For one, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
Second, Jared and his men have the building scoped out and assured me it’s safe to go in.
I arrive at my dorm room to find Shannon there with a big smile on her face.
“Hey, what are you so happy about?” I grin, and she starts laughing.
“Well, you can imagine the messages Sean is sending me now that I ditched his sorry ass!” We both start laughing and it feels so good.
She tells me all about last night and I’m loving every second of it. She has taken my mind off of things and I’m grateful for that.
Good for her. She played him like he played her and now he is the one blowing up her phone.
We continue to talk, and I laugh while listening to her tell me stories about Sean. It sounds like he has it bad for her now.
It makes me happy to see her happy. When Shannon leaves for class I lie down to stare up at the ceiling. My eyes start to feel heavy and then I’m falling into a blissful sleep.
When my eyes crack open I’m not in my dorm room anymore. I’m outside in the woods and wiping off leaves from my body.
“How the hell did I get outside?” I say aloud.
I hear a rustling of leaves and turn around fast. There’s no one there, but I get this terrible feeling there is someone hiding and watching me. As fast as I can, I get up and run. I can barely catch my breath and my legs feel weak. I don’t feel like myself at all. I wouldn’t dare turn around to see who is chasing me, but I can feel that there is someone hot on my heels. As fast as my feet can carry me I sprint through the woods, catching branches in my face.
Moments later someone comes barreling into me. The air is knocked right out of my lungs. This person slams my head into the ground and I try to scream, but nothing comes out.
All I know is I must get the hell away from this person. This person wants me dead.
Luca’s face emerges in front of mine as he spins me towards him. I kick, wail, and scream with all my might.
Bang! Bang! Bang! That’s all I hear. Banging and someone screaming. My body is shaking. “Ahhh!” I wake up to my screaming voice and someone slamming on my door.
“Erica, open the door!” It’s Jared. He’s yelling through my door for me to open up.
“Hold on!” I croak, and stumble toward the sound of his voice.
When I whip the door open he notices my expression and comes storming in the room, looking around. His gun is out and he’s ready to attack.
“No one is here; I just had a nightmare.” He sighs in relief.
Jared pulls me in for a hug and I let him. I need his comfort right now.
“I’m scared; I know this isn’t over for me, and I’m terrified that I’m losing myself along the way. My mom is gone and I know I’m next.” I pull back and look into his eyes.
He gently puts his hands on my face.
“I will do whatever I can to protect you and make sure you’re okay. No one is going to hurt you ever again.”
“Every day I feel less and less like myself. Like I’m just coasting by, and for what? I am so sick of feeling so helpless.”
“The only thing I am sure of right now is you, baby. I love you.” He admits softly. I feel so lucky to have him right now.
My heart thumps so loud I can almost hear it. There is nothing better than listening to this gorgeous, sexy man tell me he loves me.
His mouth meets mine like it was always meant to be there. The kiss starts off soft and steady, and my face is hot and I feel tingly all over. Heat pools between my thighs and I welcome it.
“Fuck, I need to feel you, baby,” he says and I jump up on him. He catches me and I wrap my legs around his waist. He rushes us over to my bed, our clothes pulled off one piece at a time. We are skin to skin and I could just stay here in this moment with him forever.
“I have never felt this way about anyone before,” I whisper while looking into his eyes. He’s so breathtaking.