Page 65 of Blind Devotion

That voice.Hisvoice. Warmth cradled around me. The hands that bound me released. Light touches flitted down my arms and over my hips. Everything smelled of him, that comforting, clean, woodsy scent. A calming pressure settled against my stomach.

“That’s it. I have you. You’re safe. Breathe.”

“Adrien?” My throat ached from screaming.

Shallow breaths rasped out of me as I reached out to his hand lying on my stomach. Strong, calloused, and firm. His bulk surrounded me like a cocoon, sheltering me. One of his thighs pinned down my own. I should have felt trapped and caged, but all I felt was protected and cared for.

He shushed me. “You’re safe. It was just a dream.”

“It wasn’t though.”

Cicadas were singing. The waves were washing up the shore in the distance. The last whispers of the memory whizzed away. He was right. I was safe.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I wasn’t sure I could, especially after the way I cried against him last night. I gripped the arm he had around me tight so he wouldn’t let go. Tears trailed sideways down my face to the pillow.

“My father.”

“You remember?”

I nodded. “He’s the reason I was on that boat. I think he sold me to punish my mother. I think he hurt her.”

He stroked my hair lightly away from my face and whispered, “I’ll kill him.”

A surprised snort escaped me.

“I will. Do you doubt me?”

“No,” I said, smiling softly. “I know you enjoy that stuff too much to joke about it.”

“Oh, you little…” His fingers dug into my sides and tickled me.

I writhed around, curling in on myself, then flexing, unable to stop from laughing and snorting.

“Stop, stop,” I begged between chortles, trying to pull his arm off me.

“I might have found my newest form of amusement.”

“Don’t you dare.” I heaved in gulps of air.

He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but pause to listen. It was lighthearted, the way the old Adrien from our childhood used to be with me, and yet it was deep and full, like the life he must have led without me. Why didn’t he know me? Why didn’t he recognize me? What happened to us? It made me hesitant to ask. What if revealing who he was to me broke this budding thing between us? Knowing what I knew now, I didn’t think I could take it if he threatened my life again.

His forehead pressed against the back of my head, and my breath hitched. His exhales fluttered against my nape, sending shivers down my spine. I arched my back for more contact, more safety, more security, but mostly just more of him. The outlineof his hard body. The bulge against my ass cheeks. The heat and weight of his arms. I wanted that kiss again, the connection he could give me.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s my bedroom.”

It took me a moment to register his words. The mattress was softer than the one I fell asleep on earlier. The sheets were silky to the touch, and the scent of his cologne was practically infused in the air. Definitely not that quiet, sterile place I’d been sleeping in before.

“Why am I here?”

His arms squeezed tighter around me, his lips finding the back of my head.

“This is where you belong.”

“You’re giving me whiplash,” I whispered. “I need you not to push me away again. Please. If you’re saying this, if you’re doing this, I need you to mean it.”