the front door. I could tell by the setting sun that it was late in the day. How long had I been out? It felt like I’d been lying here damn near forever.
I surveyed more of the room for any inclination on what happened since I’d been out. There was a tray sitting on the bedside table next to the loveseat, the plate atop it having only a few pieces of food left, an empty glass, and a water bottle sitting beside that. That clearly wasn’t for me, seeing as my belly grumbled at the thought of food.
The sounds of water running in the bathroom and then turning off had my body tightening, which then made the pain increase. But all that was easily pushed to the side at the very real possibility that maybe my mystery woman wasn’t a fabrication at all.
I held my breath as the door opened… as the light was turned off… and then she stepped out. And at the first glance of her, I sucked in a sharp breath. Even though I couldn’t see her face clearly, she was so fucking beautiful I actually found myself lifting my hand and placing it on my chest, afraid my heart would stop. Never had anyone had this kind of impact on me.
Flashes of images of her kneeling at the bed, holding me, touching me, singing to me, played over and over in my head. She was looking at the floor, and I allowed myself the privilege of memorizing every part of her before she realized.
I remembered her, the memories I had from when I opened my eyes those few times very clear in my mind. This was her. She needed to come closer so I could smell her sweet scent, so I could feel her hand on me and know that it was indeed her.
I needed to hear her voice, and then I’d know without a shadow of a doubt.
She was beautiful nonetheless, with dark, almost black hair that hung in loose waves around her shoulders. She was tiny, would be in comparison to standing next to me. Her body was womanly, with curves I could make out underneath her jeans and T-shirt.
She lifted her head and stopped as soon as our gazes met. I swore she held her breath. I know I did. She was gorgeous, with eyes so blue they were like sapphires. And the contrast abasing her dark hair and alabaster skin was unlike anything I ever encountered in my life.
Maybe I died, and she was the angel waiting to take me to wherever the fuck I deserved to go.
This was the first time I was looking at her with a clear head and vision. The times before, she’d been blurry, since I was unable to focus, hanging onto the things like her scent and touch, the sound of her. But God, I never anticipated this was what she looked like.
I’d never seen a person so painfully beautiful.
“You’re up,” she whispered, almost as if to herself. She looked to the door, and I knew she was either going to bolt or go get someone else.
“Please, don’t go.” I don’t know why I said that. The words tumbled out before I could stop them. I never begged for anything, but hell, I’d done that right now. “Please, come here.” I needed her to be closer. I wanted some alone time with her so I could really examine her, so I could have this moment without my brothers and their women coming in.
“They’ll want to know you’re up,” she said a little louder this time, but still soft enough only I could probably hear. “They’ve been so worried.”
I bet they had, and I didn’t want to make them worry anymore, but I needed this moment to be just us. I needed this right now.
She stepped closer before I could tell her that, and with each step she came to me, the more this excited energy and anticipation thrummed through my veins.
I held my breath the closer she got, and when she was only a foot from the bed, I actually reached out for her. “You can’t be real,” I said under my breath. Fuck, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and judging by the widening of her eyes and the little tilt of her mouth, she hadn’t expected that to come out of me either.
“What’s your name?” I asked, still holding my hand out, praying to whoever would listen that she’d slip hers in