Page 31 of Corrupt Princess

But no matter how many times I ask myself that question, the answer doesn’t come.

The nurse comes back not long after I emerge from the bathroom, fresh and ready to take on the world. Or at least, ready to attempt to get myself back into Brianna’s room. That’s about the only battle I’ve got the energy to fight right now.

She redresses my nose as promised, something that I think is totally unnecessary, but she point-blank refuses to let me leave without it. So, I sit back and humour her, grinding my teeth to the point that I’m sure I’m about to crack one every time she even gently touches my nose.

It’s not the first time I’ve broken it. When you find yourself in the middle of fights as often as we do, it’s kind of inevitable that it’ll go eventually. But I swear it’s never hurt this fucking much. It brings tears to my eyes, something I have no desire for this nurse to witness.

The second she’s done, I stuff my pitiful few possessions into a bag and walk out of the room without looking back.

The corridor is empty as I turn toward the room next to mine.

I’m fully prepared to just march in and give her little choice but to talk to me when her door opens and a man in a sharp navy suit emerges.

With the lingering effects of the drugs flowing through my veins, it takes me a couple of seconds longer than it should to recognise him as Brad the bellend.

The moment I do, my grip on the bag in my hand tightens until my nails are digging into my palm and I have no choice but to lean against the wall beside me to keep me up.

Sensing my presence, he looks over his shoulder.

His eyes immediately lock on mine, and the fire in them makes my breath catch.

He can’t know what I did Friday night. Lola is one of our best girls and she knows her life wouldn’t be worth living if she betrayed us. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t figured me out.

Hell, for all I know, he could have clocked me long before I made my presence known to Brianna.

But so what if he did? The boring fucking banker is hardly going to go up against me. He might be dull as fuck, but something tells me he’s not stupid.

Without a word, or even slowing his pace, he turns back toward where he’s going before rounding the corner and leaving me standing there as if I just imagined the whole thing.

The moment I recover, I move toward Brianna’s door. Finding it not quite closed properly, I press my palm against the wood and push it open.

What I find inside cracks my chest right open.

She’s sitting on her bed with her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she sobs, her soft whimpers filling the silence of the room around her.

“Siren,” I breathe, my legs carrying me deeper into the room long before my brain has registered the decision. She just calls to me on that kind of level.

Without asking permission, I lift her covers and climb into bed with her, twisting her around so she’s half sitting on me as I wrap my arms around her trembling body and tuck her head beneath my chin.

I’m not sure I’ve ever comforted anyone before. Okay, maybe Calli when she was a kid, but that’s different. I have never, ever comforted a woman I’ve been fucking. I’d be more likely to send them away crying. Hell, I can guarantee I have.

“It’s okay, Siren,” I soothe quietly, silently terrified that the sound of my voice will break through her distress and she’ll immediately release me and demand I leave.

Thankfully, though, that isn’t what happens.

Instead, she clings to me harder as her tears begin to soak through the fabric of my shirt.

“I’ve got you, Bri,” I say, dropping a kiss to the top of her head, holding her as tight as I dare with that massive bandage I know she’s rocking on her upper arm. The thought of hurting her terrifies me despite the fact it’s too little too late.

Eventually, she calms down, but much to my surprise, she doesn’t release me. And after a few minutes of quiet, I shift painfully so that I can lie back on her bed and bring her with me.

She rests her head on my chest, right over my heart, listening to it pound embarrassingly fast beneath her ear.

Her hand slips under my shirt, the heat of it burning me from the inside out as she holds me. She throws her leg over mine, linking us together in every way possible. But still, no words leave her lips.

There are a million and one things that are going unspoken between us, but it seems for right now, she’s content on just having this moment. And I can’t lie, I’m pretty fucking happy with it too.

Eventually, her breathing evens out and her body goes limp as she drifts off into sleep.

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