And just like that, she presses all the right buttons without even realizing it.
I take off my shoes and socks and sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes remain closed, but she reaches a hand out for me.
I hesitate for a moment, remembering what touching her skin does to me, but again, I put her wellbeing first and take her small hand, intertwining our fingers.
She exhales softly. “Thank you,” she murmurs.
In minutes, her breathing deepens.
Sitting upright, the tension of the night catches up to me. Carefully, making sure not to touch her more than necessary, I shift, leaning back against the headboard.
Now we’re side by side, and her other hand rests over mine like a warm little sandwich. She’s asleep, I’m certain, so I don’t move, afraid I’ll wake her.
I drift between consciousness and light dozing, but eventually exhaustion pulls me under. When I come to, I’m lying fully on the bed. I’m too tired to care about how inappropriate this is. With her hand still loosely trapped in mine, I surrender to sleep.
Hours later, warmth pulls me back. I open my eyes to find her curled into my arms.
At some point during the night, Jazmina moved, molding herself to me. Her arm is wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer.
Again, the rational part of me screams that I should put distance between us, but instead, I let myself observe her as she sleeps.
Awake, she’s vibrant, restless, full of life. But asleep, all her femininity surfaces.
Jazmina wants to live. She wants to leave the walls of Rheadur behind and experience the world. And I decide I’ll give her one more chance before talking to Kaled about tonight.
“You saved me,” she whispers, still half in a dream.
Does she know I’m here? Does she know she’s holding on to me? I don’t think she’s ever been this close to a man, not with her upbringing.
The certainty that I’m the first to hold her like this makes my body react, and I feel like the worst son of a bitch alive. She trusts me enough to want me near, and I repay that trust by wanting her.
The thought tears me apart because I like to think I’m an honorable man.
Carefully, I try to lift her arm from my waist to get up, but she hooks one of her legs over me, trapping me, and a generous stretch of her thigh slips through the opening of the robe.
Holy fuck.
I finally understand the full meaning of torture.
Chapter 14
I don’t remember ever sleeping this well.
Warm, protected . . .with arms wrapped around me.
I roll to the other side of the bed, my face burning.
I slept with Rodrick?
Where am I?
He doesn’t stir with my movements, and slowly, as I watch him, the memories of last night return in fragments.
Josephine talking to me about her jewelry. That boy approaching me inside the fraternity house . . .but after that?
No matter how hard I try, nothing comes.
I tiptoe into the bathroom. I turn on the faucet to splash cold water on my face, and small flashes of Rodrick carrying me resurface.