Page 23 of You Saved Me

An unreadable expression crossed his face. A mix of wonder and sadness? I’m not sure. I waited for him to answer me, but he just stared at me, his head tilted in contemplation. He rubbed his hand down my cheeks gently, and I leaned into his touch. Finally, he said in a rough voice, “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

Chapter12

Tristan

Hearing Lucas’ story the night before broke my heart. He was a broken man. A hero, but broken, nonetheless. No one should have to go through what he went through. The thought of him having to watch those videos tore me apart. Yes, it was his job, but that didn’t mean my heart didn’t go out to him. He slept peacefully for the rest of the night, no more screaming or thrashing. When he woke, he looked the most rested I had seen him. I didn’t notice before, since I hadn’t seen him any other way, but the change in him after a good night’s sleep was staggering. His eyes were clearer, his face more relaxed, the dark circles fading. He looked so grateful, so appreciative that he was able to sleep. He asked if I could sleep with him every night, to keep the nightmares at bay. I was helpless to tell him no.

I was up cooking us breakfast while Lucas showered. I wanted to ask to join him, but I didn’t think we were at that stage yet. Yes, I had his dick in my mouth last night, but I didn’t want to push him into more. I didn’t want him to feel obligated just because I sucked him off. Thinking about it had my dick stirring in my sweats. The way he fucked my mouth, like he couldn’t get enough of how I made him feel, turned me on. And how he let me come on him. I didn’t plan on doing it, but something urged me on. It wasn’t something we’d talked about doing. I hoped I didn’t make him uncomfortable, even though he didn’t seem so. Again, I didn’t want him to feel obligated to do anything just because he was inexperienced.

I bustled around the kitchen, mixing pancake mix, whisking eggs, and frying turkey bacon. It was something I was used to doing while I was at home cooking for Devin. But this was different. When I was with Devin, I cooked for him because I was already cooking for myself. I was cooking for Lucas because I knew he liked it.Iliked it. And I wanted to make him happy. Thinking like that was definitely against the rules I set for us, but it was hard to hold back from him. He was so transparent and honest. I wanted to take a page from his book.

I resolved to go with the flow. I was working on my healing, and I knew it would be damn near impossible for me to fall for Lucas in twenty-one days, so I didn’t force myself to keep him at arm’s length. As much as I told myself I didn’t like him the first week we’d been in the cabin, I found myself feeling the exact opposite this week. He was funny. He was smart. He was honest. He was beautiful. And he was broken. I wanted him to feel like he had an anchor. I wanted him to know he had me.

As I was taking the bacon from the pan, my phone rang. I didn’t have my AirPods in today, so I hurried to plate the bacon so I could grab my phone. A smile lit across my face when I saw a pic of Cass and me on my screen.

“Hey, my love.”

Her voice was bubbly in my ear, making my entire day brighter. “Hey! How are you? I miss seeing your face.”

“I miss you too, love. You should come up before I leave. We could go to the lake and make a day of it.”

Her sweet giggle made me smile more. “No, thank you. Me and outdoors do not get along. I was forced to do outside activities as a kid and vowed to never do them as an adult.”

I threw my head back and laughed. She could definitely be a diva sometimes. “Fine. We can sit inside. Just come up.”

“I was thinking about it. I was wondering if I had to come up there and make sure you and Lucas didn’t kill each other.”

Her mention of Lucas had my cheeks warming. Lucas and I wanted to do a lot, but killing each other wasn’t on the list.

“About that. He apologized. So… we’re good now.”

Cass was quiet for a bit. I knew she hadn’t hung up because I still heard her breathing on the phone. I didn’t rush her, though. I waited for her to speak, knowing she needed time to say what she wanted.

“He did?” Her voice was small like she couldn’t believe it. “So my best friend and my brother can be in the same room together? I can have you both?”

I wanted to laugh at her question, but I knew she was serious and really happy. She and I were close, and she was close with Lucas. I’m sure she wanted us to get along so she didn’t have to choose between us. If she did have to choose, I would bow out. Family was important to her.

“Yes, love. You can. He’s actually not a bad guy. He explained his doesn’t-look-gay comment and apologized for pulling a gun on me. We’ve been talking and getting to know each other. You have a great brother, Cass.”

“I know.” She gushed. “He’s the best. I knew you guys would love each other.”

That made me pause. I knew she didn’t mean it in a romantic way, but that was where my mind went. Could I love a man like Lucas? No, notlikeLucas. Could I loveLucas? We got along well. He was easy to talk to. He made me feel heat just being close to him, being in the same room as him. The goose bumps that popped up on my skin when he was near were new, but I was coming to enjoy them. When he kissed me, I burned. I tore apart and came back together, just from his lips.

“Um, hmm. Love is a stretch, but I do like him. So answer his phone calls and let him tell you himself. He told me how you’ve been acting. He misses you, love.” Lucas had been trying to call Cass since we’d been on better terms to tell her himself. Since she was still upset because she thought he was homophobic, she refused to answer. I told myself I wouldn’t get in the middle of it, but I knew how much it was hurting him not to speak to his sister. They were close, and I didn’t want that to change because of me.

I heard her sigh. “You’re right. I’ve been childish. I just hated the thought of him mistreating you. Making you feel less than.”

“You know I can take care of myself. I wouldn’t have felt right if your relationship was damaged because of me. But now we don’t have to worry about that because we’re good. Answer your phone.”

“I will. I’ll talk to my brother, I promise. I called you for a reason, though. So, I think I figured out how to expose David.”

This damn girl was stubborn. “Cass, I told you to leave it alone. It’s not worth it. You love your job. I don’t want you to get fired because of me.”

“Tristan, I’m not doing anything crazy. I actually wasn’t going to do anything. I listened to what you asked, as much as I hated it. David came to me. Turns out, he’s been crushing on me since I was your intern. He’s been asking me out pretty much every day since you left. I’ve been turning him down because I hate him and out of loyalty to you. I was thinking, though. What if I told him you and I had a falling out and take him up on his offer? I could ask about what really happened and record him on my phone.”

While it sounded good and easy enough to carry out, things rarely went according to plan. I didn’t want to put Cass in any danger if David found her out. I took the pancakes out of the pan and turned the burner off as I told her, “No. Please, no. Cass, it’s fine. I promise. I’m still pissed, but I’m okay. He’ll get what’s coming to him without you facilitating it.”

“You told me not to try to get your job back. This isn’t that. This is his comeuppance. He’s been a menace in this office for far too long. I care about what happened to you, but it’s also the harassment I’m going through with him constantly asking me out and making me feel uncomfortable in my own office. It’ll be fine. You know I carry my mace and taser. He can try to run up and get done up.”

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