Page 52 of A Midnight Romance
“After what?” I softly rest my hand on his.
“After Sebastian and I lost our parents. We were young when it happened.”
Sadness moves through me on his behalf, but before I can offer my condolences he changes the subject.
“You handled yourself well today.”
“It seems like I’ve dreamed all of it,” I say.
“Adream?” He cocks his head to the side. “Or anightmare?”
If I say nightmare, behind it lies the comforting expectations of what is normal.If I tell him it was a dream, that isn’t what someone with a moral compass would say. But because it seems my internal morality is in question after tonight, I decide to be honest.
“I haven’t fully processed what happened, but at this point it’s more of a dream.”
With a subtle smirk, River stands. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s an irreplaceable thing,” he says then his expression shifts. “After you’re cleaned up, get some rest, Lux.”
River turns, giving me his back, then without pause, he abruptly leaves the bathroom.
Left with my own thoughts, I sit for a minute with the desire to go after him. I crave to be in his presence. I’ve only scratched the surface of the darkness in River’s eyes and the depth of what’s within him. He’s been doing what we did last night for some time, and River Thompson is not simply a billionaire tech guy, he is something else entirely. I assume it has something to do with his parents and their tragic death.
How many others have there been? Has he helped other women like me?
I remove the rest of my clothes then step under the stream. Although the water is scorching, the burn feels like heaven. It cascades over me while simultaneously calming every overactive nerve from the adrenaline. Clutching my shoulders, I curl myself into the stone wall in search of more comfort.
After a few minutes, I scrub my entire body from head to toe then get out of the shower right as the sun shines through the thin slit in the heavy black curtains.I walk out of the bathroom in a thick plush robeand realize I don’t have any clothes here, but then catch sight of a small bag on the bed that wasn’t there when we got to the room.
Zipping it open, I find a few pairs of my own clothes and a piece of folded paper.
I grab the note and immediately read it.
Lux,
Here are some of your clothes until I can have a personal shopper visit you. Sleep well.
River
My heart skips a beat. A thoughtful gesture, one I’ll thank him for at another time because I need sleep.
Pulling out a pair of pajamas, I get myself dressed, then crawl under the oversized comforter. The softness of the mattress cradles my sore muscles, sending me into a deep sleep.
Chapter 18
Lux
My eyes open in the late afternoon after the most restful sleep I’ve had in weeks.
I grab my phone, hoping to have heard from River, and excitement fills my chest when I see I have a missed message from him, but the feeling quickly dissipates when I read it.
River: Good evening, Lux. I hope you slept well. The personal shopper will be here soon with clothes for your choosing.
It made sense for me to change his name, since I actually know him now. He’s not completelyunknownto me anymore.
Confused with how he abruptly left last night and the formality of his messages, I toss my phone to the other side of the bed. Feeling like I’d like to explore the house because I can’t stay locked in this room, I decide to head out.
