Page 65 of Meet Me in the Vines
“Donovan, what if he comes after me? What if it’s him? I couldn’t live with myself if he came after you, too,” she chokes out a sob. I shake my head and hold her face in my hands, bringing her gaze to mine.
“He won’t come after me, baby. You don’t need to worry about me. He didn’t even see my face,” I say with confidence. Her expression turns from worry to fear. Her eyes dart back andforth between me and off into nothing while her hands tremble in her lap.
“He knows about you, Donovan. I fucked up,” she whimpers shakily, crossing her arms over her chest. I subtly raise my brow in shock, my breathing becomes shorter. She sits inches from me, but feels a hundred feet away. I start to say something until she puts her hand up to me, shaking her head at me in frustration.
“No, Donovan. Listen to me. I wrote you a letter when I was back in New York. I never meant to send it, and I definitely never meant for Kellan to find it,” she confesses, her voice getting more frantic and shrill.
I attempt to say multiple things, my mouth opening and closing, but the words aren’t forming. She’s crying, holding herself as the fear overtakes her body. I take a deep breath and reach for her hands, knowing that I made her a promise that day in the hospital to keep her safe. I’m not breaking that promise.
“Baby, he can’t get to us. He won’t,” I reassure her again, squeezing her hands in mine. The feeling of defeat creeps over me as she pulls her hands back. Doesn’t she believe me?
“He will. You don’t know him, Donovan. He is a powerful man. Heknowsyour name. He read it, written in my ink. He knows where youlive. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.” She stabs each sentence with urgency, her eyes wild. “And I left him! With no warning!” she cries.
I flinch at her tone, my eyes wide as I see her slipping. I try to keep my voice even, not wanting to upset her more, but a deep red edges my vision.
“He almost killed you, Audrey! What did you expect me to do?! Let him strangle you to death?!” I fume in frustration. Her expression remains cold. I can feel the ice on my skin from her distance. The warmth and love in the room escapes, the gears in my brain work overtime to figure out how to bring it back. I’mlosing her to the fear that has her in a death grip. She refuses to look into my eyes. Tears are coming out, but no sound escapes her mouth.
“He wouldn’t have killed me,” she mutters under her breath.
What the fuck?
“He would’ve stopped. He would’ve snapped out of it. You shouldn’t have come back for me!” she shouts, her voice so shrill it sends shivers down my spine. I angrily grip the sheets beneath me, feeling the urge to punch a wall. I grind my molars and bite my tongue to keep myself from saying something I’ll regret.
“And now I’ve put you in danger, Donovan! I can’t do this,” she chokes out a sob that shatters my heart.
She gets off the bed and finds her dress on the floor, rushing to put it on her body. My heart beats wildly, watching her panic and put all of her clothes on. I get up and she puts a hand up to me, motioning me to stop.
“No! Don’t come any closer. I’m not safe to be around. I need to go,” she snaps. I look into the eyes of the woman I love and don’t see her there. She’s slipping further away. I reach out for her wrist to keep her from walking away, but she yanks it out of my grasp.
“Audrey, please. Don’t leave. It’s three in the morning. Let’s go back to bed and we can figure this out in the morning. Please,” I plead with her. My voice is desperate, and my hope is failing as I watch her grab her things. Her purse strap tangles around her arm and she flails it around wildly, trying to get it loose.
“Ugh! God damn it!” she screams out, slamming her purse on the floor, sobbing as she falls to her knees. I take a beat, then walk toward her. I kneel in front of her, taking her delicate wrist and unwrapping the strap from it. It’s red and agitated from her flailing. I gently rub it with my hand and press a soft kiss onto her wrist.
I sit on the floor and gently pull her into my embrace. Her body melts into my chest, sobs racking her small frame as I hold her close.
Her sobs slow down and her breathing evens out. She sits in my lap and wipes her tears off on my chest. “Donovan, I’m so scared,” she whimpers softly into my neck. I gently cup my hands around her face.
“Listen to me. He won’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let him. I won’t let anyone hurt you. He doesn’t control you anymore, baby. You’re so strong, you know that? The strongest woman I know,” I stress to her. I need her to know this. I know she believes it deep down, but when doubt and fear take over, she slips. Fuck, I would too if I were in her position.
She chokes out a sob and presses her forehead against mine. My thumbs wipe her tears that fall from either side of her face.
She leans in and kisses me hard, stealing the breath out of my lungs. The kiss is desperate. Her fingers thread my hair as she pulls her body closer to me. I taste the saltiness on her lips from the tears I didn’t catch. She straddles me and my hands gently hold her nape. I can’t get enough. I need her kiss to breathe. I need her taste to live.
She slowly pulls back and I see her eyes come out of their darkness.
“There you are. I thought I lost you there for a second, Mouse,” I say quietly, my fingers grazing her delicate jawline. A faint smile plays on her lips, and a rush of intense relief rushes through me.
“I’m so sorry. I lost my mind for a sec…” she murmurs. Her voice is small, with a hint of regret.
“You don’t need to apologize, Mouse. I’m not goin’ anywhere,” I say. And I mean it. I’d never leave her. I won’t let fear or Kellan come between us. I won’t lose her again.
I help her up off the floor and she slowly lifts her arms over her head, urging me to undress her. I press my lips into her shoulder and bunch her dress from the hem, slowly lifting it over her head. The moonlight reflects off of her milky skin. Her glow intoxicates me. My eyes move to her perfect full breasts and her pale pink nipples.
The room fills with warmth and love again, no longer cold and gray. It burns with our love for each other—no one can take that away from us.
Her lips are swollen from our kiss, her eyes slightly puffy from crying, but I’ve never seen her so beautiful. She’s choosing to let me see her stripped down. To show me the good, the bad, and the ugly. The pain she’s endured in her life is my cross to bear, too.
Nothing about it scares me.
