Page 12
12
SIERRA
“ A re you all right?” he asks.
“I’m fine. Thanks to you,” I tell him.
It was nearly midnight by the time the cops finished getting our statements and hauled Stu away. I told them everything that had happened over the past few weeks—from the strange phone calls I was getting to the feeling like I was being followed. I could tell Slater wasn’t really happy to hear all of this for the first time, obviously upset that I hadn’t shared any with him, but I didn’t want him to worry. Besides, I figured I was being silly and paranoid and didn’t want to worry him for nothing. Obviously, I was wrong.
“Thank you for protecting me,” I say.
“Always,” he replies in a tone that makes me think he means it.
“I appreciate you letting Monty and me stay here tonight.”
“Of course,” he says. “I’ll fix Derek’s door tomorrow.”
“Can you not tell him what happened?”
“I can’t make that promise,” he replies. “I’m sorry, but I think he needs to know. Besides, I think he’s going to find out anyway when Stu’s case goes to court.”
I frown and take a sip of the wine Slater poured for me. He’s probably right. Derek is bound to find out about Stu one way or another, so it’s probably best to bite the bullet and just tell him myself. It’ll go over better than having him find out some other way. Slater reaches over, plucks the wine glass out of my hand, and sets it down on the coffee table. He gets to his feet, then takes my hand and pulls me to him.
“Come on,” he says softly. “Let’s go get some sleep. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
“Yeah. I actually am. I’m just wrung out.”
“I bet.”
Slater walks me to the bedroom and helps me get ready for bed. He’s so gentle and tender that it pulls on my heart in new ways. This nurturing side of him is something I haven’t seen before, and it only endears him to me even more than he already is. We settle into bed, and I nuzzle close to him, wrapping his arm around me, drawing warmth and strength from him.
With the strong, steady thump of his heart ringing in my ears and the warmth of his hard, toned body pressed to mine, a smile touches my lips as the darkness of sleep reaches up and pulls me down into its comforting depths.
My eyes flutter as I rise from the depths of sleep, and when I feel Slater’s body pressed to mine, what happened last night seems like something that happened a million years ago. In Slater’s arms, I feel safe. Protected. I lie there for a minute, reveling in the feeling of him next to me. I listen to the sound of his steady, even breathing and smile.
Slater is everything I’ve ever wanted in another person and so much more. Not even when I was just a girl, caught up in my schoolgirl crush and fantasizing about being with him did I think that things could be as amazing as they are. Being with Slater is so much better than I ever imagined. And what’s even better is that this isn’t just some schoolgirl fantasy. This is reality.
We share a connection that’s so unique it feels like something out of a fairy tale. At least on my end. I don’t want to put words into his mouth, but I think he feels it, too. I sometimes see it in his eyes when he looks at me. We haven’t talked about what this is or where we’re going, but whenever he looks at me, all I can see is something like love in his eyes. It melts my heart every single time.
Right now, I don’t feel pressed to label or define what we have. I’m content and happy to just enjoy it and let things play out naturally. I’m pretty confident where things are going anyway, so there’s no need to force anything. Slater’s warm breath tickles the back of my neck, and I smile, relishing the moment with him. As I come fully awake, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and a strange feeling steals over me. It’s fear. And I suddenly realize the dark, oppressive feeling gripping me is because we’re not alone.
I sit bolt upright, and when I see the figure standing at the end of the bed, a shrill scream erupts from my throat. Pulled out of a deep sleep, Slater sits up beside me, his body taut and coiled like a spring, ready to fight.
“What in the hell is going on here?”
The voice is familiar, and when the sleep and fear-induced haze clears and I can see straight, I find myself looking at my brother. His face is dark and twisted with anger as he stares at Slater and me in bed together.
“Dude,” Slater says. “I?—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Derek shouts and turns to me. “Get your ass out of the bed, get dressed, and wait for me at my place, Sierra.”
“Derek—”
“Now!” he roars.
I glance at Slater, who gives me a slight nod and silently tells me to listen to my brother. My heart hammers wildly, and my stomach churns. I slip out of bed, gather my clothes, and run out of the bedroom. I get dressed quickly and head out the front door when the enraged shouting in the bedroom behind me starts.
I’m halfway to Derek’s place when I realize I probably should have stopped and stood up to my brother the way Slater has stood up for me several times already.