Page 9 of Carver's Obsession

Erica looked around the room. The room was the cleanest and most comfortable place she’d ever seen.

“This is wonderful. Thank you so much for letting me use it.”

Carver set her bag down on the mattress.

“Everything you need is in the bathroom,” Kristina said.

“I’ve got my stuff with me.”

“Whatever you feel comfortable with.”

She looked at Carver. “Can you check on her and help her out?”

“Yeah. I’m just right down the hall,” he said.

Erica nodded.

Kristina hugged her again. “Sleep, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Thank you. It was very nice to meet you,” Erica said.

“Oh, I think you’ll be here for a while.”

Erica shook her head. “No. I’m heading out in the morning.” She watched the other two look at each other.

Carver stopped at the door. “I’ll check on you in a bit.”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother you.”

Carver snorted. “You’re not.”

Erica watched the door close and wondered at all the emotions racing through her. Exhaustion, anxiety, and lastly, hopefulness, which was silly. Her life was one fight after another. Had she ever had a day where she just rested, maybe even had fun? Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time she smiled or laughed.

She shed her dirty clothes, untied her braid, and washed out her panties and bra, hanging them on the towel rack before entering the shower. The heat from the water felt amazing. She scrubbed herself a few times and then made herself get out. Her energy level was at zero, and the heat was making it worse.

She dried her hair until her arms got tired, put on an old nightgown, brushed her teeth, and slipped into bed. The mattress was amazing, and everything smelled so nice. She could understand why her sister lived here. It was a palace compared to the places she’d been.

She couldn’t stay awake. Her eyes closed, and then she was out.

Chapter Six

Carver softly knocked, and when he heard nothing, he opened the door and went in. There was some light coming in through the window but also from the bathroom light she kept on, with the door mostly closed.

He stood over her. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was the prettiest little thing he’d ever seen and so damn sweet. But it was the vulnerable and lost sadness in her eyes that got to him the most.

It reminded him of himself in the past. Just by looking at her, he could tell she’d had it rough. She had dark circles under her eyes that looked like bruises, telling him she didn’t get enough sleep. She was thin. Too thin.

He’d never forget the first time he’d seen her. One of the fence alarms had gone off, and his prez sent him and a few others to check it out. He saw her hiding behind bushes and looking around for a long time. When it started getting dark, he thought she’d leave but instead got her sleeping bag out.

She made him smile a few times, which didn’t come easy for him. One time was when she leaned against a tree to take a piss. He could tell she hadn’t had a lot of practice because she kept losing her balance. He’d hear her curse, but she always got it done.

He stayed out in the woods with her because he didn’t want to leave her alone. He knew any of the guys would look out for her, but he wanted her to be his responsibility.

He only went in to shower and grab food, but then he went back out. Someone had brought him a blanket and pillow the first night, and he made his bed behind a group of trees. He’d be able to have eyes on her the whole time, but she wouldn’t be able to see him.

The three days she was there, she had been watched over. They all knew she wasn’t a threat, but they were curious to see what she would do. When she started crying, he’d had enough. He hadn’t seen her eat too much or drink anything. Her sleep was restless, and when she would wake from a nightmare, he wanted to take her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay.

What the fuck. He never thought like this. He didn’t have a sensitive bone in his body, but with her, it was different. At first, he had dismissed the thought of keeping her. He wasn’t the type of man that stayed with one woman. But the thought of someone else’s hands on her made him crazy.

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