Page 47 of Protect Me

I start to walk away, but Liv stops me when she calls out, “It’s hard to see that you’re safe when mentally you’re still wrapped in the nightmare. Sometimes our worst enemy is our own inability to let go and move forward.”

Tears blur my eyes.

Without turning, I nod, no longer trusting my voice, and hurry out.

Somehow, I manage to find the trash and tray return. In the hallway, I take a sharp right, beelining for the stairs. So much for practice. Now, it’s all I can do to make it back to my room before I completely lose it.

I yank the door wide, exiting the stairwell nearly at a run as I rush toward my apartment door. A figure pushes off from the hallway wall near my apartment. Through my tears, I see Bracken, concern etched into his handsome face.

Shit.

Nowhe wants to show up?

“Sway,” he says, coming forward to meet me. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing,” I say, trying to shove past him as I dig for the key I stashed in my bra earlier.

“You’re upset.”

“I’m fine.”

Fumbling, I nearly drop the key. Bracken grabs it from me. “Here. Let me.”

His voice is gentle, which only makes it worse. Before he’s even turned the key in the lock, the floodgates open, and tears stream in thick tracks down my cheeks. I duck my face to hide it. He unlocks the door and pushes it open for me. When I try pushing past him, he follows me in.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he says, his voice almost pleading.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say, my voice catching.

Bracken’s reaction is instant.

In a single flash of movement, he’s across the space and folding me into his arms. “Whoa,” he says softly. “What’s all this?”

His gentleness is the last straw. I sniffle as more tears come, most of them landing on his shirt now. But he doesn’t even notice as he lifts me completely off the ground and carries me to the bed. Then, he sits, settling me in his lap and rubbing my back.

It’s so unexpected and sweet that my heart flutters.

“Why do you have to be so fucking nice?” I groan against his shoulder.

“Excuse me?” There’s amusement in his tone, but he doesn’t stop rubbing my back.

Ugh.

“I’m trying to resist you, and you’re making it really damn difficult,” I say.

“I see. Well, I’d apologize, but then there’s the wholewanting youthing, so making it easy for you to resist me is not really in my best interest, is it?”

His shoulders are hard with the muscle he carries, but underneath that, he’s soft. And inviting. A comfort—when I so desperately need some. I can’t remember the last time someone held me like this. And for some reason, that fact makes me angry enough to want this now. To have something for myself even if it’s just a shoulder to cry on. A very sexy, very tempting shoulder.

“Did Liv say something to upset you?”

The question startles me enough that I sit up and look at him. “What? No, of course not. Liv is great.”

His eyes are soft on mine. Understanding. “I’m glad you think so. She’s like a sister to me.”

“She was trying to fish for information about us as soon as you left,” I admit.

He wiggles his brows. “And did she get any?”