Page 25 of Saving Meri

She tried. She really did, but the aftershocks from her reawakening feelings threatened to overwhelm her. Her body trembled, her chest tightening, something thick and unmovable sitting heavy in her ribs. She wasn’t ready for it, didn’t know how to handle it.

Bear shifted beneath her, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her in until she was fully against his chest. The move was effortless, like shebelongedthere, like he already knew exactly how to put her back together. His warmth seeped into her skin, grounding her, keeping her from slipping back into the void.

She swallowed hard, pressing her forehead against his collarbone. “I don’t…”

Bear stroked a hand up her back, slow and deliberate. “I know.”

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, gripping it like a lifeline. The dam inside her cracked, the pressure building, but she fought it, refusing to let it break her completely.

She hated this part. The part where the walls came down, where the high from a scene faded, leaving her with nothing but the weight of everything she’d been holding in for too long.

Bear didn’t speak. He didn’t tell her she was safe again, didn’t demand that she explain herself, didn’t rush her through it. He justheld her. Solid. Steady. Unmoving.

Her chest tightened further, the burn in her throat growing unbearable. Her whole body shook, her breaths coming in short, shallow bursts, but she fought it.

“You don’t have to do this,” she whispered, her voice barely holding together.

Bear’s lips brushed the top of her head, his grip firm but patient. “Do what?”

“Pretend like this means something.” She forced herself to lift her head, to meet his gaze even as her vision blurred. “I’m not like those women at the club who want a true Dom, Bear. I’m not some sweet little submissive who melts into her Dom’s arms and whispers thank you after a scene. I’m not… I can’t be…”

Bear’s thumb brushed across her cheek, wiping away the tear she hadn’t realized had fallen. Her breath hitched. He didn’t look surprised. Didn’t look disappointed. Justsure.

“You’re exactly who you’re supposed to be,” he said simply.

Meri bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep from shattering completely. She hated crying. Hated the way it made her feel weak, exposed, open in ways she hadn’t allowed herself to be in so long.

Bear didn’t force her to look at him, demanded nothing from her. He just gathered her closer, one arm around her back, the other sliding into her hair, cradling her against him.

It was too much.

A broken sob escaped before she could stop it, her whole body jerking with the force of it. Bear’s arms tightened, his lips pressing a soft, steady kiss to her temple. She hated him for that. Hated the way he didn’t make this ugly, didn’t make her feel like she was falling apart.

She hated sheneededthis.

The tears kept coming, silent but heavy, soaking into his shirt, her shoulders shaking with the effort of keeping them from becoming full-body wracking sobs.

Bear never let go. Never loosened his grip. He just held on.

Until the storm eased, until the sobs faded into uneven breaths, until her body stopped fighting itself.

She felt wrecked. Exposed—completely shattered in a way she didn’t know how to process.

Bear’s fingers slid under her chin, tilting her face up to his. His dark eyes searched hers, steady and unyielding, like he was looking straight into the places she kept locked down.

“Better?” he murmured.

Meri swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

Bear’s thumb traced a slow line over her cheek, his voice quieter this time. “That’s okay.”

She should have pulled away. Should have untangled herself from his warmth and put as much space between them as possible. Instead, she stayed wrapped in his arms. Safe.

She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, justbreathingtogether. Minutes. Hours. A lifetime.

Eventually, Bear shifted and stood, lifting her in his arms and walking towards the bed. “You need sleep.”

Meri tensed, her body instinctively recoiling. She hated sleeping. Hated the way it left her vulnerable, the way the nightmares clawed at her the second she let herself slip under. Bear felt it too. Of course he did.

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