Unworthy by Sutton Snow & Tinley Blake

Author:Sutton Snow & Tinley Blake [Snow, Sutton & Blake, Tinley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-07T18:30:00+00:00

Pepper

When I wake, the first thing I notice is the soft as sin comforter draped over my body. Followed closely by the sound of gentle breathing to my right. I glance that way and find Asher slouching in a chair, his strong arms crossed over his chest that is rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His eyes are closed, and I take a moment to admire the sight of him.

Then my brain comes fully online, and I wonder why the hell Asher is asleep in a chair across the room from me and what room I’m in. That line of thought brings back flashes of last night, and my heart speeds up in my chest. The knowledge that I am here, that I am safe has no bearing on the panic that claws its way up my throat. My hands are shaking, and I must make a noise because between one breath and the next, Asher is there.

He doesn’t reach forward and touch me, just lays his hands out on the bed, palms up in offering. Reaching for them is instinctual, like I need a lifeline to draw me back to the here and now and he is there. He doesn’t say a word as I pull myself off the bed and into his arms, but his chest vibrates like he’s humming gentle cooing sounds, and finally, the vise grip on my chest starts to settle, starts to release the death hold it has on my emotions, and I take a breath, followed by another, until my lungs no longer ache.

Asher doesn’t release me, but then I don’t really want him to. It feels safe here in his arms, but I know I can’t stay here. I need to get home and clean up the house and try to focus on moving forward. It’s not that I want to forget what happened. I mean I do, but mostly, I don’t want it to have any control over me, and it feels like to get there, I need to move through it.

You were almost raped, my inner voice screams at me.

But I wasn’t. Asher was there. And Kyle is… I don’t want to think about Kyle. Logically, I know it could have been so much worse. Emotionally, I need to shove the whole night in a box in the back of my mind and forget about it.

I can’t do that until I deal with the mess left in my house.

Pulling out of Asher’s embrace, I look up at him and offer the smallest of grins. More like a twitch of the lips, really. But it’s all I’ve got.

“Can I get you anything? Coffee?” He asks, stepping out of my personal space, and for a second, I miss his presence there.

“That would be great, thank you.”

“I’ll start a pot. If you want to freshen up, my bathroom is right through that door. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

He seems nervous to leave, and strangely, that puts me more at ease than if he had stayed.

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