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"Every time I close my eyes, I think about her being terrified of me earlier today, I just... Fuck, I don't know." His breath hitched, and he shook his head. "It fucks me up, Wilkes. It fucks me up so bad."
Seeing him like this was going to break her, and she wasn't a woman easily broken. He looked so lost and alone she couldn't stand it.
Holly slipped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. She'd crossed plenty of lines today already. What did it matter if she crossed one more?
"I know," she murmured. "Lie down. Try to relax, okay?”
When he lay back on his pillow, she cuddled closer. "Close your eyes, Eli. Count sheep or something."
He turned toward her, and her heart rate skyrocketed. He might be vulnerable right now, but having his face inches from hers, and his hot, minty breath all warm on her skin?
It was dangerous.
"Thank you," he whispered, resting his chin on the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. "You knew exactly what I needed tonight."
"You needed a friend," she said simply.
"Friend, huh? Does that mean we're no longer in the ‘not friends, not enemies’ territory, then?"
"Go to sleep." It was next to impossible to keep even-keeled with his strong arms wrapped around her, but she'd initiated this intimacy, and she was going to see it through. "I'll stay in here with you until you're out, but that's it. Got it?"
He snorted with laughter and reached over to turn off the light. "Yes, ma'am."
In the darkness, she felt his lips brush against her ear, and his warm breath had her fighting off a shiver. "Holly?"
"Yeah?" she asked warily.
"Don't let go, okay? Just don't let go."
Her heart flipped wildly in her chest, and she swallowed hard. "I won't."
Glancing up at the ceiling, she stifled a sigh. So much for willpower. She'd already ended up on the other side of his doorandin his bed.
It was going to be a long thirty days.
7
Holly stretched her arms above her head, coming awake with a contented sigh. When she opened her eyes, panic seized her.
She was in Eli's room.
In Eli's bed.
His side was empty, with nothing but rumpled sheets to show he'd even slept there.
Her heart thudded wildly as she threw off the comforter. She'd stayed in here last night to comfort Eli, but she must have fallen asleep.
Oh, no. She'd forgotten about Miss.
Holly leaped from the bed and raced across the hall. It had been more than six hours since Miss had eaten a meal, and if the calico didn't eat every four hours, she usually got sick and vomited.
The door to her room stood wide open, and Miss was nowhere to be found. Fear stole through her as she tried to process what might have happened.
What if Miss had snuck out the front door and into the hallway?
"Miss!" Holly yelled, running down the hall. She came to a screeching halt in the kitchen, peering around wildly as she hunted for the cat.
"Missy! Where are you?"
