Page 108 of Need Him Like Oxygen

“Woulda tore through a fucking army with my bare hands to get you back, Cin.” His lips pressed into my hair again. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I’m going to be in dicey situations again,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but you have to let me be there with you.”

This was everything I told myself I could never promise him.

But the reason had always been because I didn’t want the family to find out.

It was too late for that.

So why the hell did it matter now?

Why couldn’t I have this?

“Okay,” I agreed.

“Okay?” Dav asked, leaning me back to look in my eyes, asking a different question.

“Okay,” I agreed, offering him a small smile as the doors chimed and slid open.

I’d just barely reached for the doorknob before all the locks were sliding, and the door was being yanked open.

“Where have—“ Joel started, voice raised, panicked, before his eyes fell on me. “Oh.”

“It’s been another day, kid,” Dav said, moving us inside.

“Nice shirt,” Joel said, smirking at Dav’s rescue shelter shirt. “You okay?” he asked.

“I’ve been worse,” I admitted, but with the adrenaline draining out, I was starting to feel all the punches, the soreness from being in a strained position for so long, the burn of the cut around my wrist.

“I’ll get the kit,” Joel offered.

“Wait,” Dav said. “We need to wash off first,” he said, looking down at his fingers, his gaze going far away, likely remembering where he’d stuck them not long before.

“Oh, right. Yeah,” Joel said, nodding and letting us walk off into the bathroom.

We peeled off our clothes in silence, then stepped under the spray in unison, both just standing under the water, letting it wash away the fear and pain and gore of the past several hours before we focused, soaping up, scrubbing every inch of ourselves, making sure there was no evidence left, before we finally climbed back out.

“I’ll grab clothes,” Dav offered, leaving me alone to finally see my own reflection.

The bruises were dull still.

They’d settle in over the next day or so.

My lip was split and swollen.

And I had that wiggly tooth to worry about.

But it was okay.

I’d heal.

And I’d never have to worry about these fucks again.

“I’m suddenly glad you aren’t the girly sort,” Dav said as he came in, handing me a pile of clothes, and keeping a pair of oversized men’s sleep pants and a hoodie for himself. The pants were floods on him, and the hoodie that was loose on me was snug on his bigger frame, but it would do for the time being.

I got into the sweatshirt and sleep pants he brought me, ran a brush through my hair, then let Dav treat my wrist before we heard voices in the common room.

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