Page 40 of Dark Love

How different would my life have been if Vex didn’t save me? Where would I be right this minute? Would I be hungry? Would I be—

Fear courses through me like rivers of anguish.

“Dahlia?” Vex turns away from the game to look at me like he can sense my pain.

“I’m okay.” Will that ever be the truth? Tears slip out of my eyes and the trembling starts again.

A strong hand wraps around mine. “You’re safe. No one can hurt you here.”

The rivers settle into a bubbling creek.

Why is it that with a single motion, he can take so much anguish away? This can’t behealthy.

What would it feel like if he looped an arm over my shoulder? Vex has been sitting in that chair most of the day. “You must be uncomfortable.”

He startles a little bit. “I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you lay on top of the duvet? You’ll be able to relax and enjoy the game.”

“I’m fine here.”

Leave it alone.

Don’t push.

He’s fine.

But I’m not. My heart is greedy for just a few moments, with nothing but peace. The kind of peace I felt when he held me safe.

Now I’m waxing poetic about a crime lord who bought me steak… a really good steak. Is it wrong to ask for more from him? To demand more? “You can’t be comfortable on the hard chair for all those hours. I don’t want to put you out in your own home.”

Vex clicks the screen off. “Dahlia?”

“Please.” I know I’m asking a lot, but when you’re close, the noise in my head stops. Those are the words I should say, but instead I coward out. “It makes me feel bad knowing that you’ve sat there all those hours when you could be more comfortable lying on this bed that’s bigger than most couches.” It’s bigger than most apartments in Urbium. “Please.” Please don’t make me explain. Please don’t make me dig any deeper into the swirling pits of confusion.

Vex stares at me for a long moment. Is he trying to bore a hole into my brain? He won’t like what he finds there. “Fine.” It only takes him seconds to walk around the bed, slip out of his loafers, and climb on top of the bedding.

The edge of the bed. He’s left every bit of space between us possible, given his massive size.

Why does every part of me want to sigh in relief? He’s actually farther away now than when he was sitting on the chair. Nothing makes sense today. Nothing at all.

It’s completely reasonable for my hand to be slipping across the duvet towards Vex’s. Holding hands with a veritable stranger on his bed is so not something that I would do… ever. Yet that’s not stopping me from doing it.

My hand touches his, and my soul settles.

Vex’s eyes leave the screen and move to our hands. He threads his fingers through mine.

***

My phone rings and I jump out of my skin. “Mom!” I scoot away from Vex like a teenager caught alone with their boyfriend. “That’s my phone.”

“She can leave you a message.”

My mother leave a message? Yeah, no! “You don’t understand how my mother works. She’s probably already called my house a dozen times. If I don’t answer the phone, her next call is going to be the Mayor or the Chief of Police.” Or worse, my neighbors. At least the other two options are complete strangers.

He blinks at me a few times in shock or possibly confusion. I’m not sure I want to know which. Without letting go of my hand, he reaches over, opens the bottom drawer of the nightstand, and pulls out my purse. “Why do women carry bags this large?”

That is a question with many answers. “Cookies!”

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