Page 52 of Fixation
Harper jumped at the abrupt sound. Then she laughed at herself, murmuring something about imagining things, before going back to her current project.
Enough about me.
There’s never a day she doesn’t push herself to the limit.
Yet she still finds time to jog. To have a rare visit from her friend, Darla. She always offers her family a smile, a laugh, and her patience.
This woman gives and gives and gives.
Her cup is empty at the end of the day.
Not on my watch.
I smooth over her clothes, arranging them back to how they were. Tuck her under the covers. Climb up the stairs to the kitchen before she wakes up.
Any minute now.
In the kitchen, the soup takes a couple of minutes to reheat on the stove while I stir it.
She’ll thank me for keeping her here for observation. For the mandatory rest.
Sick desires curl around my chest when I imagine how it will go. Her gratitude won’t happen overnight.
Most likely, she’ll understand how good I’ve been to her only a minute before she leaves. Just as I expected.
It’s either that, or I’m not letting her out of here.
Aromas of chicken and spices fill my home again.
I’d love nothing more than to have a bowl myself.
No time.
I need the calories, though, so I settle for a protein bar. Devouring it, I chase it down with a glass of water.
Good as new.
“Hello?” Her faint voice echoes up the stairs, through the crack in the door.
Ten steps and I’m already there, her meal in my hands. “Coming.”
“Oh, no.” She sounds broken.
My chest warms at the thought of putting her back together.
“It wasn’t a nightmare,” she whispers to herself. I hear her, regardless, as I descend the stairs.
“No.” On bare feet, I reach the basement. “It wasn’t.”
I reachher.
This time, she isn’t struggling against her restraints. She isn’t at peace, either.
Her eyes are narrowed, bouncing all over the room. Her chest heaves. Lips pinched.
“What do you want from me?” It’s too fucking adorable, the way she grinds her teeth. The way she snarls at me.
She’s trying to see how serious I am about her.
