Page 60 of Corrupt Me

AndI didn’t trust myself not to do or say something stupid when he came out naked and dripping wet.

Before my thoughts could get any more imaginative, I held my breath and dunked my head under the water. On one hand, it was better to think of something other than Preston’s pregnant girlfriend. And yet, I shouldn’t be thinking of Tristan at all.

Shaking my head, I quickly drained the tub’s water while he showered, reaching for the towel he’d left for me. I didn’t stand but eased onto the tub’s edge to dry off.Don’t think about him. Don’t you dare think about him naked.

Easier said than done.

I toweled off, dressed in a pair of borrowed pajamas from Anna, and hobbled into the bedroom. The bed looked too inviting to resist; my muscles, my bones, and my brain, everything about me, was tired as fuck especially after soaking in a hot bath. I felt liquefied.

The soft cotton pants were too long for me and dragged over my feet as I went to the center of the room, making a beeline for the plush bed.

My eyes closed as I listened to the shower turn off. I snuggled deeper into bed for only a few minutes, on the verge of sleep, when I felt the mattress dip beside me. Gentle fingers brushed along the side of my face.

Peeling my eyes open with considerable effort, I gazed up at Tristan.

“Sleep,” he whispered, the frown carved on his lips still present but a bit less menacing. He appeared more troubled than angry.

That made two of us.

I wanted to sleep. I really did, but something in his expression held my heavy eyes open. Words started tumbling out of my mouth. “I thought I would feel something, but I just feel numb, empty, and broken.”

“You’re not broken.” He tucked the blankets closer in around me.

“Don’t look at me like I’m going to fall to pieces,” I whispered with a thickness clogging my throat.

As if he had to prove to himself and me that he didn’t have a gentle bone in his body, his features hardened. “I’m not. I know how strong you are, Ever. No one knows that more than me.”

He didn’t fool me. I nodded, uncertain how to handle the softer side of Tristan. It had been too long What he said was true. I’d never been more vulnerable with a person than I had with Tristan on the night I found my mother. He’d been there.

Leaning down, he pressed a kiss on the tip of my nose, but he didn’t immediately pull away.

“Tristan?” I whispered.

He sighed, a confusing sound that made me question his feelings. “Goodnight, Ever,” he murmured.

My hand shot out before I could think about what I was doing or stop the question tumbling off my tongue. “Stay with me?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not tonight.”

But another night was acceptable? “Please. I don’t want to be alone.”

Conflicted, he toyed with the hoop on the corner of his lip. His eyes said he knew he should leave, but some part of him wanted to stay.

What would I do if he left? If he refused to stay?

I’d fall apart.

He stood, and my heart fell out of my chest. My fingers released his arm, dropping onto the bed. He was leaving, and I swore I heard my heart crack for the second time tonight.

Sadness and loneliness hit me hard like a punch to the gut. I inhaled sharply. How could he be so cruel? I wasn’t asking for anything but his company. And it wasn’t like we hadn’t slept together before.

“Move over,” he murmured, tugging back a corner of the bedding.

Goosebumps rose on the back of my neck as he climbed into bed beside me. The mattress sagged under his weight, and my entire body sighed.

Perhaps he had been right. Perhaps tonight wasn’t a good idea for us to be this close, but it was too late, and I selfishly wanted him to stay.

nineteen

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