She’s thrashing around in her bed when I get there, so I flick on the lamp, sit on the edge of the bed and pull her into my arms, trying to soothe her. Her hands grip my shirt and she clings to me as I smooth her hair and try to ease her distress.
It takes a good ten minutes to calm her fully. Once she’s got her breathing under control, she lets me go and rests against the headboard, knees to her chest, arms around her knees, eyes filled with torturous agony. “How long is it going to take for this to stop?”
The anguish in her voice stirs my anger that’s caused by the motherfucker who did this to her. My anger is the last thing she needs, though, so I lock it down.
She’s also not looking for an answer to her question.
She just needs to know I’m here.
She needs someone to sit and wait her fear out with her.
Silence consumes us for a long time until finally she looks up at me and says, “Did you put me to bed? I don’t remember falling asleep.”
I nod. “You fell asleep on the couch.”
“Thank you.”
I stand. “Are you good now?”
Panic touches her face again. “Will you sleep
in here with me?”
Christ.
I eye the floor. “Yeah, okay.”
“Not on the floor, Fury.”
Fuck.
“It’s not a good idea, princess.”
“I know,” she says quietly. “And I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need you.” It’s when she adds, “I feel like I’m drowning here,” with raw honesty that I cave. I’m used to women trying to manipulate me into shit, but this isn’t Zara trying to do that. This is a cry for help that I can’t ignore even though that’s exactly what I want to do.
I toe my boots off and round the bed. Lying next to her, I place my hands on the pillow under my head and stare up at the roof. What the fuck am I doing?
She switches the lamp off and rolls over to face me, her leg brushing mine as she curls it up.
She then falls back asleep, leaving me wondering how the hell I’m going to survive her.
20
Zara
* * *
Sleeping in jeans is the most uncomfortable thing in the world.
The most comfortable thing in the world is waking up to Fury spooning me, those big arms of his holding me tightly.
He makes me feel safe.
“Are you awake?” I ask.
“Yeah.” The husky tone in his morning voice is something else. I need a whole lot more of it in my life.
A few moments pass before he unwraps his arms from around me, and rolls away. I miss him instantly.