something. So . . . I guess that it's good I don't have to work for five days.”
“You don't sound happy about it.”
She frowned. “I'm grateful. It gives me some recovery time and time to find a place to stay.”
A heavy but lingered in the air. She didn't give it words, and it seemed out of character for her to not voice a thought. I looked at her then, really looked at her, and saw the buried fear beneath the layers of bravado. Serafina bubbled over with life and energy and gentle sarcasm, but today she seemed downtrodden. Exhausted. Maybe more than a little frightened.
How could she not be?
“What can I do to help you?” I asked.
Startled, she blinked and tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear. For whatever reason, it seemed to be the last thing she expected me to say. My own fear kicked in next when tears sprang to her eyes, but I schooled it down. Ava cried all the time, and we'd survived all of those. This would be fine.
“You really want to know?” she asked.
I nodded, startled that I didn't feel a rush of panic for whatever I'd just pushed myself into. She wasn't Sadie. Sadie would never come back, but her legacy lived on all the same. Serafina hesitated, but I could tell that all her guards were down. Any usual social etiquette would be shoved to the side, which was exactly the way I felt comfortable in a conversation. When all the crap I wasn't supposed to say didn't hang over my head.
“Will you stay?” she asked.
Before my eyes could even widen, she quickly continued. “I just . . . the first time Talmage hit me, it was at night and I didn't see it coming and really could have been an accident. So darkness has been a bit weird. Today was . . . not that . . . and the thought of trying to sleep is a little overwhelming. It's stupid but—” Her gaze dropped and she sighed. “It just feels like I'm not safe. Tomorrow, when I have a clearer head, I'm sure it will be fine. But tonight it's all a little fresh.”
“Yes.”
The reply came before I knew it was there, but I didn't regret it. For several moments, she just stared at me. Relief spread through her entire body then.
“Thank you. You don't have to stay all night, just . . . until I fall asleep?”
There were so many questions that surfaced right then. Why me? Why did I make a difference? Sure, the whole professional-MMA-fighter thing likely played a part, but I had a feeling it went deeper than that. Serafina had been taking care of herself for years if all the travel stories Maverick had relayed to me meant anything. If I hadn't stopped by, she would have figured it out and been fine.
So why did she ask?
“I'll stay, Sera.”
Something passed through her face then that I couldn't read. “Thank you.”
Before things could get awkward, she slipped off the bed, turned off the TV, and flicked the lights off. I pulled my jacket off, feeling more comfortable in the dark. Before I could tackle the issue of the single queen bed, she slipped to the other side of the room, tossed half of the duvet my way, and climbed underneath the rest of the blankets. Any random fear I might have harbored that all of this was an elaborate hoax faded. She didn't want me in her bed.
That had certainly happened before.
While she settled in, I toed off my shoes and pulled my phone from my pocket. Serafina settled onto her side with her back to me, her wild curls spilling across her pillow in kinky lines. I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Whatever I thought would happen tonight, this wasn't it.
But this might be better.
“Benjamin?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for being my friend.”
I swallowed and searched for a response, but she didn't seem to need one. Instead, she snuggled deeper into the covers and, with a careful breath, yawned. A little mewl escaped her at the end of the yawn, then quieted.
She hadn't gone into any details, but her brother must have cracked her pretty good—probably with a solid kick—to leave an injury like that. Not to mention the bruise on her face. What would that be like, to be a woman and hit around by your brother? A lover was one thing. A family member, another.