Page 114 of Awakened
I patted his chest lightly, not exactly sure how my hands had ended up there. “Oh, come on, Becca’s not really the arson type. She’s more of a withholder. I hope your hand’s ready for theamount of action it’s going to see. Maybe Mr. Lefty can help out?”
Seth’s loud laugh startled the guy passing through the room, only making us laugh more. I rested my forehead against his shoulder as I caught my breath.
Our chests began to rise and fall at the same time. Sitting there reminded me of that night so many years ago. Just the two of us, holding each other, not facing the realities of the world. It amazed me how easy it was to fall into a bit of escapism and how eagerly I took the opportunity. For one moment, the stresses of the past few years washed away.
That is, until guilt wiggled its way back in.
One by one, my troubles piled back on, and I leaned away from Seth. It was time to give him an emotional gut punch. Again. “I need to see Zach.”
And there it was—the knife-in-the-heart expression that Seth pulled off so well and that I could cause with only a few words.
“Of course. I’ll take you to him.” He went to stand, still holding me, but I stiffly swung my legs down.
“I can walk, but thanks.” My smile did little to soothe the pain in his eyes. That was the problem with forgetting the world. When you came back, it was fucking terrible.
We went to the back bedroom, and Zach was on the bed, awake and laughing with Aiden.
“Well, you look okay.”
At the sound of my voice, Zach turned toward me, the smile falling right off his face. “Les! Thank Goddess! Come here, I can’t get up yet.”
Going to the bed, I noticed Seth stop at the door. I hated that I was starting to keep tabs on his movements, just like I had at all the parties and bars we went to in college. I knew when he arrived, where he was, and when he left with that night’s conquest. I was quickly falling back into the habit of being constantly aware and always tethered to the man standing behind me.
I needed to shut that shit down.
Easing onto the edge of the bed, I looked over Zach’s visible injuries. His face was no longer swollen but still severely discolored. A busted lip and broken nose left him looking lopsided. My fingers traced up his jaw, and I cupped his cheek.
“I see they got rid of all the blood. That’s good. You looked like the inside of a Gusher.”
Zach winced as a smile pulled at his split lip. “Such a charmer.” He leaned into my palm, taking my wrist in his hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“What happened, Zach? I only have pieces of the past couple of days.”
Zach glanced behind me. With a final squeeze, he released my wrist and moved away from my hand.
“Perkins and Stewart took Hope. I couldn’t let her end up like Grace, so I tried to sneak into the cabin where they held her. I wasn’t thinking. I just acted.” Tears filled his eyes. “I shouldn’t have left you alone. I’m so sorry they hurt you more.”
He had been reckless and endangered not only himself but me. Uncomfortable and unprepared to accept his apology, I turned toward the door. Seth was gone, but Aiden stood in his place, scowling. Zach shifted against me, bringing my attention back to him.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me. The connection I feel with Hope is so strong. It’s like I need to protect her like I can’t rest until she’s happy and safe. The closest I can compare it to is how you talk about Brandon or how my mom and dad talk about me—it’s like she’s my own flesh and blood.”
“It might be all the trauma I’ve had over the past few days, but that doesn’t sound weird to me.”
Zach’s eyes lit up. “Yeah?”
I nodded.
He let out a big breath. “Thank Goddess!” Bringing me down next to him, he showered my face with kisses. We both hissed as our cuts and bruises stung, but Zach didn’t stop until every inchhad been loved on. Nuzzling his nose in my hair, he softly growled, “Did Seth carry you back?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll have to thank him.”
“You might want to wait on that. He’s not your biggest fan right now.”
“You’re probably right.” He lightly pressed his busted lips against my cracked ones. “I really am sorry, Sunshine.”
Curling into his side, I relaxed every muscle in my body. I felt comfortable, but that was all. The past few days had uncovered too much, and I knew things would have to change when we got home.
