Page 66 of Wicked Tricks

I didn’t get to finish my sentence. His body collided with mine.

He held my face in his rough hands, and he kissed me.

I stiffened, startled by his greeting - the voice in my head that told me to push him away and run was loud, but I ignored it.

Just this once.

I melted into him, letting myself take comfort in him for just a moment.

I gripped onto his shoulders, and he pulled away from the kiss.

Instead, he leaned down to hug me tightly.

This was somehow more intimate than the kiss.

The safety that I felt, wrapped up in him, felt unsafe. I knew that I was in trouble. I knew that these feelings would only grow, and I knew exactly what they meant - potential pain.

We stayed like that for a while, and I felt myself relax even further as I leaned my forehead against his chest, being lulled by the light beating of his heart.

“Let’s get you to bed,” he mumbled against my hair.

“I should go home,” I shook my head, pointing to the street. I could walk to Lilith’s from here and collapse on the lounge, or catch a taxi. I just wanted my bed, and to forget this whole day ever happened.

“Okay,” Antoni smiled, tucking a stray hair of mine behind my ear.

I flinched away from the gesture, and his brows clashed together as he searched my face for an explanation.

All I could think about was Will, and how he had done the same thing to Beth not only a few hours before. It was all too much to think about, and my brain was not functioning well enough to read into the situation at that moment - so I dropped it.

I let myself leave it alone.

I was too tired for my own bullshit.

“Let me take you home,” Antoni said.

I nodded, too tired to argue. Not just the sleep deprived kind of tired, but emotionally tired. I didn’t want to speak, or listen, to anyone. He put an arm around my shoulder and guided me back towards the car. On the way home, Antoni rested his palm on my thigh, and I didn’t protest. I considered asking him what happened with Luca, but decided I didn’t need to know specifics.

I trusted that he had been dealt with.

Antoni pulled up at the front of my building, not giving me a chance to open my own door. I never invited him in, but he walked with me into the building, and we went up in the elevator together in silence. His shoulder grazed against mine now and again, he was always so close. I briefly noticed that he hadn’t stopped touching me since I had returned. He retrieved the keys from out of my hands, unlocking the door and letting me into my own home. The house was still mostly dark, the small sliver of sunlight only gave a warm haze casted onto the floors.

Antoni led me to my bedroom, closing the door behind us.

I stripped off, having nothing to hide from him at this point, and he helped me into bed. He tucked me in, covering my naked body with my heavy duvet, instead of trying to initiate sex like I was expecting. He sat up beside me, and I laid my head on the pillow and looked up at him with a suspicious glare.

“It’s OK, you can sleep,” he said softly.

I closed my eyes, and he stroked my hair gently.

The urge to pull away, the urge to tell him to leave was still there.

But I couldn’t lie to myself.

The truth was - I didn’t want him to leave.

Not tonight.

I sighed, and not even a minute after he spoke the words, I was asleep.

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