Free Stoned (The Stone Series) by Kitty Berry Page B

I let myself in. I hope you don’t mind, I used the code. I was scared there was something wrong” I hear Damian’s voice as I am coming back to the here and now, leaving my room at the big house where I was never safe.
     
    When I open my eyes and register his figure I start to crawl over to him. He is kneeling not far from me and he opens his arms as I climb into his lap like a small child. As he envelopes me he rocks back and forth saying, “It’s okay, you’ll always be safe with me. I’ll protect you. I’m here. Shh.”
     
    I never believed those words before from anyone. My mother had said them to me when I was a young girl having a nightmare but she didn’t keep me safe when I got older and the real nightmare began. My father had always promised the same but where was he every night when Ryan came to find me? This was the first time I believed those words.
     
    I don’t know how long we stayed there on that floor, me in Damian’s lap, him rocking back and forth. His tight gray t-shirt was rumpled and smelled of him. His sweatpants were soft and hanging from his hips. Even after my nightmare I was able to feel comfort in his embrace. Damian finally stood up and carried me over to my bed and placed me down on it.
     
    “Want to talk?” he asked as he sat on the edge of my bed, cautious not to sit too close.
     
    “No, not yet. Maybe someday but I can’t. Not now. I’m sorry.”
     
    “It’s okay, I understand. So do you want me…” he starts to say but I interrupt. “Please don’t go, stay with me. Hold me, Damian. I can’t be alone anymore, not tonight anyway. Please” I beg as he climbs into my bed and pulls the only blanket I have over us, spooning me close to his body.
     
    I can feel his warmth and the tight hold of his arms make me feel secure. I never thought that I would be able to lie in a bed in the dark with a man who was holding me down and restraining me the way he was but with Damian it doesn’t feel like a restraint, it feels like a comfort. I am afraid of what it means that I am able to do this with this man I just met especially after the dream I’ve just had. Can he really save me from the darkness I fought alone for so long or will he run away when I show it to him?
     
    The following morning when I wake up I find myself entwined in Damian. My head is on his chest, our legs are wrapped around each other and his arms are holding me close against his body.
     
    “Hey you. Sleep okay?” he asks me.
     
    “Um, yeah, well after…you know, yeah after you…about that…” I start to explain.
     
    “Shh, when you’re ready. It’s okay, we all have demons, Sydney” he says and I smile at him.
     
    “Did you sleep okay?” I ask. “I didn’t keep you awake did I?”
     
    “Never better in my life which is weird, I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep. I planned on just lying here with you, watching you sleep. Making sure you felt safe but then I don’t know what happened. You were breathing next to me and my breathing just started matching yours and the next thing I knew I was drifting off with the sweet smell of you all around me. It was wonderful, thank you for allowing me that. I’m not used to sleeping next to anyone; I’ve never spent the night with a woman before. And I can usually only sleep in the nude” he admits with raised eyebrows to lighten the mood.
     
    So, he’s one of those guys then…wham, bam, thank you whoever! He’s never spent the night with a woman… dick.
     
    I ask him if he wants coffee but then I remember that I don’t have a coffee machine set up yet or for that matter any coffee. He smiles when it dawns on me and reaches for his phone. He asks what I want, reports our order into the phone and shortly after there’s a knock on my door. Mr. Perfection must have a magic phone that makes the things he says into it appear. He slides out of bed, stretches his muscular arms over his head and walks from my room. He looks so confident and