“For what?”
“Taking care of me. For watching me like you have.”
Cruel lips tug into a cocky grin. “You’ve had too much to drink.”
I smile at that...at him. “Maybe.”
Shifting my weight, he carries me through the room. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I’m still not done.”
My head falls against his shoulder and I revel in the feeling of safety to be with him, but as we pass through his bedroom door on the way to the shower, the thoughts I’d chased away before come rushing back.
How long will I be able to hold on to this man?
What will happen when Grant is gone?
Why do I get the feeling that Ari plans on letting me go?
And when it happens, will I ever feel this safe again?
Adeline
I wake up the next morning to something very strange.
Ari is still lying next to me, his large body sprawled face down across the bed, the sheets tangled in his legs, his arms wrapped around the pillow beneath his head.
Blinking my eyes open, I push up on an elbow and run my gaze down the smooth expanse of his skin, my fingers curling with the need to explore the ridges of muscle in his shoulders and back, the bulge of his perfect, tight ass.
Outside, the sun is still a faint glow on the horizon, the city quiet in the early morning hours. Nerves woke me up, the idea of what I would do today eating at the lining of my stomach. The tension inside me is like a stretched rubber band ready to snap, but I fight to push it aside so I can enjoy this one peaceful moment.
He’s like a tempting buffet laid out beside me, every inch of him toned and lean. I’m surprised he’s so still, that he didn’t wake up the instant I moved next to him.
Maybe, for once, I found a moment when he isn’t watching. A moment when I get to observe him while he has no idea what I’m doing.
Reaching out, I almost touch his skin, but pull my hand back, afraid to wake him. My eyes drag down again, a wicked thought whispering in my head.
Payback is a bitch, and Ari deserves a taste of what he’s done.
Inching down as carefully as I can, I glance up at him to make sure he’s still asleep, a mischievous grin stretching my lips to see his eyes are closed, and he’s breathing deeply and evenly.
Leaning over, I open my mouth and bite down on the left cheek of his perfect ass, my lips closing on the skin to mark him like he’s marked me.
His hand locks in my hair immediately, my eyes lifting to find his staring down at me from the pillow, his brow cocked as he moves just enough to free his skin from my teeth.
The rough sound of his voice sends a shiver down my spine. “If you’re looking for something to put in your mouth, I’ll happily turn over.”
Eyes narrowing on him, I purse my lips. “I only thought it would be fair for us to have matching bruises.”
Ari grins, just the corner of it peeking up from the pillow against his face. “Am I allowed to choose which part of my body you bruise with your lips?”
“Dammit,” I say, laughing. “I should have known you’re awake. You’re always watching.”
His fingers untangle from my hair as he shifts to sit up against the headboard. “Only when it comes to you.”
Grey eyes slide to look at the window, the rising sun brightening his face. “Are you ready for this today? There will be a lot of cameras and reporters.” His gaze slides back to me. “Will you be able to handle it?”
There’s a heaviness on my shoulders and heart, my nerves spitting like live wires. “Are you sure you can’t go with me?”
He blinks, his thick lashes so dark against the light color of his eyes.
“I have something else I need to do. Lincoln will be with you. Plus, I can’t exactly introduce myself as Harrison Nash since he technically doesn’t exist.”
I hate it, but I nod my head. “I guess I should get ready. Lincoln said he’d be here first thing.”
Ari nods and breathes out, his eyes running an assessing gaze across my face. “Did you sleep okay last night?”
I always do when he’s next to me. My episodes still occur, my mind becoming conscious of my dreams, but the shadow is a physical presence now, no longer out of reach.
“Yes. I’m nervous, obviously, but I’m not