Page 106 of Prey for You

Strong.

He was strong.

And he held me like I was as breakable as fine china.

So tender. So sweet. Soimpossiblygood.

Why couldn’t anyone else see it? Why couldn’t any of the other men in my life who claimed to care,seehim?

With another sigh, I tipped my head up and kissed his neck—softly this time.

His hand at my back, and the other on my leg both tightened a little. “I love you, Bridget,” he rumbled softly.

“I know. I love you too.”

“I’m so glad you called. Always call, babe. Always. Don’t ever leave me like that again.”

And even though I couldn’t quite say it, I meant it.

I won’t. Ican’t.

We were both so fucking screwed. But at least we were screwedtogether.

34. The Weight of Hate

~ SAM ~

Holding her was a balm. I’d do it as much as I could over the next couple of days. The tension was slowly easing out of both of us, and touch made it easier and easier to relax. I stroked her hair and held her and prayed that somehow we’d find a way to help her get through this so she didn’t have to run again. But I was afraid.

She’d been desperate to be alone. Now she was desperate for me to be here.

Who knew which it would be next time she was triggered?

She took a deep breath, sagged against my shoulder and cupped the side of my neck with her hand.

“I can’t believe you’re not mad at me,” she whispered.

I huffed. “I’m sure I will be at some point—but I was scared. I know why this time of year freaks you out. I… I did some digging, just normal stuff online. I feel like I understand better now. But I wish you’d told me instead of just running. For a while there I was terrified you’d given up onme.”

“See, that’s what I meant. Do you have any clue how different you are, Sam?” she said, lifting her head and turning my chin to make me face her. “You arenotnormal.”

I grinned because she liked that. “Wasn’t that the whole point? Neither of us does normal well, Bridget.”

“Yeah, but…” she bit her lip and frowned like she was trying to figure something out. “I’m the kind of abnormal that scares people. You’re the kind that makes people feel safe.”

I shrugged. I hoped it was true. That was the goal. But she didn’t seem to understand how differently she saw the world than so many others.

“Don’t, Sam,” she said, frowning harder.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t shrug that off—it’s incredible how you just… get me. No one else ever does. Gerald understandswhyI do stuff, but he can never seem to understandme.Jeremy just thinks I should do everything he says because then I won’t have a problem. Everyone else either fans my flames and sends me over the edge, or runs away from me because they think I’m dangerous.”

“I know the feeling,” I said earnestly.

“And that’s what I mean,” she said, sitting up a little and cupping my face, staring at me intently. “I’m not dangerous. When this happens every year, I go away like this to somewhere private and I don’t do anything except avoid the world. But they still think I’m destroying myself.”

I cleared my throat and splayed a hand at her back so she’d feel me there with her. “The thing is, Bridget, itisdangerous for you to be alone when you’re scared like that. I… I don’t want you to do that again.”

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