Chapter 15 #2
His brutish hands roam over me with wondrous care, surprisingly gentle despite their size. The worry in his voice penetrates the fog in my brain long before his words.
“What happened, Penelope? Where are you hurt?”
I shake my head, wince, and squeeze him tighter.
He was gone again, but he never left. I pushed him away. He stayed.
Something deep within my soul cracks. All the misery I’ve suffered and all the self-hatred I’ve harbored crumble into ash. They still sit in nasty heaps within me, but they aren’t enough to stop me from reaching for what I want anymore.
I don’t deserve Sebastian, but I don’t care. I want him too much to give him up.
It’s purely selfish, but I no longer care. I’ve made myself too invisible for too long. The hours I spent locked in my room after Cathy ripped open old wounds were a level of hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
I want to give Sebastian everything.
Everything. Even the truth.
The horrible, terrifying truth.
I lift my head and squint.
Everything is too bright, loud, and open. I’m too exposed even with Sebastian’s arms wrapped around me. I tuck my face back to his chest.
“Did you hit your head?” he asks.
“No. My chin.”
My whisper echoes in my head.
“Let me see, Penelope,” he coaxes.
I sigh and lift my face. He tsks and cups the side of my face in his hand.
“Open your eyes, pipsqueak,” he rumbles.
I squint. When the light doesn’t cause piercing pain, I open them further.
“Still as gorgeous as ever, sweet pea,” he murmurs as he brushes his thumb along my jawline.
My breath hitches. His lopsided smirk holds too much worry.
I blink.
The left side of his face is covered with abrasions. I grab him and tilt his head this way and that as I inspect the fresh wounds. By the raised welts surrounding the scrapes, he must’ve hit a rough surface hard enough to bruise his entire cheek.
My heart pounds in my chest and reverberates throughout my skull.
“What did you do?”
I can’t stop my words from slurring together.
His worry grows, but he offers me a rueful half-smile.
“I deserved it.”
I scowl at his response.
“Big men fall hardest,” Mr. Carter grunts.
I swing stinging eyes at the wizened old man.
It takes way too long for my brain to connect the dots, but when it does, my heart stutters.
I tighten my grip on Sebastian’s face. He grimaces. I force my eyes to narrow on his.
“You dummy. He could’ve killed you,” I scold.
“He’s alive,” Mr. Carter grumbles, but the hint of amusement as he glances between Sebastian and Brennan fills my heart with wonder. His usual countenance is so stern it’s a balm to see a glimpse of his humor.
“Only because I didn’t fight back,” Sebastian grumbles.
“You still got it worse than I did,” Brennan gloats. Audrey elbows him. He smirks and pulls her against his side.
Sebastian shrugs and trails his thumb down the front of my throat.
“Brick walls will do that. Like I said, I deserved it for lurking around like a creep. I’m glad Penelope has others looking out for her.”
His lips tremble. He tries to hide it with a repentant smile, but my heart stutters in response.
An entire building of bricks lands on my head. I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes.
“I want to go home,” I murmur.
“No, sweet pea. Hospital first,” Sebastian insists.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” I lie.
“We’re going to the hospital no matter what you say. You’re showing signs of a concussion,” he says.
An argument rises from my depths, but fatigue closes my mouth. I nod and rest my head back on his chest.
More voices join the fray. I lift my lashes enough to see Hilary stomping toward me, but Audrey catches her by her elbow and tugs her away. The rest of the self-defense class attendees scamper past.
I pull my lip ring into my mouth when I realize Sebastian sits on a blue mat in the main room of the gym with me in his lap.
He rises with ease and stalks toward the front door. His low rumble as he converses with different people lulls me toward sleep, but he jostles me just enough to keep me awake.
I don’t have the energy or want to extend my senses beyond my savior. Someone drives us to the nearest hospital, but I don’t care. I let the nurses and doctors check me over and move me around like a doll, only responding when they ask a direct question. Sebastian holds my hand the entire time.
When my imaging shows no complications and my symptoms subside, they discharge me. I press myself against Sebastian’s side and let him lead me out into the darkness.
He settles me into the passenger seat of his SUV. I don’t know when or how he retrieved it since he never left my side and I don’t recall seeing him on his phone, but maybe my symptoms were worse than I thought.
“I want to go home,” I say.
He reaches over the center console and engulfs my hand with his.
“Mine or yours?” he asks.
“Mine.”
It’s a selfish decision, but I want him in my room.
“Whatever you need, sweet pea,” he says with a chaste kiss to the back of my hand.
“I need you, Sebastian,” I whisper.
Sandpaper scratches the back of my eyes. I didn’t intend to make a confession tonight, but some things can’t wait.
He rubs his lips side to side over my knuckles as he responds.
“I’m right here, Penelope. I’ll always be right here. Wherever you are, whatever you need, I’ll be by your side. Always,” he vows.
“Promise?” I demand in a wobbly voice.
“Yes. I promise,” he says.
It hurts too much to cry, but there’s no stopping the sobs or the tears streaming down my face.
Silent and supportive, he drives through the city streets as he holds my hand and offers me comfort with gentle strokes of his thumb over my scarred wrist.
I must tell him what happened at the jewelry store and why I was a total nutcase afterward while I have him in my room tonight or I’ll never get the courage. My head throbs and heart aches, but I must reveal a dark, horrible truth before I fall deeper in love with him.
There is no going back. I want Sebastian Sterling too much to give up.
I love him. Always have. Always will.
Maybe one day I’ll get the courage to tell him, or maybe he already knows, but I’ll never shut myself away from the world without him again.
He is my world. My knight in shining armor. My place of belonging.
My home.