Free Escaped Artist (Untamed #3) by Victoria Green, Jinsey Reese

left me after hearing yet another contented sigh.
    She was okay. She was safe, smiling, and still mine.
    “God, I’ve missed you, Ree.” I wanted to dig my hands into her hair, devour her, breathe her in, and fill myself up with her. Leaning over, I planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
    Her lashes fluttered, and she looked up at me with a sweet, drowsy smile. “Am I dreaming? Are you real?”
    “Not a dream,” I said with another kiss. “Real Dare. And Real Ree.”
    Even in the dimness, she managed to be the light. Her eyes were brighter, clearer, and more focused like she was totally present in the moment. Completely with me. Thank god.
    “How did you get in here?” she asked as I slid onto the bed, her arms winding around my waist, making me feel like myself again.
    “I seduced the sexy nurse,” I whispered into the sweet smell of her hair.
    She let out a groggy laugh and pulled me closer. “What about the burly security guard?”
    “No. I tried, but he was immune to my charms,” I said quietly.
    She slugged me gently. “I’m serious.”
    “Come on, Ree. I spent a year and a half in juvie, remember? A guy doesn’t leave a past like that behind without some skills.” I pulled her close, melding my body to her thin frame, entwining my legs with hers. “I had to sneak in. I couldn’t take another minute without you.”
    “Nor me you,” she said as she nestled her head in the crook of my neck.
    We fell asleep like that, tangled together as one.
    Like we were always meant to be.

eleven

    W aking up in Dare’s arms this morning was my reward for living through the torture of the past fourteen days.
    The first week, I barely slept, had nightmares when I did, and experienced panic attack upon panic attack in therapy sessions. My palms were constantly sweaty, I was bitchy to everyone, and I couldn’t stop shaking for days.
    The second week, I began to talk. Word by word, sentence by sentence.
    There were countless times I wanted to walk out the door. And even more times I wanted to reach for my pills to just dull the pain. Because everything hurt—mind, body, and soul. There were days when I couldn’t imagine it ever getting better, when I wondered why the fuck I was putting myself through all this.
    But I held on to my phoenix, my little piece of Dare, clutching it in my hand when the darkness came and the pain became too much to bear. And when he crawled in my bed last night and curled up beside me…everything else faded away.
    His arm tightened around me now when he felt me stir, and I snuggled closer against him, inhaling his familiar scent. Even without his paints and canvases, he still smelled like art. I melded myself into the arc of his body, reveling at how perfectly we fit together.
    Two parts, one whole.
    Still . Thank god.
    I slid my hands along the warm, smooth skin of his arms, and laced my fingers with his.
    “You’re staying today, right?” I said.
    He flashed me a sleepy grin. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
    My entire body relaxed at his words, and I sank into him, smiling, trusting that he really was here to stay. With me. Forever.
    I needed to believe this. Especially today.
    Rolling onto my back, I turned to look up at him. “Will you come to group therapy with me?”
    His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. “You want me to?”
    I nodded. Part of this treatment was not only examining your own demons, but also sharing them with people you trusted. People who didn’t send you into a downward spiral, but who pulled you back up. Dare was my people. My ONLY one.
    “They’ll let me sit in?” he asked.
    Once again, I nodded. “There’s a family and friends session at noon,” I said. “Now that my detox is up, they recommend inviting loved ones to sit in. I’d really like it if you came.”
    Initially, I hadn’t told Dare about it because I wasn’t sure if I’d be strong enough to brave a meeting between him and my monsters. But we had to start somewhere