Page 134 of Scattered Glitter

I carry her up the staircase, her even breaths warm against my neck. My room is down the hall, and when I open the door and turn on the light, a rush of clothes, empty energy drink cans, and various scattered items greet me.

Damn. I didn’t think this far ahead.

I lay her on my bed and indulge in another moment to look at her. She’s small, vulnerable in her sleep, and I brush a few stray hairs from her face. I then turn and start grabbing the mess around my room, throwing crumpled shirts into the corner and scooping up cans to take downstairs.

“I’ll be back in a second,” I assure her as I turn off the light again and slip out of the room.

When I get to the kitchen, Alaric glances up fromwhere he’s leaning against the counter with a full glass of water.

“Hey,” he says, eyes flicking to the cans in my arms.

“Hey.” I dump the cans in the trash and turn to him, plucking the glass of water he was about to sip from straight from his hands.

He rolls his eyes at me and goes to the cabinet to fill a new one, more than used to my shit.

“You look like a teen who just got told to clean his room by his mom.”

I shrug. “Guess I haven’t been acting my age with all this.”

“Could’ve fooled me with that wardrobe.” He grins. “How’d it go tonight?”

I shake my head, jaw tight. “Shit, man. Ezra hit her.”

Alaric’s expression drops, going cold in an instant. “He didwhat?” Just then, Ezra comes in, carrying a barely conscious Levi, with Koen behind them. Alaric’s gaze cuts to Ezra.“You did what?”

I leave them to sort it out and head back upstairs with my glass of water, back toher.

I’ve been teetering on the edge without her the last few days, every hour dragging, driving myself half-crazy missing her. But she wanted space, and what she wants, she gets.

Then tonight, seeing her again, realizing she missed me too, it was this wild rush of relief. That relief quickly twisted into something darker. She missed me, yes, but she was hurt as well. My absence caused that pain. She cares, even if she’s determined to fight it.

And now, I’m not sure what to do with that.

I’ve heard it so many times that I can be too much for people, simply being myself is exhausting to those around me, and they need breaks from me. So, when she said she wanted time alone, it didn’t surprise me. Now, I need tofigure out how to give her space without causing that kind of hurt again.

After I push open the door to my room, I hear her whisper in the dark room. “Sylus?”

“Don’t worry, baby, I’m here,” I whisper back, my voice barely breaking the quiet as I move closer, setting the water down and flicking on the soft light from my nightstand. The warm glow washes over her, casting gentle shadows across her pretty face.

I pull an aspirin from the drawer, my fingers brushing over the glass as I ready everything she’ll need. She’s still half-asleep, drunk, eyes crinkling against the light. Leaning in, I guide her to sit up against the headboard, brushing my thumb lightly across her bruised cheek as I hold the pill to her lips.

“Take this for me, please,” I murmur. “It’ll make things a little easier tomorrow.”

She mumbles a barely there ‘thank you’ before taking her lips to the pill, trusting me without question, and it sends a rush through me. Her fingers rest lightly on mine as I lift the glass to her lips, helping her take a sip to wash it down.

Then, she clumsily grasps at the edge of her dress, tugging half-heartedly, her eyes still closed as she tries to free herself from the fabric. In her inebriated state, she lets herself lean into my help. I slide the dress down her body, the smooth expanse of her skin framed by nothing but the thin straps of her G-string and the heels she forgot to take off. She rolls over onto her stomach, completely relaxed and unaware, sinking into my bed as though she’s always belonged here.

I reach down, undoing the straps of her heels and easing them off one at a time, setting them aside quietly. Taking her in again, I smile at the vision she makes. She’ssprawled out across the bed, my bed,as I’ve imagined countless times.

Longing and disbelief tighten in my chest as I approach her, then let my fingers trail along the glitter on her shoulder, moving down her arm, brushing the warm skin that’s so perfectly hers.

Carefully, I brush her hair to one side, tracing the line of her neck with my thumb and feeling her steady heartbeat against it. My pulse races, and I have to stop, pausing to breathe while my cock throbs with need.

Fuck, she’s perfect.

“Sylus?”

“Yes?” I brush some hair away that fell on her face again.

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