CHAPTER 37
TATUM
PRESENT
I couldn’t breathe.
Damian’s hands were tight around my throat, his grip unrelenting as I clawed at his wrists, desperate for air. His face twisted with rage, eyes wild as he sneered down at me.
“You think he can save you?” His voice was a low hiss, taunting. “He can’t. No one can.”
“No, no, no,” I whimpered, desperate for air.
My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges. My lungs burned, my body trembling from the effort to fight him off. The room around us spun, the walls closing in.
Then suddenly.
Air.
I gasped, my body drenched in sweat, my heart hammering against my ribs.
For a split second, I didn’t know where I was. The shadows in the room felt too close, the weight of strong arms around me making me flinch.
But then I felthim.
Griffin’s hands on my skin, his soft touch, his voice a gentle whisper as he coaxed me awake and away from the nightmare.
The warmth of his body against mine, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my fingertips.
Griffin.
I let out a shaky breath, my fingers curling against his chest. The nightmare still clung to me, its grip cold and cruel, but he was here.Safe. Real.
“Hey, hey, you’re safe,” he whispered, voice thick with sleep, brushing my hair back with the gentlest touch. “It’s just me. You’re here with me.”
“Fin, I’m a mess. I am never going to be perfect,” I whispered.
“I don’t care about you being perfect. Never have, never will.” His one hand cupped my jaw, the other wrapping around my torso to keep me cocooned in his safety.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself.
“You’re just saying that because you are perfect, you have everything!”
“No, Tate, you’re wrong. I only have everything if I have you.”
We were both silent as I pressed my forehead against his chest. My breathing slowed, my heart beginning to steady.
And that’s when I felt it.
The hard press of him against my hip, the heat of his body seeping into mine.
The nightmare faded completely, replaced by something else entirely.
Desire.
It wasn’t a new feeling, but it was certainly foreign. I’d felt it before, moments of wanting him that I always forced myself to ignore because I couldn’t give into the feelings. But right now, in the stillness of the night, wrapped in his arms, there was no need to ignore it anymore.He was finally mine, and deep down, I knew I didn’t need to worry about losing him ever again.
I moved slightly, the friction making my breath hitch. His fingers twitched against my skin, his whole body tensing.
