Page 33 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

She hugs me again, and I can feel both of us trembling. I have no idea what time it is, but I know I’m completely exhausted, and she must be, too.

“We should get some rest,” I say. “I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. I don’t deserve you.”

Leslie shakes her head and kisses me very gently. As she pulls away, she takes my hand.

“Come to bed, Kyle.”

“What?”

“Come and sleep next to me. I don’t want you to be alone, and I want to be with you in case you have a nightmare.”

I’m so shocked, I can’t speak a word. I let her lead me down the hall to the bed. We curl up together, and Leslie pullsa blanket over both of us. As I put my arms around her and bury my face in her soft hair, I feel my entire body relaxing. My joints loosen up, and all my muscles let go. Lost in her scent and lulled by the comfort of her body, I drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 12 - Leslie

I listen to the sound of Kyle’s breathing as I hold him. It slowly settles from light, short breaths to long, slow, and deep, and I feel him relax in my arms as he drifts off to sleep.

I’m completely shaken by everything he’s told me. These horror stories are something you hear on the news, tales that happen far away to people you don’t know. It’s the kind of story that you hope deep down really isn’t true.

But so much makes sense now.

I curl around him more tightly, feeling tears welling in my eyes. I shake my head a little against the pillow, denying reality. I can’t bear that these awful things have happened to him. Over and over, the darkness has tried to strip him of his humanity, and it has failed every single time.

I go over the story in my mind, realizing that even though he’s told me so much, there are still volumes I don’t know. There would have been a lot more incidents with Sawpit Pack, especially since he was there for a year. When he was on the street, and in and out of foster homes, he would have suffered as well.

I don’t think I want to know.

Even with the shock still singing through me, I can feel my body relaxing as sleep begins to creep up on me. I don’t want to fall asleep—I want to guard Kyle against the demons that come in his dreams. I feel a desperate need to protect him, to give him all the love he’s never had.

Eventually, I start to doze. I keep my arms wrapped around Kyle, as if my body can act as a shield to keep his nightmares away.

I won’t let you go. You’re not alone, Kyle. You’ll never be alone again.

The faint chirping of birds and a caress of soft warmth on my cheek wakes me. A sunbeam is peeking through the edge of the curtain, shedding a little light into the room. I raise my head and blink a few times, noticing the angle of the sun.

Oh no. We slept late.

I look down at Kyle’s face, and I can’t help smiling. His long, dark lashes rest on his cheeks, giving him a sweet, almost angelic look. The lips that are usually pressed in a straight line are curved in a contented little smile. Against the curls of black hair falling on his cheek, his skin looks very pale, and the faint line of stubble only enhances the effect.

His arms are still wrapped around my waist, and he seems completely relaxed. Still lost in a deep sleep. I don’t know how long it’s been since he slept properly, so I’m sure as hell not going to move him.

Work can wait for today. I don’t think anyone will mind.

I stretch out a bit, keeping my arms around Kyle’s shoulders. He murmurs softly and tightens his grip on me, and I stroke his hair gently until he starts to wake up.

Suddenly, he jumps, a shock of tension running through him. He grabs me hard, a soft cry exploding from his throat. Immediately, I wrap my arms around him.

“It’s okay, I’m here. Everything’s okay.”

“Okay,” he whispers, obviously not fully awake yet. He sits up and looks around.

“Oh no,” he says. “We must be late for work.”

“Yeah, I figured. But what else are sick days for? They’ll survive without us for a day or so, surely.”

“Yeah, of course they will, but I should text Bae. I don’t want him to think I’m skipping out on him or something.”

As he slips out of bed and goes to find his phone, I realize that his fear of failure probably runs very deep. He’s put in a lot of effort so far, and of course, he wouldn’t want to let Bailey down.

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