Page 99 of Rooster

When the shower is done, he gently dries my skin with a warm towel, even going so far as to urge me to sit on the closed lid of the toilet while he blow-dries my hair for me.

I feel cherished beyond compare when he gives me one of his t-shirts to sleep in before guiding me to his bed. He's following my cues, which means he doesn't hesitate to climb in beside me when I open my arms to him. He pulls me to his chest, arm wrapped around my back, and holds me like he was worried that he'd never see me again.

I cling to him just as tightly, tears of relief falling and wetting his chest.

We don't speak about any of it. We just let the silence swarm around us like a cocoon.

I feel like together, we could face the world and every struggle life plans to throw at us and come out the other side victorious, not that I want to be challenged for the sake of winning. I'd love an easy, laid-back life, and I know I want to spend it with this man.

My breathing slows, and sleep finds me easily, which is a surprise considering what I've gone through in the last thirty-six hours.

Chapter 38

Rooster

Holding her is selfish.

Loving her for the rest of my life is going to be just as selfish, but it's not like I can flip a switch and turn those emotions off. Letting her go will never be an option for me either.

I know what it means to keep her in my life. I know that keeping her means that she will be on Henry's radar for the rest of his life. I also know that doing so means I risk her being hurt again because Henry will know that the best way to hurt me is to get to her.

It took me hours to fall asleep, and the entire night has been spent with only short bursts of rest. My mind has been racing since we laid down. I know we're protected here, but that hasn't made my brain turn off. I've pictured Henry busting into the house to hurt her, even though I know that isn't really his style. My twin is more of a mental game kind of guy simply because physical wounds heal, and psychological trauma can last much longer.

It's always the head games with him. His arrest means nothing. He won't stay locked up. He never does. I have no doubt he has some sort of failsafe plan in place that will trigger and allow for his release because he somehow tampered with the police department's system before allowing himself to be caught.

That's the part I can't figure out. Why get caught in the first place? Why just sit there and provide clues to be found? As much as I thought I knew Henry's style, I can say that this latest ploy is much different from the ones before it.

I jolt, figuring it's just one more shock to my system as if my body is punishing me for drifting to sleep like it has been doing all night, but then I feel the warm breath and even warmer skin pressed to my body.

Soft kisses trail up my rib cage, and I can't help the groan that leaves my lips.

It's heaven, and as tired as I am, I'm struggling to determine if this is just an incredibly great dream or if somehow my reality is better than I could ever imagine.

"Are you awake?" she asks, her breath warm on my abdomen.

"Yeah, baby," I manage. "I'm awake."

I lift the blanket, finding her pretty eyes pointing up at me, a sleepy smile on her beautiful face.

"Is this okay?" she asks, lowering her mouth and nipping at my skin before turning her eyes back up at me again.

"I don't want you to feel like we have to do anything like this, Morgan."

"This is exactly what I want to do," she whispers. "I want to forget yesterday ever happened."

"But it did happen," I clarify, not wanting her to do something because she thinks it will make her forget, only to regret it when it's over.

She rests her chin on her hands as she continues to look up at me.

"I don't want him to control our lives," she says, her throat working on a swallow. "I don't want what he has done to us to make us lose momentum, not the fake text messages, not the shit that went down yesterday. None of it. I want this because I want you, not because I'm trying to create an escape in my head from the memories."

"I don't want you to regret being with me," I murmur. "I don't want to give you what you think you want and then freak out. I don't want to put a wedge between us because we move too fast, and you're not ready."

"Are you ready?"

I search her eyes before answering, and although I know there are shadows in her mind that will come to the surface eventually, I don't see a sign of that darkness right now. If there were any hint that this was going to backfire on us and cause us problems later on, I would pump the brakes right now.

"I've been ready," I assure her.

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