Page 38 of When We Breathe
“It’s not locked,” I tell him, my voice hard with anger.
“Fuck.”
The windows are all open, but she’s not in the living room. We rush to the bedroom and stop short.
There she is.
Lying on top of the covers, fully clothed, her dark hair a halo around her head, she’s sleeping soundly.
“What the fucking fuck?” Adam says, lowering to his knees beside her and checking out her knees, which happen to be scraped up and bloody. There’s even a line of dried blood running down one shin. The sudden wave of anger and protectiveness that washes through me is no surprise to anyone.
“Who fucking touched her?”
I crawl onto the bed with her. It’s hot in this apartment. It’s not nearly as bad as it was when I first brought her home with me months ago, but it’s still not comfortable. Kissing her cheek, I push my fingers through her soft hair.
“Wake up, baby.”
She doesn’t stir. Actually, she snuggles up against me and sighs happily, as if she were missing me.
It makes my heart clench.
“I’ve got her.” Adam scoops her up into his arms and heads for the door.
Alex doesn’t wake up, but she does bury her face in his neck and hold on as he carries her out the front door and down the steps. I take a few seconds to close windows, grab her purse, and lock the door behind me, then hop into the back seat.
“Drank too much,” she mutters, shifting in the seat. “Couldn’t drive.”
“We’ve got you, Princess,” Adam says, lifting her hand to his lips. “We’ll get you home and take care of you.”
“What happened to your knees, baby?” I drag my fingers down her cheek.
“Fell.” Her lashes flutter, but she doesn’t open her eyes. “Stings.”
“I bet it does. We’ll get you cleaned up.”
Alex sleeps the rest of the way back to the house. I lift her out of the car, and Adam opens the doors for me. We take her to the bedroom and lay her on our bed, then getto work stripping her out of her clothes and cleaning the scrapes on her knees.
“Ouch,” she whimpers. Her brows pull together, but she doesn’t pull away. Once the dirt is gone, I tug one of my T-shirts over her head, and then Adam and I get into bed with her, spooning her on either side.
She sighs sweetly, cuddling into us.
“Never again,” Adam murmurs, kissing her hair. “From now on, we’ll go get her.”
“She needs to move the rest of her stuff out of that place too,” I reply as I drag my fingertips down her soft cheek and kiss the crown of her head.
Adam plants his lips on my forehead.
“We’ll make it happen,” he says. He’s calmer now that she’s home, but I can still see the worry in his eyes. “She’s ours.”
Chapter Fifteen
ALEX
Someone is peppering kisses all over my neck and jawline.
Adam.
I can tell that it’s him because he smells woodsy, and I know his touch so well. I know them both, and while I crave both of their hands constantly, I don’t have to open my eyes to know which one is touching me.
