Page 65 of Freeing Emily
I peer down when I feel her press her palm against my chest. She stares at her hand and then clenches the fabric of my Henley.
“You’re really here… Aren’t you?” she whispers, more to herself than me.
I don’t reply. I just watch as she explores my chest with her hand. She adds the other and then trails up along my neck and finally my face. I close my eyes and simplyfeelthe softness of her touch along my skin. My body is buzzing, and my heart is beating erratically with each pass of her touch. Her fingers lightly trace my jawline and then my lips, where they stop.
When she pulls her touch away, I open my eyes.
“I’m ready to go to bed.” I’m forced to step back when she hops off the countertop. She winces when her leg meets the ground and I realize it’s the only time she’s reacted to the pain.
I watch as she makes her way out of the ensuite. When I step through the doorway, she’s pouring some pills into her palm.
“How much of that have you taken?” I ask and step toward her.
She mumbles something under her breath, but I can’t hear what is said.
“Emily,” I press.
“I take what I need,” she says, keeping her back to me as she raises her hand to her lips and tosses the pills into her mouth. She swallows them dry before bringing the glass of water from her nightstand to her lips.
Her phone rings and she looks down at the screen for a second before sending the caller to voicemail.
“Please leave,” she whispers and then climbs into bed.
I clench and unclench my fists as I watch her settle into bed.
“I’m here when you need me,Féileacán.”
I stride to the doorway and exit her room.
Sitting in the kitchen with Niall, I push my food around my plate. Liam has been encouraging me to step out of my room for at least an hour every day, so here I am. Spending my hour in the kitchen trying to force food down my throat.
He’s been a constant since he came to my room last week. He’s actually been helping me with talking. I mean, we don’t talk about what happened to me. The only person outside of Dr. Morrison who knows what happened is Declan.
And the only reason he knows is because he wouldn’t leave me alone about how isolated I am. He didn’t understand and after weeks of hounding me, I caved and told him.
Of course, I didn’t tell him everything but enough that he finally left me alone.
Liam’s presence has surprisingly been welcome, and I look forward to the time I get to spend with him. There have been a few times that my body has reacted to him in ways that it hasn’t in such a long time. When he sits close to me, I lean in and wish he’d press his lips to mine instead of my forehead.
Each night, I find myself mourning the loss of his presence and wishing he’d never leave.
It’s been confusing the say the least.
Paige and Sarah step into the kitchen and smile widely when they see me sitting at the counter.
“Hi, Emily. How are you feeling?” Sarah says with a grin.
I straighten my shoulders and return their smile as best as I can.
“I’m doing really good, how are you guys?”
I feel the burn of Paige’s gaze as she studies my profile. When I turn to meet her eyes, she smiles softly at me, but her brows are slightly pinched.
“We’re good. Sarah came to rip me a new one about killing more men without her help.”
I chuckle softly.
I haven’t had a desire to kill any more people since that first man I helped Paige with. It felt amazing at the time to let go and allow my emotions to take control, but after the weight was lifted, all I saw were the women and children who suffered because of Vladimir.