Page 94 of Protecting Christina

I had no idea what I would say, but I knew I couldn’t run anymore. We would talk it through.

I thought back to the first time I’d run. It was the night my parents were killed. I stayed with a neighbor, but I couldn’t sleep. I climbed out of the bedroom window and ran back to my old house. I slept in my bedroom until morning when the police found me there.

I had run away from Gabby’s house once, too. We fought, and I told her I didn’t need her anymore. I tried to run back to my old house, but the doors were locked. Someone else was living there, but in my young mind, I’d thought I could always go back home. Gabby and her mother found me outside the front door and walked me back to her place. They’d never said anything, and neither did I. Just sort of acted like it never happened.

I rubbed my face as I thought about those times. There were so many more like them, but I realized they started when I was quite young. It wouldn’t be easy to change. But I was the only one who could make it happen.

The elevator chime startled me and I looked up. As soon as the doors opened, Will marched through them. He still wore his black pants and white-buttoned shirt. But he’d opened the first two buttons and I could see his collarbone. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make my mouth run dry.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was nervous. My first trial, maybe. But this felt scarier. More profound. Like I stood on the precipice of my life and I wasn’t sure where I would fall.

He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms. “I told you not to move.”

“I’m no good at taking orders.”

He gave me his hand, and I took it. Raising me from the floor, we stood and stared at each other.

Then, he ran his hand along my cheek and whispered, “You came back to me.”

I bit my lip, unsure of what this was exactly. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. Only that I’m falling and I’m afraid of getting hurt.”

He licked his lips and ran his hand through my hair. “Christina, when will you get it? If you fall, I’ll be here to catch you. Every damn time.”

After picking up the pieces of my life, I thought I would never want anyone to save me. But my whole body sighed when I heard his words, as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Holding my face in his hands, he said softly, “You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Share the burden. We will get through it together.”

I nodded, unable to get anything through my tight throat, but tears filled my eyes and Will inhaled sharply. Then he pulled me into his arms and covered me with his body. My muscles relaxed, and I let go of the tension I’d been holding onto. I let go of the mantra that I had to do it all by myself. That may have been the case before, but now Will wanted to do it with me. And why should I turn him away? He may leave, but I would still be left standing. I knew that I would. I would get through it if he did. But I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. I didn’t have to be the one to sabotage the good in my life anymore.

“Let’s go inside,” he said and opened the door.

I noticed the floral scent first. Then, the soft music.

Looking around the apartment, I saw dozens upon dozens of white and red roses set up around the penthouse. There was even a chocolate fountain running in the corner of the kitchen and I looked up at Will, confused. “How did you know I would come back here?”

“My plan had always been to come back to the apartment.” He kissed my temple. “There was a bit of a detour, but you made your way here eventually.”

I held his arms as he wrapped them around me. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re the most beautiful thing in here.”

He was smooth. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I smiled instead, accepting his compliment. “Thank you.”

Taking my shoes from my hand, he grinned. “What happened to these?”

“They’re done. I tried, but I’m not fit to wear heels. They are torture devices for my feet. That’s something I’m not willing to change.”

He laughed. “I don’t mind. Your legs look sexy in and out of them.”

Slowly, he dropped to one knee and ran a hand up and down the back of my leg. My skin tingled wherever he touched it, and I closed my eyes.

He kissed the inside of my knee, working his lips up to the middle of my thigh. My hand fell to his hair, and I brushed it with my fingertips. Pushing my panties aside, his tongue swept across my lips and I shivered. “Let’s go to your room,” I said, feeling wobbly on my feet.

With a soft moan, he stood and lifted me from the back of my legs and carried me to his bedroom. After laying me down on the bed, he straightened and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. I watched greedily as he exposed inch after inch of muscular perfection. There had always been this sexual tension between us, but now that my walls were slowly coming down, I didn’t have to hold myself back with him.

I slid one side of my dress off my shoulder and then the other. He watched me intently as though I held some secret inside the palm of my hand instead of some flimsy fabric. It made me feel powerful, and I was unashamed to say I loved every second of it.

“Come here,” I said, and he dropped his hands onto the bed and climbed on top of me. He took his time kissing every inch of exposed skin as I slowly undressed. My body had been ready for him back at the club, now it was screaming at him to take me.

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