Page 151 of Saving Her

“You’re too good to me,” I whisper. “Why?”

He huffs out a harsh laugh. “You’ve got a short memory. You’re still on the floor after I pushed you into a panic attack.”

I lean back against the cupboards and sigh. “It’s not the only thing you’ve pushed me into. The good outweighs the bad.”

“Like what?”

I shake my head, not wanting to delve into the details of why I had to change clothes. “It doesn’t matter.”

We fall quiet, nothing but our breathing to pepper the silence.

It’s soothing.

Just Luca and I.

No expectations. No pressure.

I could stay here for hours.

“I’m proud of you.” He places his hand over mine and gives a light squeeze. “We’ll try this again tomorrow. Without the choke hold.”

He makes a move to stand and I panic again.

“Don’t go.” I rush to grip his calloused fingers. “Stay with me a while.”

I want the contact. Despite the anxiety and the flashbacks, I want his touch.

Ineedit.

“Okay.” He settles back beside me, shoulder to shoulder, one leg stretched out, the other bent. “Are we talking or ignoring each other?”

It’s my turn to chuckle. “Does it matter?” I shoot him a glance, getting caught up in eyes that smolder.

Why does he have to be so attractive? He’s handsome and savage and beautifully lethal.

Those attributes scared me not so long ago. Attractive men were monsters.Allmen.

Now there’s Luca. Visually appealing and soul awakening.

My heart beats harder as my curiosity piques. Will more closeness bring added comfort? Does this delicious ache inside me have the potential to assist my recovery?

“Would you let me try something?” I swallow. “I mean, in an attempt to see if it helps my recovery?”

He frowns. “Of course.”

I nod against the surge of invigoration hollowing my stomach and rise onto my knees, turning to face him. I shuffle until my legs touch his thigh, his shoulders stiffening with the contact.

“Everything okay?” he asks. “You look scared.”

I am.

No.I’m nervous.

I want to touch him.Feelhim.

But those moments have always been tainted for me.

Touch has rarely been kind.

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