Page 76 of His Fury

I pushed it open the rest of the way.

She was curled on her side, one arm tucked under her head, hair messy around her face and spread out on the pillow behind her. She always looked too perfect in sleep. Like the world hadn’t earned the right to rough her up yet.

The T-shirt she’d stolen from me was slipping off her shoulder. Her legs were tangled in the sheets.

Seeing her like that caused something in my chest to pull tight. I crossed the room without a sound and sat on the edge of the bed. I brushed the hair gently from her cheek, causing her to stir.

“Mmm…” she mumbled, eyes still closed. “Zayn?”

“I’m here.”

She blinked slowly, and I waited for her to come fully awake. When she did, her eyes softened.

“Is it time to get up?” she asked sleepily. “Or are you just home?”

Both.

“How are you?” I asked instead. My voice was low. Steady. “I didn’t like leaving you last night.”

“I was okay.” Warm hazel eyes looked up at me, and then she stretched, settling back down into the pillows with a sigh. “What time is it?”

“Before five.”

Isla’s face scrunched in displeasure. “You’re late,” she commented. Not an accusation. Just a statement. She reached for my hand, her fingers sliding between mine like they were always meant to be there. “Did something happen?”

“Not tonight.” I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. I contemplated how much to tell her. “But soon.” I watched her eyes narrow as I spoke. “Things are moving. And I don’t like what I’m seeing.”

Her eyes searched mine. More alert. “Moving? What things? Is it because of me?”

I kissed her knuckles again. “It’s not for you to worry about.”

“Is it Julian?”

My lips twitched as she ignored me. “Maybe.” I didn’t lie. “It might be more.”

Isla sat up slowly, the sheet slipping down with her. “Tell me?”

“No.” I cupped her face, bringing her lips closer to mine. “You don’t need to worry.” I dropped a kiss on her lips. “Trust me.”

“I do.” She looked as surprised as I felt at how quickly she said it.

“Then let me handle it.”

She nodded, but I saw the flicker of doubt behind her eyes. Not for herself. For me. For Julian as well, I was sure. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her.

“It’ll be okay,” I murmured against her hair. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“What about Julian?” Isla pulled back, her eyes searching mine. “Can you say the same for him?”

“Julian’s his own man,” I told her, pulling away and getting to my feet. I started to undress. Isla watched me from the bed, uncertainty at my words causing her eyes to widen.

“He lost his job,” she reminded me.

I snorted. “Did he?”

I pulled my shirt from my pants, unbuttoning it as I watched her frown at my question.

“He said he did…”

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