Page 37 of Through My Window
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
Ares frowns. “Why?”
“For calling you, I know that . . .”
“No,” he interrupts me. “Don’t even think about it. Never hesitate to call me if you’re in trouble, ever, understood?”
“Understood.”
“Now lie down, you need to rest, tomorrow will be another day.” I obey him and lie down, holding the ice pack against my cheek. He covers me with blankets and I just watch him. I’ve forgotten how cute he is.
I missed you.
I think about it, but I don’t say it. Ares seems to be getting ready to leave, and the panic of being alone overcomes me. I sit up. “Ares . . .”
Those blue eyes look at me, waiting, and I don’t know how to ask him to stay. How can I ask him to stay when a week ago I asked him to leave and never come back? But I don’t want to be alone. I can’t be alone tonight. He seems to read my mind.
“Do you want me to stay?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I’ll be fine, I—”
He doesn’t let me finish, throwing himself on the opposite side of the bed. Before I can speak, he puts an arm around my waist and pulls me close to him, hugging me from behind affectionately.
“You’re safe, Raquel,” he murmurs. “Sleep. I won’t leave you alone.”
I put the ice pack on the bedside table and close my eyes. “Do you promise?”
“Yes. I won’t leave. Not this time.”
Sleepiness comes over me, and I fall between that state of consciousness and unconsciousness. “I missed you, Greek God.”
I feel a kiss on the back of my head and then a quiet whisper.
“Me too, Witch, me too.”
FOURTEEN
The Gentleman
Rocky’s habit of licking my hand when he wants food wakes me up. The sunlight is streaming through my window, warming the room. My eyes burn, and my face hurts, and it takes me a few seconds to remember everything that happened last night.
Ares . . .
With a jump, I sit up and look at the other side of my bed. My heart sinks when I see that it’s empty. But what did I expect? That I’d wake up to him cuddling with me? I’m so naive.
Slowly, I walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I look in the mirror, I let out a squeal. “Holy mother of bruises!”
My face looks horrible. The whole right side is swollen and there’s a bruise going up from the middle of my cheek to my right eye. The corner of my mouth has a small cut on it. I had no idea that man hit me so hard. As I inspect my face, I notice bruises on my wrists and arms—I guess from when those other guys grabbed me.
A shiver runs through me as I remember what happened. After taking a shower and brushing my teeth, I leave the bathroom in my underwear, toweling my hair.
“Pokémon panties?”
I scream at the sight of Ares sitting on my bed. There’s a bag of take-out food and two coffees on the nightstand. I cover myself with the towel.
“I thought you left.”
He smiles. “I just went for breakfast. How are you feeling?”
