Free Thrive by Rebecca Sherwin Page B

that.”
    Lois turned her chair so she was facing me.
    “Curtis is lost and has been for a long time. The only time I’ve ever seen him find himself is when he’s with you.”
    “I’m going to fix this,” I said, a sudden sense of determination and courage washing over me.
    Lois leaned forward and squeezed my knee. “I believe you.”
    The ceiling above us thumped loudly, evidence that Curtis was awake and on his way down. Lois was right – elephant stampede.
    I turned to watch the door and my heart leapt when he appeared at the top of the stairs. His hair was sticking out in every direction, and his jaw was covered in a dark five o’ clock shadow that made my tongue flex against the roof of my mouth. His sweats were riding low on his hips, showing off the deep ‘V’ that made my mouth water and my fingers wiggle on my lap, resisting the urge to trace every line of his bare torso until I had it committed to memory.
    I couldn’t fight the temptation. As he crossed the floor, heading towards us, I stood up and walked purposefully towards him. My body collided with his without warning; I slipped my arms under his, pressed my palms to his shoulder blades, held him tightly and rested my head on his chest. I was conscious of Lois watching us and acutely aware that Curtis didn’t hold me back, until he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
    “Good morning, Hulk,” I murmured, feeling more at home in his arms than I ever had anywhere else in the world.
    His voice, low, hoarse and husky replied against my hair, “Good morning, beautiful.”

 
 
Nine
     
    I wanted to hurt her. How was that even fucking possible? The consuming need I felt for her swirled like a torrent inside me until the only thing I felt was the need to release my frustration physically. She was going to leave and I was going to lose her. I was going out of my mind with worry that my back would be turned for a split second and she’d be gone. Forever. Disappeared, like she had before. And there was no trail to Thomas, no Jesse and his hackers, no job with Nina that would connect me to her. I had run out of options and the only option now was to keep her to myself.
    What do animals do when they’re faced with the loss or rejection of a loved one? Their only loved one? The only thing on Planet Earth that fucking matters?
    They claim them, they mark them, they brand them. They make them feel so much pain that they need the other to survive.
    I had to make her feel pain so she knew I was the only one who could take it away.
    ~Curtis~
     
    We said goodbye to Lois as the sun began to set, and climbed into Curtis’ car.
    “Where are we going?” I asked as he pulled away, turned from the quiet suburban road and accelerated out of town.
    “You need to get some clothes. You can't keep washing and wearing the same ones.”
    “I have some in the boot. From Beth’s wedding.”
    “Why didn’t you wear them?”
    I shrugged. “I forgot I had them.”
    “So you don’t want to go home and get some?”
    “Are you dropping me off?”
    “No. We can't be separated.”
    “Why?”
    He twisted his hands on the wheel. “It’s just not an option.”
    “Fine,” I folded my arms and turned to look out of the window. “To your place we go.”
     
    It was dark when we pulled up outside what I assumed was Curtis’ apartment building, and he tapped a code into the security box that gave us entry to an underground carpark. He pulled up in a space allocated for Mr Mason, saying nothing as he got out, retrieved my bags from the boot, and waited for me to join him. We climbed into the awaiting lift and climbed out again when it stopped on the ninth floor. We still hadn’t said anything to each other; the tense atmosphere swirled around us.
    “Wait here,” Curtis said, dropping my bag to the floor before he stalked to the other end of the hallway. He opened the door and stepped inside, leaving it open when he disappeared into the