Page 60 of Protective Love

Having his hands on me is already hard to deal with because his touch sends sparks through my body, so I can't cope with having his body pressed against mine as well.

I wouldn't be able to think with him that close to me.

Clearing my throat, I nod my head.

"That was good," I say, blowing out a breath before looking up again. "Have you got it in you to do some more?"

His tongue darts out of his mouth, drawing my attention to his lips as he wets them.

"I could easily do about ten more," he says in a cocky tone.

"Show me what you've got then," I challenge.

Every step he takes towards me, I take one back, and we move around the room seemingly well, only taking a couple of breaks here and there for him to adjust and catch his balance.

After he's walked around his entire room, I can tell that he's starting to get tired and achy, and he's also leaning on me a lot more than he has been, so I move us back towards his bed.

When my grip tightens on his arms when he wobbles slightly, he groans in annoyance and shakes his head.

"I can do this part by myself," he grumbles as the back of his legs connect with the side of his bed.

Although he seems confident, I keep hold of him as he lowers himself down.

Chapter Thirty

Rory

"Rory, I mean it. Thank you, but I'm all good. You can let go now," he says, glaring at where my hands are placed on his forearms for support.

The use of that name has my eyes flicking over to the flowers on the table, and a mixture of guilt and sadness travels through my body.

I need to be honest with him.

I feel too much for him to keep pretending.

"I don't want you to call me that anymore," I blurt out, letting go of his arms now that he's seated on the edge of his bed again.

He looks up at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

I take a deep breath, hoping to calm my racing heart and my eyes nervously dart around the room as I think about the best way to tell him everything.

"Rory isn't my real name," I state, my eyes focusing back on him as my teeth gnaw at the inside of my cheek and my nails dig into the palm of my hands.

"Okay," he says as his eyes scan my face.

He frowns, reaching his hands out to grasp mine.

"Hey, it's okay. Carry on, darling."

"Well, my actual name is Aurora."

He narrows his eyes and his head tips to the side for a moment before he nods his head.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," he says. "Makes perfect sense to me."

I breathe a sigh of relief at his response, glad that he's not angry.