So snuggling wasn’t all I wanted.
Her stillness didn’t last long. She whimpered and stirred against the sheet bunched around her calves. I took a step toward her before I caught myself. Was she having a nightmare? A sleep aid might knock her out, but it wasn’t anesthesia. If I got in with her, she would know.
After a moment, she flipped on her other side. Her breathing became low and deep. She was truly asleep. The long, curved line of her back through thin cotton was too much of a temptation. I needed to hold her, even if she didn’t realize I was doing it. Especially then. For once I didn’t want her to resist the comfort I so wanted to give.
It was worth the risk.
I toed off my sneakers and eased her aside, murmuring softly when she kicked out. She soon dropped back into sleep and I nudged her closer to the wall so I could sort of half-lie down beside her. She smelled like soap as she usually did, clean and crisp. Innocent. How she could still have some innocence left inside her after what she’d endured was one of the world’s mysteries, but I thanked God for it.
“Never again,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her shoulder. “No one will ever harm you again, Mia.” She would always be Mia to me. Mine. “I promise you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mia
“Breakfast is ready, sunshine. Hurry up. The sale’s already started.”
I moaned and rolled over to bury my face in the pillow. Yesterday I’d had to get up early to get to the gym before work, which had been an experience in agony considering the bruises and aches I’d earned in the ring the night before. Now I faced an even worse fate on the day I’d optimistically planned to use for sleep and recuperation.
Shopping with my sister. Dear God, save my mortal soul.
“I have bacon,” she said in a singsong voice.
At the mere suggestion, my deprived taste buds started quivering.
“And scrambled eggs with button mushrooms and fresh grapefruit.”
Moaning again, I fought to ignore my growling stomach. “I need to sleep.”
“You’ve slept two nights in a row with the help of those knockout pills. Not going to make it three, by the way.” Carly tried to lift up one of my eyelids.
I grunted out a laugh as I shoved her away.
“Come on, you know you want my eats. My breakfast brings all the boys to the yard.” She hummed the song “Milkshake.” I laughed again and crossed my arms over my head. Which made me moan again, thanks to the fist-sized bruise on my right arm.
“Car, stick my food on the warming plate and let me sleep. Please.” I wasn’t above begging, not when it meant a possible reprieve from the mall on a Sunday. “Please.”
“No fricking way. They have purple Uggs on sale at Wicks. I’m so buying them for an early birthday gift to myself. Aunt Patty gave me money.”
“No way. You can’t spend that much on a pair of boots.” I shot up in bed. Okay, so I jerked up and then sagged like a marionette with broken strings, but at least I was upright. Mostly. “If you need boots, we’ll get some at the thrift. Those will last you for the rest of this winter. Next winter we’ll be somewhere warm.”
“You don’t know that.” She pouted. “We could still be here, if Fox doesn’t fight you.”
“He’s going to fight me.” Besides, even if he didn’t, that didn’t mean we were stuck in New York forever. I’d had tunnel vision about making enough seed money in one go to get us out of the city, but I could earn enough cash to leave in other ways. I hated the idea of delaying our future, but the time had come to acknowledge I didn’t have control of this situation.
If Fox fought me and I made enough to make it worth my while, excellent. Succeeding—for once—at something I set out to do would be frigging lovely. Any extra cash beyond what we needed for the move would go toward her college fund. But if he didn’t fight me or I didn’t make as much money as I planned, it didn’t matter. Car and I would sock away our cash, bide our time just a bit longer, and still be gone before spring.
Uggs were not part of the equation.
Carly rolled her eyes. “Says who? You? You can’t make him do something he doesn’t want to.”
“He already agreed, and I don’t want to talk about Fox. I want to go back to sleep.” Halfway slouched into my pillow again, I yelped as Carly grabbed hold of my ear and twisted. “What was that for?”
“You’ve slept plenty. You’re going to eat and shop like a normal woman and stop hiding in this bed.” Shaking her head, my sister tugged at my threadbare blanket. “It’s not even warm.”
“It’s warm enough.” It really wasn’t, and I’d had to temper the urge to burrow under Fox’s coat about ten times last night. I probably would’ve given in if I hadn’t been sure smelling him would make me cry. So instead, I’d crowded into Carly’s back until she got annoyed and went to sleep on the couch.
She perched on the edge of my bed, her cheeks entirely too pink and her eyes way too bright and blue. She practically vibrated with life and exuberance, while I…did not. “You need Uggs even more than I do. You have zero body fat. Your toes must freeze every time you step outside. Maybe we’ll find a two-for-one sale?”