Page 37 of Stay with Me

“Yup. I’m excited.”

I swirl the wine in my glass wondering what the wine this weekend will be like. I never thought I’d allow myself so many romantic moments with Knight, but I can’t say I’m not enjoying them. It’s the little things that have me wrapped around his finger.

Breakfast in bed on the weekends, foot rubs like this one, the cute little text while I’m at work—it’s all adding up. If I’m not careful, I’m not going to make it out this time.

Not without being completely heartbroken. I’ve never allowed us to get this close. In the past, I’ve kept him at arm’s length because being close caused me to see too much.

The stress of his job, the danger it brings. The anxiety it creates. Yup, distance is better.

“You should be. I have it all planned out. You’re going to love it,” he says breaking into my musing.

“Oh really?”

“Yup. Bishop and Saga told me about the place themselves.”

I pull my foot back and sit up straighter. “You didn’t tell them about us, did you?” I ask panicked.

“No, I didn’t,” he bites out.

His nostrils flare, and he pushes a hand through the front of his hair. I don’t want to have this conversation, but I can tell from the look in his eyes, he’s not going to allow me to back my way out of this one. It’s been coming for a while now.

“Rem, why can’t we tell anyone about us?”

“We’ve told someone about us,” I say.

“Jamel and Sunny don’t count. You know what I mean. Why shouldn’t I tell my brother or any of the rest of my family?”

“I don’t want to tell our family we’re sleeping together. I wouldn’t make that announcement about anyone I’m dealing with. It’s not just you.”

“Rem—”

He is cut off as his phone rings. I’ve never been happier for that thing to interrupt us. Taking advantage of the moment, I get up and head into the kitchen.

Pouring myself another glass of wine, I get lost in my thoughts. It’s been three weeks and I’ve been happier than ever. I begin to list the pros and cons of our relationship. Knight walks into the room shirtless, wearing a pair of sweatpants that are sitting low on his hips.

He moves to the refrigerator and grabs a beer, slamming the door shut and keeping his back to me. I get that he’s frustrated, but he wants something we can’t have together. My gaze locks in on the wound on his back.

It’s taunting me as I stare at it. It’s a huge reminder of why we can’t stay together. All the pros go out the window as I look at the raised skin.

“Knight,” I whisper.

He downs his beer, then turns to look at me. I stand speechless, not sure of what to say. I move closer to him and wrap my arms around his waist. I place the side of my face against his chest and say a silent prayer in thanks to be able to hear his heart beating.

That in itself is a relief. His warmth encases me, lulling me further into the feeling of safety I long for so badly. If I had that, things could be so much different.

“Want to watch a movie?” he murmurs.

I sigh in relief. Turning my head, I place a kiss against his bare chest. He’s not going to make me fight this out tonight, and I’m grateful for it.

“Yeah, that sounds good. You can pick.”

He grunts but kisses the top of my head without another word. We stand in silence for a few more minutes before we head back into the living room to watch a movie. I should thank whoever that was who called him, they bought us some more time.

* * *

Knight

That call that interrupted us was from an unknown number and there wasn’t any answer on the other end before they hung up. I pushed it aside because of my frustration with where my conversation with Rem was going. Now I’m sitting up staring at the ceiling as my thoughts nag at me.

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