Page 138 of Heartless Beloved

He gets up and sits on the edge of the bed. “Don’t try to sit up,” he repeats. “You were still shaking less than a minute ago.”

“What?” I rasp. “How long have I been out?”

“Not long. I don’t live far from the warehouse, so I drove you here quickly.”

I bring my hands to my face, hiding in them before raking my fingers through my hair. “I need to go home.”

“Alex,” he scolds me. “You need to rest.”

“I don’t want to sleep next to you,” I snap. A whimper escapes me as my stomach and thighs contract. “Ugh,” I huff in pain. “Damn it.”

“You’re still unwell. You can’t go anywhere right now.”

Tears well in my eyes and I look away. “I want to leave.” I don’t know how realistic that demand is. I’m exhausted, my eyelids barely keeping open.

“No.” He stands up. “You’re not leaving, and that’s final.” A cool command indicating that he’s essentially keeping me hostage. “I’m going to get you some water.”

The moment he exits the room, I force my body to sit up. I throw the covers over myself and sit on the edge of the bed. My heart drops when I realize I’m wearing one of Xi’s shirts and boxers.

“What the hell,” I murmur to myself.

He wouldn’t…right? He wouldn’t take advantage of me like that. I told him PNES comes from trauma. He wouldn’t…I pinch my lips, reliving the moment I pulled up his sleeve to uncover his tattoo.

He’s NSC. He’s part of a gang. Heusedme.

I still can’t seem to process the news.

He walks back into the room at my third attempt to get up.

“What are you doing?” He strides to me, tucking me back in bed. “I told you to stay here.”

“Why am I wearing your clothes?” I push the covers away as soon as he steps back.

He drags them back on me. “Because, I wanted you comfortable.”

“Liar,” I hiss, pushing the covers off me again. “You’re a liar. Nothing you say can be trusted.”

Pushing my hands away, he pulls the covers over me. “Stop the bratty behavior right now. I did this foryou.”

“Where are my clothes?” I try to push the covers away yet again, but he holds on to them this time, and I don’t have the strength to pull.

“They’re in the wash,” he barks. Then it softens again, like he regrets raising his voice at me. “You wet yourself, okay? Now drop it.”

My mouth hangs open, shame engulfing me.

This can’t be real.

My ears heat with embarrassment as my gaze drops. I release the sheet, not knowing what else to do.

“Look, it’s no big deal, but I wasn’t going to put you to bed in those clothes. So, I showered you and put you in mine.”

“Oh my God,” I groan in embarrassment, letting myself slide down onto the mattress and hide under the covers.

It’s rare, but it’s not the first time this has happened. Peach and Ella have had to deal with me multiple times. It’s not something I can control, and my friends have never made me feel uncomfortable about it. But Xi? Could this night have gone worse?

My throat constricts, and I can feel fat tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Alex,” he says softly as he uncovers my face. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time this has happened to someone close to me. There’s no shame to have, I promise you.”

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