Page 105 of Wildest Forever

She shakes her head from side to side, hands buried in her lap of her frilled pink shorts and matching cropped tee and I can't stop my greedy eyes wandering over the small bit of skin that is on show.

“Sleep with me, I need you next to me,” her voice tremors and I drop my head, looking down at my feet for a moment.

“Of course, Sunflower,” I lick my lips, fingers still clutched to the blanket that I toss back onto the end of the bed.

Glancing back towards the door, I sigh, before stepping and closing it softly.

“The glass can wait until the morning,” I whisper through a smile, and she still looks absolutely terrified.

Pulling back the covers, I usher her to get back into bed and my heart aches a little more when I look at her.

I climb onto the bed and lay myself behind her, one elbow propped up as my head rests on my hand, the other is resting on my side.

“No one would have hurt you,” I whisper and she rolls to look at me, eyes all glassy and I fucking hate it.

“I wasn't worried about that,” her bottom lip trembles and my brows soften, my eyes locked on hers

“Then why are you so upset?” Curiosity peaks and I find myself leaning a little closer to her.

“I was scaredyouwere going to get hurt, I was scaredyouwere going to die,” and a fresh tear rolls down her cheek, but I swipe it away with my thumb pad.

“Nothing was going to happen to me,” and her eyes fall to my scar that is on my stomach, and I sigh heavily, her eyes lift to my tattoo and her shaky fingers draw it out.

“But what if it did,” her eyes flick to mine and I want to tell her over and over that it won't but how can you promise something you can't keep?

“Baby, none of us are promised tomorrow,” my hand slips and I cup her face, the need to have her skin on mine overwhelms me.

“I don't want you to die,” her chin wobbles and a light-hearted laugh slips from my lips.

“Sunflower, believe it or not...” I pause for a moment, rolling my lips before my tongue darts out and runs across my lower one. “I don't want to die, but these things are inevitable. We will all die, the question is when... no one knows that. You can't go through the whole of our lives worrying about me dying. I don't want you to die but do you know what...” I pause and let go of her face as I wrap my arm over her small waist and pull her towards me. “I'm not worried about it because right now, in the moment, we're both here, alive...” I curl my hand around her wrist and drag her hand down, placing it on my chest. “You feel that?”

Boom, boom, boom.

Her lips curl into a soft smile.

“That's my heart baby, it's beating.”

Her eyes well again.

“Now, close your eyes and sleep. I promise I won't leave your side.”

She nods, snuggling down and I finally lay my head on the pillow next to her, holding her close to me and not letting her go.

I wake,startled and it takes me a moment to realize where I am. There is a loud tapping that pulls me around a lot sooner than I would have liked. Blinking my heavy lids a couple of times, I finally come to.

Smiling proudly at her still laying in my arms warms my chest. Shuffling slightly, I try my hardest to get back to sleep but that tapping noise grows louder.

Sighing, I slip her from my arms and roll her away softly. Hate that I need to leave her lying here.

Glancing at the small alarm clock on her bedside table, it's just past six and panic claws inside of me.

Shit.

My alarm goes off at four a.m., so does hers, so how the fuck had we slept through both of them.

Moving from the bed, I stand before turning and looking over my shoulder at her, her blonde hair fanned out behind her, full lips parted as soft breaths slip through them and I am instantly jealous of the air that passes.

Shaking my head, I sigh and move downstairs, the tapping continuing.

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