Page 12 of Beautiful Life
I blink my eyes open to see Tony’s face close to mine. Somehow my bottom is tucked in even tighter to his side and I’m lying in an “S” with my legs still draped over him, but now he’s leaning over me. He somehow stands, pulling me with him and, before I know it in my semi-consciousness, Tony pulls me into his arms. With one around my lower back, the other hand goes into my hair, and his lips come to my forehead. My arms are squished between us, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel how amazing his strong arms feel wrapped around me.
My fingers grip his shirt as he kisses my forehead. “Go to bed, Leigh. I’ll let the dog out and lock up the house.”
I lift my head and look at him. I need to let him know what today has meant to me. Smiling and laughing on a day that should have been long and depressing from terrible memories is something I hadn’t expected. He gave me that, even though I can’t let myself think about why he gave me that. I don’t need another man in my life now—maybe never. I know I’m being selfish by letting Tony torture me in all his wonderful ways but I can’t make him stop. I’m too weak, just like I was too weak to leave Preston after years of abuse. I’m one hundred percent sure I would have gone back to Preston had Gabby not personally removed me from my living hell. I used to think of myself as a strong person, but not anymore. As much as I know I should push Tony away I can’t. It feels too good right now when there’s nothing good in my life to feel.
I look into his deep dark eyes with his lush hair falling to his forehead. “Thank you for today.” I might be weak but I’m not stupid. I know I need to get out of his arms, no matter how wonderful they feel. “Can you set the alarm when you leave?”
Tony looks down at me a beat. “I’ll set the alarm. Go to bed.” He kisses my forehead one more time and, letting me go, gives me a nudge toward my room. I get ready for bed, hear the beeps of the alarm as Mia finds me and jumps up to cuddle in for the night. I tuck in as tight as I can, thinking of nothing but the caress I feel in my soul when Tony touches me in any way. I’ve never felt a touch like it in my life. So, I hang on to the feel of his caress as I start to drift off, my body needing sleep but my mind dreading it knowing what it will likely bring.
*****
Tony
I jerk awake on the sofa from a noise coming from somewhere in the house. Grabbing my phone off the coffee table, it’s a bit after three in the morning. I think it’s coming from Leigh’s room so I throw off my blanket to go to her. With the hall light on, I crack the door to see her curled up but jerking and whimpering.
I go to the side of her bed, lightly put my hand to her arm, and whisper, “Leigh?”
Her body wracks with shock at my touch and she pulls away. “Stop! No, stop!”
Chapter 4 – Drink It In
Tony
Shit. I lean away from her with my palms out to show her I’m not going to touch her.
“It’s only me.” She’s pressed up against the headboard now, breathing hard trying to get her bearings with Mia jumping around the bed trying to get in her face. “Sweetheart, you were dreaming. You’re okay.”
“I’m sorry,” she whimpers through labored breaths. She gives her head a little shake. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t want you to be by yourself. I slept on the sofa.” I inch toward her. “Are you okay?”
She frowns. “You heard me?”
“Gem, you were almost crying in your sleep. Yeah, I heard you.”
“Shit,” she mutters.
“What?”
“Nothing. Why did you stay?”
Taking a chance since I can tell she’s getting a handle on it, I move even closer where our hips are touching and put my hands up to cup her face. I ignore her question. “What were you dreaming about?”
She jerks slightly then closes her eyes at my touch. Shaking her head a bit, she lies, “Nothing.”
“That was not nothing.”
“I don’t even remember.”
“You should talk about it.”
“I want to go back to sleep.”
I sigh, wanting to push her but don’t know what’s safe at this point. “Do you want me to stay with you? I’ll sit here until you go to sleep.”
“What? No,” she lets out quickly. “Sometimes I … well … it can take a while to go back to sleep. You should go back to the sofa. Really, you should go home. I’m fine.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not going home. Lay down, I’ll sit here until you go back to sleep.”
