Arrogant Heir (The Heirs #2) - Michelle Heard Page 0,31
my throat before asking, “Can I have a moment alone with Jase?”
I just need a minute to ground myself. I don’t want my loved ones seeing me like this.
“Sure.” My eyes fly to Dad’s, and when he leans down to press a kiss to my forehead, I have to force myself to keep still.
I’ve lost the comfort of a simple touch.
My eyes blur from realizing I’ve lost so much more than I thought, but I fight back the tears, not wanting to upset my parents even more.
When everyone has left the room, leaving me alone with Jase, he sits down on the side of the bed and tilts his head to catch my eyes.
Meeting his golden gaze, I soak in the feeling of being safe before I say, “Thank you.” A puzzled look flashes over his strong features, and it has me explaining, “Thank you for helping me last night.”
Jase begins to reach for my hand but quickly stops and pulls back. It brings a frown to my forehead, and he’s so damn perceptive he instantly picks up on it. “You flinched earlier when your dad touched you.”
“I was just caught off guard,” I try to set his mind at ease. I lower my gaze to Jase’s hand, and seeing the broken skin over his knuckles, I lightly brush a finger near the bruises.
Slowly Jase turns his hand over, holding his palm up for me, and I don’t feel any hesitation as I rest my hand on his.
Not all simple touches are gone.
Because of Jase, I haven’t lost everything, and this time I’m unable to keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I lift my eyes to meet his. My voice is hoarse with emotion. “Thank you for stopping him.”
When Jase shifts closer to me, I lean forward, and the moment I smell his comforting scent and I get to bury my face in his neck, my world doesn’t feel so utterly devastated.
Jase wraps his arms around me, his touch still careful, and it has me whispering, “I’m okay with you hugging me.”
“Good,” he murmurs against my hair, and then he jokes, “’Cause you know me, I’m all about love.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, but a stinging sensation from my bruised lip has me stopping. Still, hearing Jase crack a joke has never sounded so good before.
When he begins to pull away from me, my right hand darts up, and I grab hold of his shirt. “Just a moment longer.”
His arms tighten around me again, and my eyes drift shut from the relief I feel.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” he whispers.
Quickly, I shake my head. I never want to talk about it. I just want to forget it ever happened.
This time when Jase pulls back, I force myself to let go of him, knowing I can’t keep clinging to him.
Jase brings his hand to my face and gently brushes his thumb over my jaw. My eyes lift to his, and when I see how tight his features are with something akin to rage, I ask, “Do I look that bad?”
His eyes meet mine, and then the corner of his mouth lifts. He keeps staring at me until I feel a flutter of something familiar.
Love.
“You’ll always be beautiful to me, Mila.”
It’s not his words that get to me, but the tone of his voice. It’s like a cleansing rain shower on my dirtied soul. It washes some of the stains away, and for a moment, my world is not quite so dark.
JASE
My gaze drifts over her face, taking in the dark bruises around her left eye all the way down to her jaw, where the swelling looks painfully feverish.
Jade must’ve packed Mila’s clothes because she’s wearing her own sweatpants and t-shirt.
Every couple of seconds, I’m lulled into a false sense of peacefulness, but then it vanishes, and the chaos inside me returns like a destructive tornado.
I see the same emotions flashing over Mila’s features. One moment she seems calm, and the next, panic and fear darken her eyes.
I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. I’m stumbling around in the dark, but the need to make everything better for Mila has me asking, “What can I do to help?”
Her eyes lower to her hand on her lap. “You’ve already done so much, Jase. I just need time. I’m sure everything will be back to normal soon.”
Her words are a total contradiction to her body language. Her shoulders are hunched forward, and she