Page 81 of Silver Tears

She places her hand on my chest, and I see the pain in her eyes. “I need to feel something good. I need you to make it go away, even for just a second.”

I can’t say no to her. Cupping her face in my hands, I gently place my mouth on hers. I kiss her softly, not wanting to spook her or show too much passion. And she leans into me and kisses me back. She clutches onto me like I’m her anchor. I allow her to take the control, knowing that is what she needs right now. I’ll give her whatever she wants tonight. When she pulls away, she smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you.”

I grin down at her. “As much as being naked in the shower with you is on top of my wish list, we need to get you dry and dressed.”

She swallows and nods her head. I step out of the bath and, holding her hand, help her climb out. I wrap her up in a large grey towel and reach for another, quickly wrapping it around my waist. She stares into my eyes as I dry her, not once looking away. When she’s dry, I unwrap my towel and dry myself quickly. I don’t miss the way her eyes travel over my body.

“You’re beautiful,” she murmurs, running a solitary finger down my chest. Any other time I’d be pressing her against the wall and claiming her, but tonight she needs my tenderness and care. We head to her mum’s room. She keeps a drawer of clothes here. Just basics for when she stays over. I pick out some underwear and a pair of black leggings and a grey hoodie. I dress her, as she’s shaking too much to dress herself. Once we’re both clothed, I take her hand and lead us downstairs. Archer and Rafe are both in the lounge, heads bent together, talking quietly.

Her eyes widen when she sees them sitting there. Her head whips to me, and I know what she’s thinking without her even saying the words.

“It’s okay. You can trust them. They’re my family.”

I glance at the kitchen. It’s clean, with no hint of what occurred in there just a short while ago. “Is he alive?”

Archer nods his head. “He’s not here.”

Mills’ eyes dart up to Archers, wide as saucers. “What do you mean, he’s not here? He was right there.” She points at the now spotless kitchen floor. “He was bleeding out and not moving.”

Archer shrugs his shoulders and glances my way. I stand myself in front of Mills and place my hands at her waist. “Mills, he left. When we got here, he’d gone.”

Mills blows out a large breath, placing her hand over her heart. “So, he’s alive. I didn’t kill him.”

I’m not sure if she’s relieved that he’s still breathing. She is seconds from a total meltdown. I can feel it. “He was able to get himself out of here, so his injury maybe wasn’t that bad.”

She nods her head, her eyes side-glancing to the kitchen floor.

Archer’s eyes scan her body. “Does she need a doctor?”

I shake my head. “No, just a bruised cheek and a split lip.” I grind the words out. The fact that he drew blood makes me so fucking angry.

“I can’t stay in this house,” she mutters, her eyes straying to the kitchen. She shudders and I pull her under my arm and into my side.

“We’ll get Charlie up and go back to mine.”’

She shakes her head, glancing at the boys. “I can’t risk it. Not in the Bay.”

Archer and Rafe look at me with a ton of unspoken questions. “I have a place we can go tonight. Sit here with the guys and I’ll wake Chops.” I wait until Mill’s is seated in the armchair; her legs tucked under her. She clutches the cushion to her chest and stares over at the kitchen. I glance at Archer as I pass him, and he knows what I’m asking of him. I need him to distract her from her thoughts.

I gently open Charlie’s door and crouch down by his bed. He’s dead to the world. Thankfully, tonight’s events didn’t wake him up, or things could have been a lot worse. I reach out and stroke his shoulder.

“Hey Charlie. It’s Seb. Wake up, buddy.”

He doesn’t stir at first, so I give him another gentle nudge and he opens one eye and focuses on me. “Seb,” he says, the poor kid is still half asleep. “Is it morning?”

“No, Chops. It’s not morning yet. How do you fancy a sleepover somewhere by the sea?”

He rubs his eyes and sits up in bed. “Can mum and Milly come to?”

I smile at him and ruffle his messy bed hair. “Mums out tonight, but Milly is coming with us. Does that sound like fun?”

Charlie comes around a bit more and he grins, getting excited. “I love having sleepovers!”

I pull back his covers. “Well, let’s get going then. Grab your dressing gown and slippers. I’ll grab some clothes for tomorrow.”

“Can I bring Bruce and George?” He asks me, clutching his cuddly dragon and elephant.

“You sure can. Bring the other guy as well if you want,” I tell him, pointing at the cuddly owl.

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