Page 25 of Split You Open

It’s like having a first kiss all over again.

Except, instead of a kiss, it’s unlacing a boot.

How fucking romantic, right?

One boot clatters to the floor, followed by another.

Looking up, I find Blair watching me closely. Her brows are furrowed and her pretty lips have turned downward as she tries to figure out my next move.

“Lay down,” I tell her.

“This bed is too small for the both of us. I doubt it’s even a full-size mattress.”

“We’ll make it work.”

“I can sleep in the passenger⁠—”

“Lay the fuck down, Blair.”

“Fine!” She throws her hands up in the air as she glowers at me. “I’ll lay down and not be our lookout. If we die, don’t come crying to me in the afterlife because I’ll only tell you, ‘I told you so’.”

With that dramatic statement and an eye roll, Blair flops down, shifts to get under the covers and rolls so that her back is facing me.

Well shit, who knew Blair can be as dramatic as Santi?

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning, not that she would see it. I study her for a moment, her body stiff. I’m more than sure she’s glaring at the wall.

Reaching forward, I turn off the string lights that hang around the perimeter of the ceiling. Without the soft lighting, we’re cast into darkness. I move carefully, climbing under the blankets and, with bated breath, I scoot closer to Blair until my body is curled around her smaller one.

Fuck, just look at us. Even as stiff as a board she fits against me perfectly.

I take it as a sign that, despite all the shit thrown at us, I’m exactly where I should be. Over the course of the past few days, that certainty has tried to settle in my bones, but I’ve been fighting against it, confident that this was all in my head. But Blair’s words, and this moment, tell me I've been wasting time and energy. What’s happening between us is clearly, and blessedly, inevitable.

“I’m here with you, Blair, because I can’t face the world without you,” I admit. My words are so quiet that I’m not sure she’ll hear me. I wrap an arm around her waist. “I’ll risk my life, I’ll give my life, ten times over just to know you’re safe.”

Blair’s entire body seems to deflate. All the fight and annoyance in her evaporates, departing as she lets out a soft sigh.

“We haven’t lost anyone,” I press on. “This is just temporary. Whatever it takes, I’ll make sure you and I will see the others again.”

Minus one.

I won’t let Ledger get his hands on her. Whatever fucked up plans he had for Blair are over. I’ll keep Blair safe from Ledger, no matter the cost to me.

My grip around Blair’s waist tightens as I make that vow.

With that thought, I bury my face in her hair, close my eyes and allow sleep to take me.

Seven

Rhett

One moment, I’m dead asleep.

In the next, I’m wide awake.

It takes me a moment to figure out why. The darkness is distorting and, for a second, I can’t remember where I am. It’s not until I feel the body pressed up against mine, stiff and trembling, that I get my bearings.

A wretched, gasping noise breaks the silence. It’s a soft sound but as close as I am, there’s no missing it. I know this sound and I know what’s causing her to make it. Immediately, I sit up and feel around for the switch to turn on the string lights.