It doesn’t take long for us to pull up to my home, but the last thing I want is to go inside. I should feel safe in my home, but I don’t. Not when I know he has been in my room before. The nightmares aren’t as bad as they were the first few nights after the attack, but sleep still eludes me most nights. I jump at every small noise, and the feeling of being watched is always there.
I get off the back of Midas’s bike and walk towards his house. I need to be close to him tonight. He took a bullet for me. He once again saved me when I needed him the most. The three of them walk with me to Midas’s front door, but only Midas comes in. Odin and Zeus each say goodnight and give a kiss before they go their separate ways to their homes.
Midas’s house is dark and quiet. His father is nowhere to be seen, which makes me think even more that he was the one who was there tonight. Midas puts his hand on my lower back and leads me towards his room.
He flicks the light on, and I take in his bedroom. Everything is dark here. Dark grey walls. Black furniture. A massive TV on one wall with a few bean bag chairs in front of it. I can see gaming controllers lying on the ground. Turning around, my mouth drops at the sight of Midas with his shirt off. I have always known how beautiful he is, but to see him like this is something completely different. His abs are toned to perfection. The muscles on his arms are bulging without having to flex.
He is examining the graze wound on his arm. Poking it and hissing from the pain. I walk over to get a better look at it, needing to see how bad the wound is.
“You should get that patched up,” I remark.
“I’ve had worse. This is nothing. Plus, there isn’t anywhere else I want to be tonight. I just need you in my arms to make everything better, angel.”
I stripped out of my dirty clothes, leaving myself only in a black bra and matching panties, before I climbed into his luscious bed. I watch as Midas strips down to his boxers. His cock is straining against the material, showing me a very clear outline of the monster he keeps in there. My mouth starts to water at the sight of it, and so many dirty thoughts float through my head.
“You’re drooling.” He laughs.
“I am not,” I say defensively, embarrassed that I was caught staring.
He shakes his head, a smile gracing his perfectly plump lips. He climbs into his bed with me and pulls me onto his chest. The steady beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest finally tame my erratic heart.
I’m okay, and so is he.
Serena
I wake the next morning as the sun shines into the bedroom with Midas’s arms still wrapped around me, holding me close to his chest. His eyes are still closed as sleep holds him. I take the chance to take in the man that was once such a nuisance to me, but now is everything to me.
We had a rocky start, with the bet and the way he treated me, but he has proven to me that he is a better man than he lets the world see. Midas may have a rough exterior, having to be the biggest and baddest guy in the room, but he is such a softy for the ones he cares about. I have seen it when he is with Odin and Zeus, but I never thought I would be one of the people who got to have this part of him.
I take in the sharp line of his jaw that looks like it was cut from marble. His naturally tanned skin that seems to be kissed by the sun. I trail my hand down his chest, feeling every ridge of muscle that lines every inch of his body. He is perfection.
My fingers trail down his abs until they reach his boxers. “If you keep that up, I am going to do everything I have wanted to do to you since the moment I saw you, and we won’t be going to school today.” His voice is gruff from sleep.
I chuckle as I remove my hand from his warm skin and sit up. Midas sits up next to me and looks deep into my eyes. I get easily lost in his amber eyes. The flecks of gold seem more prominent in the morning light streaming in through his window.
“Do you want to talk about last night?” He asks.
“Nope.” I pop the P.
Talking sounds like the worst idea in the world right now. Yes, I know I went through my like thousandth traumatic experience. They are coming so frequently now that they almost seem normal. Just another day of the week. Compartmentalizing works.
He nods his head, accepting that I want to pretend like last night never happened. Life would be easier if I could forget it, but again, compartmentalization. It’s a lifesaver. Unhealthy, yes. Working, also yes.
I get out of his bed and put my dirty clothes back on. Midas has such a hunger in his eyes you would think I was doing a strip tease for him instead of putting on the muddy clothes I wore while running for my life last night.
Once I am dressed, he finally gets up and dresses in a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and his leather jacket. He places his hand on my back as we walk down the hall to the main living area of the home. Everything is still quiet, and it doesn’t look like his father came home last night.
I silently thank God for that, not wanting to see him. We walk in silence across the lawn towards my house. The door is unlocked, so I open it and find Mom in the kitchen with music playing as she has her cup of coffee. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is like a wake-up call I didn’t know I needed. I take a step towards the kitchen but stop mid-stride as I remember what I look like.
“Go get changed. I will make you a cup and chat with your mom.” Midas says as he pushes me towards the hallway that leads to my room.
I watch as he walks into the kitchen, distracting my mom so I can shoot down the hall to my room. Once inside, I close the door behind me and peel the nasty clothes off myself. A part of me wants to burn them, but I love my leather jacket and I refuse to lose it.
I toss everything in the laundry hamper before jumping into a quick shower. I set the water as hot as I can take it and quickly get cleaned. Now that I am alone, my mind runs wild as I try to wash those memories away. But it doesn’t matter how much I scrub at my skin, those memories will never leave. The feeling of his hands on me. The way he breathed in my ear. He didn’t speak this time, but I could never forget his voice even if I tried.
Though the way he touched me this time was different than last time. The first time, his hand gripped me in a much less demanding way. Almost like he was reluctant to take me the first time around. But this time, he held on to me like his life depended on it. If it wasn’t for Michael, I would be gone.
Ok. So compartmentalizing works while I’m with others, not by myself. Good to know.
