Page 40 of Bishop

Bishop's hands land on my hips, and he holds me still. I'm getting him riled up. It's exactly the plan.

"Gabi, what are you doing? Talk to me." His voice is soft.

"I'm doing what my heart is telling me to do. I'm listening to my instincts. They want you, Bishop." I sit up straight on his lap and lift the sleep shirt I have on over my head.

He groans deeply but quietly as I bare my naked body to him. The hunger erupts in his gaze.

"We don't have to. You don't have to..." he starts, but I lean forward and quiet him with another kiss. I know I don't have to. He's let me know over and over again that whatever happens between him and me will be my choice. I trust him to take care of me in every way.

Slowly, I reach down between us and untie the sweatpants he has on. I push them down as far as I can without breaking the kiss, while he pushes them down the rest of the way with his legs.

Laying myself flat against his body, I wrap my arms around his neck and roll back over until I'm laying flat on my back and he's on top of me.

"Please, Bishop. Make love to me."

Almost as if those were the words that he was waiting to hear, a soft smile breaks over his face, and he slowly sinks himself into me.

This isn't the rough hate sex that we used to have in the torture chamber for everyone to see. Nor is it the crazed, wild fucking I wanted when I thought I needed pain to feel alive. This is slow and deliberate. Every touch of his hand heals me a little more. Every kiss brightens something inside of me. With each thrust, I feel my heart swelling up until there's just no more room for any more love to take root. The emotions spill out of my eyes in the form of tears—tears Bishop kisses away with his lips and whispers of heavy promises.

This is what I needed from the beginning. Someone to let me know that it was all going to be okay. No, not just someone. I needed Bishop. He'll always do right by me. I know that for sure. Even if what we have is only fleeting, I'm grateful that I've been given the chance to have him.

***

Bishop and I stayed in bed for most of the morning, but by the afternoon he was chomping at the bit. He only told me he had some leads to follow up on. I didn't want to know the specifics of it. He made me a promise that he'd find the Faceless and make them pay for what they did to us. I'm sure that's what's going to happen.

But while he was off trying to make our wrongs right, I didn't have much to do with myself. I've basically secluded myself from everyone here. It's lonely when the entire world seems like such a scary place.

Suffering from a bit of cabin fever, I put on some clothes and walk out of the clubhouse. Just for a stroll around the property and to get some fresh air. When I hear pounding footsteps coming up from behind me, I nearly have a panic attack right there and then.

"Hey, what are you doing?" April asks, out of breath when she reaches me.

I let out a breath and get myself under control. There's no reason to think anyone would be able to get me while I'm here. At least not while Bishop is in the clubhouse. Even though logically I know I'm safe, it's still hard to shake the anxiety.

I smile when April matches my pace and entwines her arm with mine.

"I'm just getting a little air. It's a little stuffy in there sometimes," I joke.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I love those guys, but if another person asks me how I'm doing with that pitiful head tilt, I'm going to lose my mind."

I know exactly the look she's talking about. The one with pity in their eyes. Sure, we've been through some hard stuff, but we survived. Sometimes the way the guys and girls in the clubhouse look at me makes me feel like we failed.

"Ah, don't worry about them. They only mean the best."

"Yeah, I know."

"Speaking of the people in there, where were you this morning? You weren't in the room when I woke up." It was for the best anyway. I was frightened for a second when I didn't see her, but I'm glad she didn't have to see me having that horrible nightmare. It was only because Bishop poked his head in the room to check on us that he saw me screaming and crying in my sleep. I'd like to shield April from that if I can. I'm sure she has her own nightmares to deal with.

"Oh, um..." April looks down, and I feel her tense up.

"Uh-uh, no secrets. Where were you?"

"I was with Winnie. I wasn't doing anything; we were just talking." She shrugs, but I see her face blossom to a bright red color.

I toss my head back and laugh, "Girl, that's nothing to be ashamed about. Winnie is a good kid. I thought you and Fly had something going on though?"

"Fly is nice, but he's too far away. I don't know if I can deal with a long-distance relationship right now. Hell, I don't know if I can deal with any relationship right now. Winnie is a good friend. He understands I can't do anything too serious right now."

With a nod, I agree with her. "Well, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you found someone you can open up to. You deserve a little bit of happiness after the war you've just been through."