“You’re mine. I know you don’t get that yet, but I promise you, baby, there is nowhere safer for you to be than with me.”
“I always feel safe when I’m with you,” I admit before I can think better of it, and his arms around me pull me impossibly closer to him.
“That’s because you are safe,” he says, each softly spoken word brushing against my forehead where his lips are resting.
“Be patient with me.”
“Promise,” he agrees quietly.
I close my eyes and hold onto him. I don’t tell him that I don’t know how to trust him, that I don’t even know what love is. I don’t tell him that the two people in this world who should have shown me never did. I want to open up to him about my past, but instead, I press my lips together and fight back tears, refusing to give into them.
I press my nose into his chest and breathe in his scent. Eventually, I fall asleep in his arms, cocooned in warmth, feeling safe like I always do when he’s near me.
_______________
I smell the scent of bacon and my stomach rumbles before I even open my eyes. I sit up in bed and look around then down at myself. I’m still completely naked, my nightgown and panties nowhere in sight. After searching through the tangled blanket and sheet, I find both items of clothing and get up out of bed, slipping them on. With the door open, I can hear Cobi in the kitchen and the television on as I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
After I splash some cool water on my face, I look at my reflection in the mirror. I look different. I don’t know if it’s what happened last night or what has happened over the last few days, but I don’t look like my old self. The look in my eyes seems more sedated, and I feel more secure in who I am.
When I head out of the bathroom, I’m greeted by Maxim, who leans into my side. I scratch him behind his ears, and his big brown doggie eyes meet mine. He’s adorable, and I had no choice but to fall in love with him since the moment we met.
“Come on.” I run my fingers through the fur on the top of his head one more time then go into the main living area of Cobi’s townhouse. I once again let out an uncomfortable sigh as I head for the kitchen. Cobi’s place is awesome, with a view of rolling hills out his kitchen window and a small manmade lake just outside a sliding door and back deck. His place is two stories, the garage and storage on the main floor then upstairs is the living area, two bedrooms, two and a half baths and an open floor plan. The unit is new, as in it was only built a few months ago. It’s in a part of town that is only now being built up with grocery stores, coffee shops, and fast food restaurants.
As I head through his living room with Maxim on my heels, I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of the open space. His brightly lit kitchen with white cabinets and speckled granite is open to the living room, the large space broken up with a long peninsula that has three barstools lining the edge. He has a wide-seated, dark gray, brushed leather couch in front of a state-of-the-art entertainment center, complete with a sixty-inch flat screen TV. Built-in shelves line one of the walls, and decorative wallpaper in silvers and golds accent the open space, making it feel cozier.
When I reach the kitchen, I stop to take in a bare-chested Cobi in front of the stove, flipping over bacon in a pan. My body tingles and my mouth waters as I study him. Seriously, he’s the hottest and most intense man I have ever met in my life. I can’t believe that just last night I had all of his power on me and in me, filling me with something unexpected and memorable. Even just standing in his kitchen, he’s mesmerizing; I could watch him for hours and constantly come up with something new I like about him. It doesn’t help that he’s not just hot, but he’s sweet and caring—something that is a rare quality in men these days.
“Morning, baby,” he says, turning to look at me as I lean against the wall at the edge of the kitchen, needing it to hold me up, unsure if I can keep my feet under me. Maxim, who is still at my side, rests his heavy head against my thigh, and I run my hand over his fur and scratch behind his ears.
“Morning,” I whisper, and he smiles just slightly, his lips barely tipping up at the corners.