Page 91 of Deliah

I grinned, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “You’re welcome.”

He chuckled, then pulled me tighter. “Don’t get used to being on top, though.”

I smirked, voice syrupy-sweet. “Why? You scared I’ll steal your title?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Deliah…”

“What?” I said, already giggling. “You said I could have control today. I’m just exploring my power.”

He rolled us over, pinning me beneath him effortlessly. “You’ve got about five seconds of power left, baby.”

“Bring it,” I whispered.

Later that day, I finally rang Cherry back. She’d tried to call me what felt like a hundred times since everything went down at work. As soon as she picked up, her voice came through in a panic.

“Babe! What the fuck? I’ve been calling you nonstop. Are you okay? You had me going mad!”

“I know… I’m sorry.” I sighed, sinking deeper into the sofa. “I’ve just been resting. I couldn’t even look at my phone.”

There was a pause. “Are you feeling better? How’s your head?”

“Yeah, getting better. Just... exhausted.”

“Deliah,” she said gently but firmly. “Where the fuck have you been? You scared the shit out of me. What the hell happened?”

“You saw Charlie, right? He was being a total prick as usual.”

“Yeah, I saw. But I didn’t see the fucking wreckage after. What happened with the fight? With Damion?”

“It’s... a long story.” My voice cracked slightly, and I swallowed it down. “Come over tomorrow. I’ll explain everything then. I don’t think I’ve got the energy to go into it now.”

She was quiet for a second. Then: “Okay. As long as you’re safe. Jesus, babe—I thought something really bad had happened. I’ve been sitting here with this horrible knot in my stomach.”

“I’m alright. Just shaken. And Damion’s been amazing, to be honest.”

“I swear to God, if anyone touches you again, I’ll—” She stopped herself, then let out a breathy laugh. “God, I even screamed at him, Del. I lost it in the car on the way to the hospital.”

“You did what?”

“Yeah… properly lost my shit. Thought he’d done something to you. I didn’t know what was going on.”

“Oh, fuck. Really?”

“Really. I told him if he’d hurt you, I’d bury him in the sand and dance on his grave.”

Despite everything, I laughed. “Jesus, Cherry.”

“Well, I was worried! You’re my best mate. Don’t go ignoring me like that again, alright?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll call you in the morning—see if Damion can grab you before he heads to work.”

She groaned. “That’ll go down a treat after I threatened to murder him.”

“Yeah… might wanna soften that up with a coffee or something.”