Page 8 of Lonely Heart

I jerked my chin down. “Alright. You take your shower, take your time, and I’ll get you some dinner. If you need me, you just yell, okay?”

“Okay.”

After giving her one last reassuring look, I stepped back and moved toward the door. I was just about to walk through when she called my name.

“Marco?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for being here with me, for looking after me tonight.”

My stomach pitched uncomfortably, but I tried not to let it show. My mouth curved into a smile. “It doesn’t end here, Ivy. Whenever you need me, you’ve got me. I hope you know that.”

She bit her lip nervously, her chest rising and falling rapidly with the increased pace of her breaths. Then she gave me a nod and eased herself off the sink.

That’s when I backed out of the bathroom and closed the door. I got to work on making sure Ivy would have everything she needed to get through the night.

3

IVY

Standingin a plush robe in front of the bathroom mirror, I felt like nothing more than a fool.

The cuts and swelling on my face, the aches in my muscles, and the fear in my bones were all the consequences of my stupid choices. That didn’t include the skin I’d rubbed raw in the shower as I attempted to wash the filth from my body.

What had I been thinking?

As bad as it had been tonight, it could have been so much worse. Then where would I be?

Dead and naked on the side of the road?

And all for the thrill of finding a man, of wanting to be loved.

I shook my head with disgust, thinking it was a pity just how desperate I was. It would be far better to be alone than to risk my safety the way I did tonight, the way I hadn’t realized I’d been doing for a year now.

I was merely lucky it had been Marco who’d walked into this hotel suite tonight. At least I could breathe a little easier knowing he was here. And perhaps I’d made my first intelligent decision in this whole mess when I begged him to stay with me.

Safety.

That’s all that mattered now.

For tonight, I knew Marco could give me that, would be eager to do it.

I tore my attention away from my reflection and reached for the door. Much to my surprise, the moment I pulled it open, Marco was right there. Just like he said he’d be, just like he’d promised.

His eyes roamed over my face, something softening in his features. “Do you feel better?”

My hands gripped the sash on the robe and pulled it tighter. “A little bit.” A touch of unease remained, even though I trusted Marco as completely as I would one of my brothers or my father.

“Good.” He jerked his chin toward the bathroom behind me. “Are your clothes still in there?”

Curiosity washed over me. “Yes.”

“If you want, I can toss them in the washing machine for you. We can get those clean as well.”

“But the dryer isn’t working,” I reminded him.

“I fixed it.”

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