Chapter 21 #2
I don’t argue, just lie there in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Georgiy is on the phone, placing the order, picking out foods he knows I like, and when he hangs up, he sighs.
“You are far too still.”
“I thought you didn’t like my wiggling.”
He hovers over me, his jaw working back and forth. My eyes meet his, and my breath catches in my throat.
“No. I want Bane back. My Ara. But you take your time. I am a patient man.”
Despite the stress my body seems to be under, my cock perks up. Not that I want anything sexual at the moment, but it’s comforting to know I still work.
I will get better. I will bounce back.
I always do.
The house was just unexpected. I didn’t know I was walking into my past.
“I’m going to shower. I will be quick. Do not leave the bed.”
I listen as the water turns on and clothes hit the bathroom floor. I should join him, but he told me to rest. He knows how exhausted I am.
Within fifteen minutes, he’s washed and clothed, just in time for the food to be delivered. He brings it to the bed and helps me eat it, wiping off the crumbs on my lips and the sheets. But he makes no comment about the mess I make, just lets me exist.
Even after consuming the food, I feel the same. Not better but not worse either.
I think it’s probably better to eat, though. My body needs fuel. I need to get through this.
I can do this.
“Come here,” Georgiy says, sliding beneath the covers and holding out his arm. I wiggle toward him, burying my face in his armpit and throwing my leg over his. He smells like soap, like Georgiy. I don’t want to move from this space.
I don’t want to fall asleep either.
His arm pulls me closer, shifting me so I’m now lying half on top of him, and I bury my face into his neck.
“Are you okay with me like this?” I ask.
“Da.”
I wiggle a little more until I’m completely on top of him, and his arms are holding me tightly.
Better.
Much better.
“How is your stomach feeling?”
“Not great.”
His hand runs up and down my back, soothing me as much as he can. But doesn’t he know? His being here, taking care of me, is more than I could have ever hoped for.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I stiffen for a moment, but relax when I realize that I do. I want to know what he thinks.
“Why do you think he kept me down there?” I finally ask.
His hand freezes before slowly resuming the slow stroke up and down my spine.
“I don’t know, but we will find out.”
“Do you think we’ll find him?”
“I don’t know, umnyashka, but if we do, I promise we will work on him until we find out all the reasons he did what he did to you.”
“I wish I could remember why. But maybe he never told me.”
Georgiy is quiet, and I continue. “Do you think Henry knew I was down there? I mean, he lived there. I literally lived beneath him and Virgin. They had to have known, right?”
“If they did know and did nothing to help you, I will make them suffer even more than I planned.”
That makes me lift slightly and stare down into Georgiy’s eyes.
“We have to find him. I want answers. I want to know why. I need to know.”
“We will get all your answers. I promise.”
I don’t know how he can promise that, but it is enough for me to rest my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It soothes me. So steady and calm. So unlike the frantic pulse hammering away in my neck.
The two of us are different, but we work.
We work so well. I need him, and it seems he needs me.
“When all of this is over, what are we going to do?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“What do you mean?”
“You said we would make it work between us, but my home is with the Costellos. I can’t leave them.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Seems we’ll have to split our time between places then. Whatever makes you happiest.”
“I couldn’t leave them forever.”
“I’d not ask you to.”
I sigh and place my hand against his neck, his skin warm and smooth.
“But if I am connected to Henry, to what’s happened to them, maybe they won’t want me anymore. Maybe I should move in with you.”
Georgiy huffs. “I guarantee you Anthony would not let that happen. He would want you to stay at his place as often as you could.”
“Even though my presence seems to have brought all this trouble to them?”
“Yes, even so.”
I’m not so sure. I think this could ruin everything.
“Bane. Ara.” The tone of Georgiy’s voice has me leaning up once more. I sniffle loudly, and his hand moves up to brush a tear away.
“Family isn’t convenient, it’s not easy, but it’s strong. And your family is the Costellos. They won’t let you go easily, I promise you that.”
I sniffle once more, and he sighs, pulling me back against his chest, tucking me into him, touching me tenderly. I know how much this is costing him, to be touched like this, to have me lying on top of him, smothering him. But he lets me do it anyway.
He knows how much I need it.
I’ve always been a little bit touch-starved, and he’s so touch-averse, but he gives it to me anyway.
“I love you,” I whisper, and Georgiy hesitates for a moment.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry,” I add, feeling like I need to apologize for how I feel, for how messy I’ve made his organized and neat life.
“Do not be sorry for how you feel.”
I nod and wait—wait for him to reciprocate, but he says nothing. It hurts, a slice of pain through my chest, but when I finally sink into my dreams, I hear it. Low, a whisper.
A promise.
Ya tebya lyublyu, Ara.