Page 81 of Unravelling The Beast

When I'm through, I release her hair and collapse onto the bed alongside her before gazing up at the ceiling, my hands resting behind my head, attempting to catch my breath.

As I stare forward into nothingness for a while, I am quickly drawn back into the usual, dark and depressing place in my mind that has become my sanctuary and home. Wren’s unexpected movements beside me pull me out of my mental space, and I side-eye her as she shuffles closer.

I watch her carefully as she lowers her big tits on my chest and then tucks her head beneath my chin before yawning and snuggling against me. I remain motionless as her strawberry-scented hair engulfs my nostrils, not knowing how to react.

I don't know how to feel about her showing me affection like this. I should just throw her off of me, leave the room, and teach her a fucking lesson never to do it again, but I don't; like a weak fool, I allow it to happen.

Isquint through heavy, dry eyes to see sunrise colors peeking through the cracks in the dark curtains. When I open my eyes fully, I take in my surroundings until I notice Arlo's tattooed abs in front of me; his belt and zip are undone, revealing his black Calvin’s, and it takes me a few seconds to gather my bearings.

My head throbs, a hangover is developing, and when I realize I am lying on Arlo’s chest, my eyes expand. My face peels away from his skin as I slowly elevate my head and because of the ache, I groan while turning my stiff neck with my eyes closed.

As soon as I reopen them, I find myself extremely close to Arlo's face, which takes me aback. He just stares at me with a cold expression, his dark-brown eyes circling my face. The panic starts to creep in as I realize I've clearly drunkenly and boldly cuddled against him all night.

I quickly sit back on my knees and talk nervously, breaking eye contact.

"Shit, I'm sorry; I didn't realize I had slept on you."

When I hesitantly lift my eyes to him, he is still looking at me, but he is silent, as if deep in thought. His enigmatic eyes are heavy and restless, as if he hasn't slept at all, and a shade of darkness lurks beneath them.

His gaze sweeps down my naked body before he sighs and glances away. My stomach drops, immediately thinking I've done something wrong, so I gently turn around, scoot my ass across the bed, and head for my bathroom.

I clamp my eyes tight while resting back against the door, trying to remember what happened last night. Oh god, I must have been more intoxicated than I initially thought because I can only remember some things, but I hope I didn't embarrass myself or Arlo too much.

I empty my bladder before facing myself in the large mirror, noticing that my make-up has smudged all over my face and I look like death. I blow out a defeated sigh before grabbing a makeup wipe and cleaning it all away. As soon as I'm done, I wrap a towel around myself and head back to my bedroom.

When I walk in, I notice Arlo is no longer here, so I take a seat on the edge of my bed, reach for my phone, which is on the nightstand and see a message from Lily.

"Are you free today?”

I decided to reply quickly.

"I could be; what's up?"

I get a response instantly.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to meet for lunch today. I could invite Jasper as well.”

As I respond, my brows furrow in confusion.

"Jasper?"

"Remember? The guy I'm seeing?"

My brows archas soon as I realize who she is referring to.

"Oh, right, yeah, sorry! Give me an hour and I'll let you know, okay?"

I drop my phone onto the bed before I stand up, still feeling a slight pain in my head.

I leave my room and stride up the long corridor, heading for Arlo's bedroom to see what he is doing today.

When I step inside, I can see he isn't in here, but I can hear his shower water running, so I enter fully and continue to his en suite.

Walking through the huge space, steam hits my face, and the sound of water crashing to the floor echoes in my ears.

I take a slow step forward, but when I see him in the shower, beyond the mist, I pause and observe him. He has his palms on the tiles and is slightly leaning over, with his head dipped low, allowing the hot water to fall on his fully inked body.

I feel an uneasy sensation in my stomach watching him, as if I can feel the heaviness of his heart and pain. His emotional distress and suffering lure something deep within me toward him, and I begin to shuffle forward.

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