“Whatever you want to do sweetheart” he said and lay down on his side mimicking the way I was lying, only a couple of inches between us.
I took a deep breath.
My eyes staying glued to his, they grounded me, kept me in the here and now. If I looked away I was afraid I’d get lost in the memories.
“He’s always standing over me with the knife.” Ty bought his hand to mine and held it.
“I can never move, every time I try and scream nothing comes out. It feels so real,” I shivered “I can hear his voice so clear, even when I’m awake. It’s like he’s standing behind me whispering into my ear.”
“What does he say?” Ty asked in a throaty voice.
“You’ll never escape me baby,” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath “I’ll always be there, watching, waiting.”
The first tear slid down my face, another one following close behind in a silent stream. I felt Ty’s thumb wipe it away.
“I’ll never let him hurt you again Kaylee. I promise.”
“But-” I opened my eyes and took in the fierce look reflected back at me.
“No,” he gritted out “From the moment you walked into my office you were mine.”
“Ty-”
“I don’t mean that in a sinister sort of way, I mean that there was that instant connection. I know you felt it too.”
I couldn’t say anything, it was all so fast. How could I move on with Ty if Max was still in my brain? Haunting me at every opportunity. Making sure that I never forgot what he could do to me.
“He just won’t go away,” I sobbed.
“Come’re” Ty opened his arms, I didn’t hesitate, I burrowed into him and lay my head on his chest.
“It’ll be alright, I’ll make sure it is.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I woke up in the same position that I went to sleep. My head on Ty’s chest with his arms wrapped around me. I felt safe and wanted. Two feelings that only a couple of months ago, I hadn’t felt before, Max had never held me like this and I found that I liked it, I liked it a lot.
I had this amazing man ready and willing to stand up for me and it felt great, to know that I could tell him things that I’d never told anyone else. I didn’t want this feeling to end and when I moved out of his arms I didn’t expect to miss them so much.
I had butterflies in my stomach knowing that tonight was our ‘date’. Whether it was real or not didn’t seem to matter as much now, I was just happy that we got to spend time together without it involving work or Max.
Okay, so it was kind of related to work, but it wasn’t like we were in the car following someone or sat in the office.
I couldn’t face Ty, knowing what I had told him last night and the way he had held me all night. I wimped out and took Eli to school with Luke and went back to the warehouse, where I stayed in the office all day avoiding him. If he knew what I was doing he didn’t say anything.
By the time Kitty came in the office I was a nervous wreck and I’d almost certainly decided that I wasn’t going out tonight.
“Hey chicka.”
“I can’t do this Kitty,” I whispered.
“Can’t do what?” she sat on the edge of the desk.
“Tonight.” I said through clenched teeth as I watched the door, just in case he came through it.
She huffed and slid off the desk “Come on,” she grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
“What? Where are we going?