Page 15 of Mercy

The sincerity in his voice catches me off guard, and I have to look away. "Right," I mutter. "I'm the special snowflakehórawho needed rescuing."

Tor reaches out, gently turning my face back toward him.

"Hey," he says softly. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. What happened last night... it wasn't just sex for me. I care about you, Meghan. More than I probably should."

I swallow hard, caught between the desire to believe him and the fear of letting myself hope. "Tor, I..."

He silences me with a kiss, slow and tender in a way that makes my toes curl.

When he pulls back, there's a determined glint in his eye. "I know you've been hurt before," he says. "I know you're scared. But I'm not going anywhere, okay? Whatever this is between us, I want to see where it goes."

I take a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the emotions swirling inside me.

Ahórashacking up with the Prez’s son? Yeah, right.

Part of me wants to run, to protect myself from the inevitable pain that always seems to follow any glimpse of happiness in my life.

But a larger part, the part that's been slowly awakening since I met Tor, wants to stay right here in this moment.

"Okay," I whisper, surprised by how steady my voice sounds. "Me too."

Tor's face breaks into a radiant smile, and he pulls me closer, wrapping his strong arms around me. I melt into his embrace, feeling safer than I have in years.

We lay there in comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the closeness.

But eventually, my stomach lets out an embarrassingly loud growl, reminding me that it's been a while since I've eaten.

Tor chuckles, the sound reverberating through his chest. "Hungry?"

I nod, grateful for the change in subject. "Starving, actually. But, uh... there's a slight problem."

He raises an eyebrow. "What's that?"

I gesture toward the door. "Most of my clothes are out in the hallway. Unless you want me to do a naked sprint back to my room, I'm kind of stuck here."

Tor's eyes darken with desire at the mention of me being naked, but he quickly shakes it off. "As tempting as that sounds," he says with a smirk, "I'd rather keep that view all to myself from now on out."

He climbs out of bed, giving me an unobstructed view of his muscular body as he walks to his dresser.

I can't help but stare, admiring the play of muscles beneath his tattooed skin.

Tor catches me ogling him. "Like what you see?"

I roll my eyes, but I can feel the blush creeping up my neck. "You're okay, I guess," I tease.

He laughs, tossing me a plain black t-shirt. "Here, put this on. It'll be big on you, but it should cover everything important."

I slide the shirt over my head, inhaling the scent of Tor that clings to the fabric.

It falls to mid-thigh, preserving my modesty but leaving my legs bare.

I strike an exaggerated pose. "How do I look?"

Tor's eyes roam over me appreciatively. "Beautiful," he says, his voice husky. "But then again, you always do."

I duck my head, unused to such genuine compliments. "You're biased," I mutter.

"Damn right I am," Tor agrees easily.

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