger along the slope of her shoulder, up and down,until she finally relaxes.
It takes a little while for her to fall asleep again, but when she does, she's completely snuggled into my side with her arm around my waist and her head on my chest. I can't explain it, but the feeling of her curled up next to me has a rightness to it.
I can’t make heads or tails of it, but for some reason, I like how she feels next to me.Filing this little tidbit under things never meant to see the light of day.Clearly, I've been body-snatched. It's the only plausible explanation. Because stranger things have never happened, fucking ever, at least not to me.
Once I'm sure she's settled, I try to slide out from under her again. But just like earlier, she panics—hard—and clings to me like I’m the only thing between her and the thoughts plaguing her dreams.
“Fuck,” she cries. “I'm sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me.”
“I think we both know.” I brush her hair away from her face.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She shrugs her shoulders and then crosses her arms over her chest.
“Usually am.” I wink.
And she rolls her eyes, before blinking up at me. “I feel really, really stupid even asking this, but I... I don’t really want to be alone right now. Could you... stay?”
“No way in hell I’m sleeping on the couch, Princess.”
“Oh, okay.” Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Yeah, sure. No worries.”
“Up you go.” I lean down and scoop her into my arms.
“Wha-what are you doing?” she squeals, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I said I wasn’t going to sleep on the couch, but that doesn’t mean you have to. My bed’s big enough for the both of us.”
“Oh my god, stop!” Scarlet squeals. “Put me down.”
“No can do.” I take a step toward my room.
“What are you even doing?” she asks, throwing her arms wide, causing me to stumble.
“Whoa.” I brace myself, tugging her tighter against me as she wraps her arms around my neck. “Maybe don’t try to kill us both? I’m only trying to take you to bed.”
“I’m sorry, what?” she barks, her eyes bigger than the moon hanging in the sky.
“Dead serious, baby girl.” I keep my eyes locked on hers, showing her exactly how much I mean what I’m saying.
“Ellis, that's crazy.”
“Why? We've done it before,” I mumble. “The only person making it weird is you.”
She stares at me like her brain's short circuiting, and no lie, I kind of love it.
“Let me break it down for you. You want someone to comfort you, to stay with you, to give you security. That person happens to be me. I am a grown-ass man, over six feet tall. I am not sleeping with you on a couch. So, we are going to go to my bed, which is a king-size bed with nice ass sheets and soft ass pillows, and we are going to sleep there.”
She starts to argue, but I press on. “I'll stay on my side. You'll stay on your side. Easy peasy.” Except the opposite of easy is hard, which is how I woke up last time we shared a bed.
Scarlet seems to be on the same page because she snorts and says, “You know that's a lie.”
