Four
"Mine, Ari," he whispers, sending terrible shivers down my skin as I writhe against his hold, finding myself trapped against his hard, heavy, unyielding body. His cold, hard eyes stare down at me. He grasps the button of my jeans, undoing it and roughly pulling them down my legs as I sob, feeling helpless against his weight and his greedy hands.
"Please, stop. Stop, Bryce...you’re hurting me...no!" I whimper and scream fearfully as he holds me down, he’s having no mercy as I clutch the bed covers and sobs rack my body. The pain is relentless as I feel his hard lips against mine. I can’t get away. It hurts!
"No! Get off me...It hurts!!" I writhe and scream, crying out for help as he slaps me hard across my cheek, making me whimper in pain. I yearn for it to stop, but it never does.
"Stop...please..."
He chuckles, taking me again as I feel my sex spasm painfully against his punishment. I have no way of getting him off me with his death grip on both my hands.
"Shut up, bitch."
"Stop!! Please...no... please..." I begin to beg.
Then I hear a faraway voice filled with panic and fear.
"Aria! Christ, please open your eyes, beautiful."
My eyes fly open, my hands grasping onto the sheets as the terror of my nightmare runs through my veins. My body shakes and trembles, aftershocks from the terror of the memories assaulting me.
God, I can't breathe.
A sob escapes me, then another and tears fall down my cheeks as I remember his face and the pain.
Oh, God, the pain. I’m shaking and it seems impossible to stop.
"Aria! Are you okay?" I look up through my tears and see Gavin sitting on the edge of my bed. His ruggedly handsome face is etched with panic when he gazes down into my eyes, his hand holding mine tightly, anchoring me.
I shake my head no. The sobs take over my body, my face falls into my hands, and my body shakes with the loud sobs coming from my chest. I can't stop them. The agony swallows me whole.
"Beautiful," he says, and without another word, he pulls me into his chest, lifting me as he sits against the headboard, his arms wrapped tightly around my trembling body. He sets me in his lap, holding me tight and I bury my face in his neck, clutching his shoulders for support. I let my emotions take over my body, feeling the pain and the terror and the relief of being held.
"I can’t..." I stutter, trying to talk through my tears. His hand runs up and down my back, banishing away the cold, dirty feeling that lingers on my skin from the dream.
I feel myself calm down from his warmth and that intoxicating scent of mint that only Gavin can make both calming and exciting at the same time.
He lifts his chin and places his palms on my cheeks, tilting my face up so his eyes meet mine. He gasps, seeing my disheveled state. I see his forehead crease with worry as he wipes my tears away with his thumbs and showers my face with soft kisses.
"How? When did you get here?" I whisper, finding comfort in his never wavering eyes and gentle touch upon my lower back and shoulder. One of his hands comes up to rest on my cheek, his touch so light it’s as if I’m imagining it.
"I was on my way home and I wanted to bring you flowers to surprise you. When I got here, your sister let me in to give them to you. I found you in a nightmare. You looked so scared, so helpless, I had to wake you. I can’t stand to see you like this, hurt and afraid, Aria. Are you okay? Please be honest with me."
I can’t seem to form words so I rest my forehead against his, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
I’m okay, it was just a dream. I’m okay.
"I’m okay. It was horrible, but I’m okay," I finally whisper.
Gavin exhales, not letting go of me. He traces a pattern across my thigh, calming me.
"What do you need, baby?" I get butterflies despite my nightmare at the sound of him calling me that. I might even like it better than Beautiful.
"I don’t know, Gavin. I can’t fall back asleep after that. Can you just hold me for a while?"
He leans back, smiling warmly at me. My chest feels a bit lighter when he does that.
"That I can do."
His arms wrap around me, his hands gliding up my back to soothe me. Pressing my face to his chest, I focus on breathing in and out. God, he feels so good.
***
"Do you remember your nightmare?"
I lift my face from the solace of his warm skin as Gavin presses soft kisses to my forehead and temple. His warmth and voice and, oh, his touch, is so comforting, and even though I’m sure I won’t see him after tonight, I can’t bring myself to let him go just yet.
"I don’t think I can talk about it right now, Gavin. I’m sorry, I just can’t."
He gazes down at me and nods with understanding in his gaze.
My face flushes in shame and I realize what he must think of me.
"You must think I’m a basket case, Gavin. I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to break down on you like this."
He runs his fingers through my hair soothingly, and despite my embarrassment, I relax into his chest.
"Don’t think that, beautiful. I like you. I want to be with you."
***
"Morning!" I hear Kel say as she sprints down the stairs with Lucas closely behind her. I’m sitting on a stool at the kitchen island and Gavin is looking ruggedly sexy, as always, standing next to me, drinking a cup of black coffee.
"Hey, sis. You remember Gavin, don’t you?" She gives me a knowing smile, walks up, and hugs me while Lucas steps up to Gavin and they shake hands.
"Of course, it’s great to see you again. Would you like an omelet?"
She begins to get out the ham, eggs, American cheese, and milk along with a pan and four plates.
"I’d love one, thank you," Gavin says, his voice smooth, and then his phone begins to ring. I still can’t believe that he stayed here all night with me. We watched the news and talked about our favorite movies and music. It felt so natural to be with him without any pressure. When he leans close to me and my eyes dart up to meet his, the smile he gives me makes me weak in the knees.
"I have to take this. Do you mind if I step outside for a minute?"
I shake my head and pull his mouth down to mine. He smiles just a little bigger.
I press my lips against his again with a slow and tender kiss. He groans, tucking my hair behind my ear before he pulls away.
"No need to rush; I feel like I’m taking too much of your time anyway, Gavin. Last night was wonderful, but you didn’t have to stay."
Gavin shakes his head and leans forward to press a soft kiss to my cheek.
"I wanted to and I’m glad I did. I would’ve just gone home, and I really wanted to see you again, beautiful."
I smile, satisfied with his answer as he steps away and heads toward the door with his phone pressed to his ear.
"You guys are so cute, honey. What happened last night?" Kel asks, sitting next to me while the pan heats on the stove.
"He brought me flowers, he held me, and we talked. It was my best night so far, Kel."
She smiles approvingly and hands me a glass of orange juice.
"That’s really great, Aria. Did you guys...?" Immediately, I know where she’s going. I jump forward and put a hand over her mouth, hastily shaking my head.
"No! No, not yet. We just talked and kissed and watched TV, had coffee. He’s so much more than I could have imagined. I mean, he listens, and I think he really gets me. Which is crazy because I’ve only known him, what? A day?"
She just shakes her head and goes to start the omelets.
"I knew Luke here three hours and I knew he was different. There isn’t a rule saying you need to know everything about a guy to start falling for him."
Lucas looks up from his tablet and narrows his eyes at Kel.
"You’re such a liar, sweetheart. You were a goner from the moment you laid your eyes on me." He gives me a wink as my sister turns around, sets the burner on low, and walks over to Lucas. She sets herself in his lap and smacks his arm.
"You’re so full of yourself!" Nuzzling her face into his neck, she smiles up at him.
He grins wider, chuckles and kisses her on the head.
"You know you love me, sweetheart."
"I do, smart ass."
As they begin to kiss I head over to the door and Gavin comes in, his brow creased with worry as he pushes his cell phone back into his pocket.
"Everything okay?" I ask, walking into his arms as he kisses my cheek.
"Just a problem that I need to fix. We’ve been trying to merge with Alcatraz Industries for the last quarter and it just fell through. I’m sorry, baby, but I have to head into the office for a few hours."
I can see the stress on his face and I hastily nod, not wanting him to feel bad for leaving.
"It’s all good, Gavin. Thank you for staying with me. You didn’t have to, though. You hardly got any sleep..."
He grabs my hand in his and lifts it to his lips, kissing my palm. I’ve found he only does this when he’s worried.
"Hey, I loved spending time with you, Aria. I actually got better sleep here with you on that sectional than I do in my own bed."
I doubt that’s true, but I smile and wrap my arms around his shoulders. He kisses my forehead and I find my eyes closing contentedly.
"Dinner tonight?" I whisper. Gavin pulls away and smiles, nodding his head.
"Absolutely."