Page 33 of Marking Micah

She sighed. “Yes, Sir.”

“That’s much better,” he said with a wink before he turned to gather cleaning supplies.

Twenty minutes later they were back in their rooms. He’d given her another water bottle, this one with a hydration packetmixed in, then he kissed her forehead and tucked her into bed. Alone.

Had she done something wrong? After the things they’d done together in the Dungeon she’d assumed they’d spend the night in the same bed. Did he think she was so exhausted she had to be left alone to sleep? But why couldn’t she sleep with him?

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away. She was awfully tired, but still… she wanted him. Even just to sleep beside him, warm in his arms.

What was he thinking that he’d decided to leave her all by herself?

After what felt like an endless period of time, she couldn’t take being alone in her head anymore, and she got up to find him. She’d climb into bed with him and tell him how she was feeling. He’d be there for her. He always was.

But he wasn’t in the living area, and when she pushed open his bedroom door, he wasn’t there, either. She walked to his bed, lifted the pillow to her face and inhaled his scent. And started to cry.

Arrow had reachedDerek on his cell phone, and his friend had agreed to meet him in his office. He opened the door and Derek was already there, holding out a few fingers of bourbon over ice in a glass for him.

Derek perched on the edge of his big desk. “Hey, Arrow. Come on in and sit down. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Thanks,” he said as he accepted the glass and took a sip, then another. “We played in the Dungeon tonight, and it was amazing. She’s already made such good progress in the few days we’ve been here, and I really do feel honored to help. But…tonight I’ve come to the realization that maybe I’m not the right person to help her.”

Derek furrowed his brows, watching him as he rubbed at his chin. “I’m not sure what would make you think that, so why don’t you explain it to me.”

Arrow shook his head, trying to get his thoughts in order. “I think I’m too personally involved. Too close to her.”

“Actually, when we talked about you bringing Micah here, that was the reason we both agreed you were the best man for the job. She trusts you.”

“Yeah. But maybe she shouldn’t.”

“Did something happen tonight?”

“Yeah. Well, no. Not exactly. Fuck.”

Arrow tossed back a good gulp of the bourbon, letting the aromatic sting wash down his throat.

Derek raised a brow. “So, which is it?”

Arrow shrugged. “I don’t fucking know, to be honest.”

“All right, let me ask you some questions. Did the scene go well?”

“Yeah, it did.”

“Do you feel you violated any terms of the negotiations?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Was she triggered at all?”

Arrow shook his head. “No, not triggered. There was a moment when I touched one of the scars she’s so self-conscious about, but I think it helped her work through that a bit, and it was something we’d discussed beforehand.”

“Were you triggered, then?” Derek demanded.

“No, not triggered. I mean, not my own PTSD—nothing like that.”

“But?” Derek waited, then asked again, “But?”

“But…” Arrow sighed. “But I think I’m just too damn close to the situation, not objective enough.”

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