Page 64 of Guarded from Treachery

“Of course,” Matt agrees. “I’m sorry. Of course it is. However you feel is okay.”

Sarah touches my knee. “Whatever you want to do is fine. If you want to talk, or just sit, watch TV, anything. We’re here for you.”

As I look at Matt and Rhiannon and Sarah, all three of them watching me with such concern and compassion, a flicker of warmth melts away some of the ice encasing me. The numbness fades a little. The dizziness clears.

I don’t knowhowto handle what Matt just told me.

But I have three people sitting here who care about me. Friends. Possibly even a boyfriend.

I’m not alone in this.

“Anything you want,” Matt says. Anger still narrows his gaze, but there’s something softer in his eyes as he looks at me. “Anything you need. If I can get it for you, if I can make it happen, anything in my power, I’ll do it for you.”

WhatdoI want?

Sniffing back tears, I lean into his side, my head sagging onto his shoulder. And I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Will you hold me?”

Matt stiffens, and for a second, I think he’s about to say no. Then he carefully gathers me into his arms and lifts me onto his lap. One hand strokes down the length of my hair. “Of course. Always.”

And out of everything wrong in this screwed up situation,thisfeels right.

In Matt’s embrace, things don’t feel as overwhelming. My pressure on my chest lifts. The chills shaking my body subside.

I tuck my head under his chin and close my eyes, letting his warmth seep into me. I breathe in his citrusy scent and concentrate on the rapid thud of his heart. On the small circles he’s making on my back.

I’m not sure how much time passes, five minutes or five hours, but through it, Matt is my constant. He keeps rubbing my back and running his fingers through my hair and pressing soft kisses to the top of my head. And every so often, he murmurs, “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

When I finally lift my head back up, I realize Rhiannon and Sarah are gone. Blinking in surprise, I ask stupidly, “Where did they go?”

Duh. They left. After I hibernated in Matt’s lap.

“They both left about fifteen minutes ago. But they’ll be back to check on you later.” Matt inspects my face. “How are you feeling?”

“I… I’m not sure.”

Matt turns me on his lap and brushes a light kiss across my forehead. “That’s okay. You don’t have to know yet. But Sarah said she could set you up with a counselor if you want. Whenever you want.”

A counselor probably wouldn’t be a terrible idea.

But right now, being with Matt is all I need.

“I’m not sure how to feel,” I explain. “There are so many emotions spinning around. Like I’m caught in a hurricane. And you?—”

“And me?”

“You’re the eye in the storm.”

Matt blinks. Swallows hard. “Oh, Isla.”

“Does that make sense?”

His lips touch my forehead again. “It does. And just so you know. I willalwaysbe here to protect you. To be your shelter.”

My nose prickles. I bury my face in his neck again until I trust myself to speak. “I guess… now that it’s sinking in. It’s not all bad.”

Surprise jolts Matt’s face. “It’s not?”

“I mean, there’s a lot of bad stuff.” Pausing, I try to turn my jumbled thoughts into coherent sentences. “The people coming after me is terrible. And what happened at the guest house… it still doesn’t feel real. But now I know. And it’s not as bad as I feared.”

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