My chest aches as I carefully turn onto my right side, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I felt while we were stuck in the elevator.
“Rest your left arm between us,” Aria whispers as she adjusts the cold compress over my ribs. I push my right arm under the pillow and let my left arm lie between our chests.
We stare at each other even though we can’t see much with the lights off.
“I love you, Aria,” I whisper.
She leans forward and presses a kiss to my lips. “I love you, Forest.”
We bask in the emotions flowing between us, and I wait a couple of minutes before I ask, “Things were intense and disorientating in the elevator. Can we talk about what happened with you and Eli?”
She leans her head down and presses a kiss to my left hand. “Okay.”
“Do you want to tell me everything from the start, or would it make it easier for you if I asked questions?” I ask, wanting to help her to open up to me.
“Thinking back,” she whispers, keeping her mouth near my hand. I know she’s hiding her face from me, but this conversation can’t be easy for her, so I don’t mention it. “I can’t remember what I saw in Eli. He’s an asshole.”
“Glad we can agree on that,” I mutter.
“I guess I just wanted to fall in love, and Eli was a charmer. The first couple of days, things went well, but then he started pushing me to have sex. Everyone was doing it, and I didn’t want to be the odd one out.”
She takes a couple of breaths. “It was my first time, and it hurt a lot. He got angry, saying it was a turn-off.”
That fucker.
It’s hard to just lie here and listen. Anger begins to simmer in my chest, and needing to touch her, I push my right arm under her neck so I can hold her to me. I press my mouth to her hair so I’ll keep quiet.
“He started pulling away after that. I went to his house thinking we could hang out, but then I walked in on him and Taytum having sex. They saw me but kept going until they both orgasmed.” Aria pauses for a moment before she continues, “I should’ve left, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. While he compared her body to mine, she enjoyed every second, moaning like a damn porn star. It was humiliating.”
When a couple of seconds pass, I say, “Look at me, Aria.”
She lifts her head, and her eyes shine like polished stones in the dark.
“When I got to undress you, it felt like I was unwrapping the best gift of my life. To me, you’re so fucking womanly, it was near impossible for me to hold back and to not just dominate you. I want to fucking conquer every inch of you. That’s a side only you bring out of me. I’ve never felt anything as intense as when I got to make love to you.”
“And you made me orgasm twice,” she says. I can hear the smile peeking through her words.
“Yeah,” I grin at her. “Eli was an asshole who didn’t deserve you. What he did to you is emotional and mental abuse.”
ARIA
It’s weird how you hear and read about emotional and mental abuse, but you never think it could happen to you. You can’t accept it might have already happened.
“I never thought about it like that,” I admit to Forest.
“No one has the right to degrade another.” Feeling his arm around me and being surrounded by his scent gives me so much comfort. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you or your body. Okay?”
I nod even though I know it will take time before I’ll feel comfortable in my own skin.
“Say it,” Forest murmurs.
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Aria,” he whispers as his head lowers to mine, “Even with broken ribs, I’m hard for you.”
A smile spreads over my face.
Lifting my hand to his face, I rest my palm against his jaw as I whisper, “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so thankful you’re mine.”
I press my mouth to Forest’s, and I kiss him as if I might lose him.
I almost did.
Thank you for not taking him from me.
The kiss is tender and profound, our tongues and lips taking their time to explore, to taste, to caress.
I feel Forest wince, and I break the kiss. “You need to rest now.” I move my hand to his hair and lightly pull my fingers through the stands. “G’night, Forest.”
“Night, babe,” he murmurs as he presses my face into the crook of his neck.
Feeling claustrophobic and struggling to breathe, I gasp as I shoot up in bed.
It’s the first nightmare I’ve had since we were rescued. Lifting a hand to my brow, I just inhale until the dream fades.