Feeling my heart break for him, I wrap my arms around him and pull him to me as tightly as I can. To my surprise he doesn’t push me away. Instead he snuggles his face into my neck and wraps his arms around my head, letting the tears fall. So, I sit here and hold him for a while until the tears stop. It feels like forever, but I refuse to let him go. He needs someone. All of this pain has been consuming him and he’s been living his life by numbing himself to the world; getting out of his own head.

Quite a bit of time passes, but finally, he pulls away from me and stands up. He doesn’t even bother with wiping his face off. He just lets the last tear fall; unashamed. “You should get some rest, Aspen.” He looks me in the eyes for a moment before picking me up and walking over to his bed. He stops in front of it and gently places me atop the mattress. “It’s really late. Cale should be home soon. You can just crash in here.”

He takes a seat at the edge of the bed and places his face back in his hands while yawning. I sit up and crawl over to him to place my hand on his shoulder. It’s tense and he’s still slightly shaking. “You should get some rest too. I am fine on the couch.” I swallow hard while looking at his solid muscles though his snug shirt. They keep flexing as if he’s struggling with something; as if he’s fighting frustration. “I can stay if you need me to, though.”

He turns around, wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him before laying back on the mattress. He gently brushes my hair away from my neck and snuggles up against me with his face against the side of my neck. His breathing is soft and warm against my flesh. It gives me goose bumps. “I need you to,” he whispers.

My heart skips a beat from his words and I find myself wrapping my arms around him for comfort and to pull him closer; as close as I can get him. For some reason, being in his arms this way is making it hard for me to breathe. I have never seen this side of him and I’m afraid the feeling is too good for me not to want more. Right now, being in his arms makes me feel special. He’s opened up to me in a way that I doubt he has with anyone else in a long time. This feeling makes me happy.

* * *

When I wake up, Slade is gone. Just like he was the last time I stayed in his room. Except this time, I know he stayed the whole night because he never let me go. He held me so tight that I could barely move. Being in his strong arms made me feel safe and at home; something I haven’t felt in a while. It confuses me.

I sit here for a while waiting for Slade to return, but he doesn’t. It’s been, I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes or more since I’ve noticed him gone. A part of me worries that he’s still suffering from the pain of last night and maybe he left to numb the pain. I’ve noticed the way he uses alcohol to numb the pain because, well, I did it last night. Pain gets the best of us all at some point.

I tiredly crawl out of bed and make my way down the stairs. When I pass the couch, I see that Cale is asleep on it. He must’ve assumed I was in his room when he got home late last night. Well, he was definitely wrong.

When I get to the bathroom door I stop, because it is slightly cracked open, but the lights are off. Last time this happened, Slade was behind that door and I’ll never forget that look in his eyes when he saw me standing there. I’m not sure I can face that again. It made my knees weak.

Working against my nerves, I push the door open and take a step inside. Slade is standing there in a T-shirt and a pair of white boxers briefs. He’s leaning against the sink while staring up at the ceiling. He looks lost in thought.

I hesitate before speaking. I’m not sure he wants to be bothered.

“I . . . I just wanted to check and make sure that you’re okay.” I step further inside and he turns to look at me. The look in his eyes is different this time. I can’t tell exactly how, but just different. He doesn’t speak; just clenches the sink and then lets go. “Do you need anything?”

He slowly walks toward me, his eyes focused on my face. His expression is calm and relaxed. I’ve never seen him like this. His hands reach out and he softly caresses my cheek before bringing his eyes down to my lips. “Yeah,” he whispers. “You.”

“What-”

My words are cut off when he tangles his fists in the back of my hair and gently presses his lips to mine. He kisses me soft, but with a want that makes my heart speed up. My lips part enough for him to slip his tongue inside and swirl it around mine. When this man kisses like this, he doesn’t just kiss you, he owns you.

His muscles flex around me as he pulls me closer to him and slowly backs me up against the wall. I find my hands desperately seeking his body; just wanting to touch him in any way I can. Right now, we couldn’t possibly get any closer, but I’m still trying; he’s trying.

“I love the way your mouth tastes,” he whispers against my lips. “I haven’t wanted to kiss someone this much . . . in a very long time.” He tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth before sucking it into his mouth and releasing it. “With you, I can’t get enough of it.”

Desperate for more of him, I slam my lips against his and dig my nails into his strong back. I feel him growl against my lips before he picks my legs up and walks to the right, stepping into the shower. He sets me back down on my feet while grabbing my hip and pulling me against him.

With his lips still pressed against mine, he reaches over and turns the shower on before guiding us both under the water. He continues an assault on my lips; kissing me so hard it’s a little painful. The stubble from his lip scours my smooth skin, but at the moment I couldn’t give a damn.

The water is cold at first, causing me to jump back, but he squeezes me tighter to him and causes a friction between our bodies. The radiation of body heat warms me up and it only makes me want him more.

His hands work slowly, pushing his T-shirt up my thighs as he works his beautiful lips against mine; teasing me in a way I have never been teased.

Every time his tongue caresses mine, I feel myself clenching my thighs to keep from going crazy. His touch and the taste of him is driving me mad; not only making my body want him, but crave him. Now I see why Hemy was so hard. This man is so erotic.

Both of us are drenched; our wet clothing plastered against our bodies as we stand here trying to catch our breath. He’s now looking me in the eyes as he reaches for my thong with both hands and drops to his knees, gently guiding them down my legs as if I’m delicate and he’s trying not to break me.