“I told you, I needed time,” I whispered. “You’re going to give it to me.”
“I just laid that shit out,” he reminded me.
“Some of it, yes,” I agreed and his head jerked slightly but I kept talking. “And I need to process that. I’ll tell you my decision tomorrow.”
“Babe –”
“Tomorrow, Tack.”
The softness shifted out of his face right before he declared, “You are not sleepin’ under my roof on the f**kin’ couch.”
“Okay, then, I’ll go home.”
“You are also not goin’ home.”
I held his eyes.
Then I whispered, “Fine,” tore my gaze from his and walked to the unmade bed. I flipped off my flip-flops, pulled down my jeans, stepped out of them and shoved my hands under my shirt to yank my bra off with my tee still on.
Then I climbed into his bed, pulled the covers up and settled on my side, my back to him.
I heard nothing for a while then I heard movement. I saw him round the bed and rolled to my other side, away from him. The bed shifted when he sat on it and I heard boots dropping. The bed shifted again when he got up and I heard the whisper of clothes and a belt buckle hit the floor. And last, the bed shifted again when he got in it.
Then the room was plunged into darkness.
About a second after that, just as I expected he’d do, he rolled right into me and pulled me snug and tight to his front, his body curving into mine, forcing mine to curve with his.
I let him do what I expected he’d do anyway and stared through the dark at nothing.
“What else you need laid out, Red?” he asked the back of my hair quietly.
I didn’t reply.
“It is not cool BeeBee got to –”
I cut him off, begging, “Please don’t say her name in this bed.”
“Fuck,” he muttered. “She say somethin’ else to you?”
I again didn’t reply.
“It’s clear she marked you, babe, what else did she say to you?”
“She was bleeding,” I whispered.
“That bitch was bleeding?” Tack asked.
“Tabby,” I pushed out then my breath hitched.
“Fuck,” Tack repeated and his arm got tight as his body pressed closer.
I felt the tears fill my eyes but I took deep breaths through my nose to fight them back and while I did this, Tack’s hand searched and found mine. When it did, he forced his fingers through mine, lacing them and he pressed our hands close to my chest.
“Took care of my girl,” he murmured.
I deep breathed.
“She’s safe, you’re safe, he’s taken care of, baby. It’s all good now.”