When I pull back from her sweet taste, I’m breathless and my head is doing the fucking waltz. She peers up at me through her lashes, her pouty lips swollen, which makes my cock twitch. When she moves to my belt, my hands grab hers, stopping her movement.
“Believe me, baby, I’d love nothing more than to sink into your wet heat, but we don’t have to rush this shit. You’ve been through a lot today.”
I almost laugh at the disappointment in her face. I cup her jaw.
“Trust me, Brie. We’ve got time for more.”
“Okay.”
I kiss her mouth again then settle back onto the sofa. She leans against me, her palm resting over my heart.
Tomorrow, we’ll arrange for her to get into some kind of rehab programme, but for today, I’m content to just have this moment with her.
Whatever happens, I’m going to help her heal from this, because I’m starting to realise that Briella is mine, and no one is taking her from me.
20
Briella
I must fall asleep, because I wake to Daimon gently shaking me awake. I peel my eyes open and I’m greeted with his handsome face. My heart stops at the sight before it gallops. I peer at him, my body reacting to being close to him. He smells so good, a mix of aftershave and the leather of his kutte. It’s a lethal mix that instantly makes me want to lean in.
Needing to break eye contact before I get too lost in him, my gaze skims around the room. It is dark other than the glow from the television. The film we were watching is finished, sitting on the load screen.
“Baby,” he kisses the side of my head, “it’s time for bed. You’re exhausted.”
I am, but if I go to bed, he’s going to leave and the thought of sleeping alone terrifies me. I can’t close my eyes and not see Sin’s face, not with everything that’s happened today. It’s like they’ve ripped off the bandage, leaving me open and vulnerable. The only time I’ve slept fully is the night Daimon stayed over. I wonder if Sasha does the same, or if lying next to Ravage night after night chases those demons from her mind. I can’t imagine anything getting past him.
“I’m not tired.” I force myself to sit up and blink away the grittiness. I am exhausted, Daimon’s right. The intervention forced me to relive things I thought I’d buried and it left me drained. I imagine the only reason I managed to fall asleep at all is because he’s here. Daimon makes all my monsters disappear, as if his presence alone makes my demons powerless. He makes my mind clear. As soon as he leaves the chaos and mayhem encroach on my thoughts again and everything becomes loud.
“You need to sleep.”
“Did Layla come home?” I ask, changing the subject as I stretch my back. I’m angling for more time to not be alone. He narrows his eyes at me, but doesn’t call me on it. I’m surprised he lets it slide. I wasn’t exactly discreet, but there’s something about Daimon. It’s like I can’t hide from him. No matter what walls I put up, no matter how much darkness I bury myself in, he sees me.
“About an hour ago. She’s in her room.” He pulls out of my hold and I feel the loss of his warmth. I want him back against my side, but he stands from the sofa and holds both his hands out to me.
I stare at them for a moment, before slipping my palms into his. He tugs me up, which puts us inches from each other. His eyes crawl over my face for a moment, drinking me in like a parched man before he sighs.
“Bed.”
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I won’t sleep.”
His eyes soften. “Nightmares?”
I nod. “He’s always in my dreams. That’s why—”
I break off, but as if he can read my mind, he says, “Why you drink?”
Shame crawls over my skin, embarrassment heating my cheeks. “Yeah.”
“Hey,” he tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Act like you did shit wrong. Don’t agree with you using booze as a crutch to get through the day, but fuck me, Brie, I understand why you do. Everyone gets it.”
Tears prick my eyes and I have to blink rapidly to stop them from falling.
“I don’t know how else to deal. I don’t know how to sleep without it anymore. The only time I sleep peacefully is when you’re here.”
His brows draw together, his expression troubled as he stares at me. “Go and get ready for bed.”
“Daimon—”
“Ain’t leaving you, not after you just admitted that. I’ll stay tonight. Fuck, baby, I’ll stay every night if you want me to.”
I want to tell him yes, I want that, but instead, I thread my arms around his waist and hug him tightly. His grasp comes around me, pulling me against his muscled body and before I can stop myself, I’m taking his mouth.
Kissing Daimon is becoming my favourite habit. He kisses like a pro, working me up to fever pitch with just his mouth. After Sin, I thought I’d never be able to be with another man again, I thought he’d ruined me for life, but with Daimon, I don’t feel that. I feel as if I might be desirable again, as if I could find hope and happiness with a partner. Daimon makes me feel like I’m not tainted, like I am redeemable. He gives me hope.
His fingers snake up under my top and the feel of his rough hands against my skin causes me to pant. I have to control my raging hormones, but as he nips at my bottom lip, I feel that might be a lost cause.
“Come on, baby. Bed.”
This time, I don’t argue. I head into the bedroom. He doesn’t follow me, giving me the privacy I need to get changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a vest top. When I’m done, I move to the door and open it. He’s leaning against the wall of the hallway. His eyes widen as he takes me in, though I can see he tries to stop himself from ogling me. It should freak me out, but it doesn’t. It makes me feel wanted, beautiful, and something I never felt when Sin took my virginity by force, in control. He clamps his jaw together, bringing his gaze to my face and pushes up off it when I beckon him.
As soon as he’s in my room, I feel like all the air has been sucked out. I’m suddenly awkward as he moves around my space, taking in the knick-knacks on top of my chest of drawers, and the postcards from across the world that cover my wall near the mirror.
“You collect postcards?”
I shift on my feet, not sure if I should share my dream with him.
“Uh, yeah.”
His eyes scan the different places that are tacked to my wall. “These are places you want to visit?”
“I don’t know. I guess.”
“Why’d you put them up if you don’t want to go?”
I shift on my feet. Normally, I wouldn’t open up to anyone, but Daimon makes me want to spill all my secrets. “I started collecting when I was still living with my father. I’d imagine I was visiting somewhere else, somewhere far from that hell. It just stuck with me. Even after I was safe, I still collected them.”
Daimon growls a curse under his breath. “I hate that fucker for touching you. I hate that you’ve ever been hurt by anyone. I meant it when I said no one will ever lay a fucking finger on you again. I’ll kill anyone who puts hands on you.”