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Bradley
The guys leave a few minutes after Sam left the kitchen. I didn’t think it would be so easy to get rid of them. They left on their own without me having to ask. I was expecting them to have some words of criticism, but neither of them said a word, not even Garrett. He was the first one out of the door. I’d like to think that his ego is bruised because he finally met a girl who doesn’t fall at his feet. One who doesn’t worship the ground that he walks on.
My Sam.
She’s already settled into bed when I enter the room. The lights are off, and there’s no movement. I can’t tell if she’s asleep or not.
I freshen up and slip into bed beside her. She’s on her back, looking up toward the ceiling. I prop myself up on one arm facing her. She doesn’t look my way. She continues to stare. I’ve never seen that look in her eyes before, so empty and void of emotion.
She startles when I touch her hand. Her head finally swings to look at me.
“Sam. Is everything okay, baby?”
She smiles, but I can tell that it’s forced. It makes me wonder what’s going through that mind of hers. She seemed fine when she arrived. Maybe meeting the guys was too much for her.
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“It seems like you are miles away, and that wasn’t exactly your normal reaction to my touch.”
“Everything’s fine. It’s been a long day.” She turns her body to face me and places her palm against my cheek. Her eyes start to show signs of light when she looks into my eyes. “I guess meeting your friends was more of a shock to my system than I thought it would be.”
“Are you always this cautious when meeting new people in general, or just guys?”
Her eyes harden for a second before she returns to me. She doesn’t say a word. The sadness that I saw in her when we first met is back. She’s trying her best to hide it behind her smile, but her efforts are useless.
It was one thing when this guy was just a distant memory. But now the memory of him has tarnished what was supposed to be a special night for us. I knew someone had hurt her. I just didn’t know how much until this moment. It’s hard for her to trust and somehow seeing my friends spooked her.
Her mouth opens and closes like she wants to give me an explanation. Her eyes shut, and her chest rises and falls slowly as she takes a deep breath. A tear falls from her eye and onto my arm underneath her head.
“Will you just hold me tonight, Brad? I just want to lay with you.”
“Of course, baby. Whatever you need.”
I turn onto my back, and she slides in close to me, resting her head on my chest as her tears continue to fall. I do as she asks. My hold is solid around her. She hangs onto me like a lifeline. I want so badly to take her pain away, but I don’t know how. I wish I knew exactly what is troubling her.
***
THE NEXT MORNING, I wake up before Sam. I make us buttered toast, eggs, and bacon for breakfast with orange juice. I wanted to surprise her and bring it to her in bed, but I don’t get the chance. I turn to find Sam standing at the far end of the bar watching me quietly. She doesn’t move toward me. Her expression is distant until I make a move toward her, similar to the one she had last night.
“Good morning,” I say as I approach her.
“Good morning.” She grants me with a smile.
I wrap my arms around her back and pull her close to me.
“How was your first night in our new apartment?”
“Not as good as I’d hoped, but...” Her voice trails off. She runs her palms down the length of my bare chest, sending a thrill through me. “...there’s plenty of time to make up for it now.” She bats her lashes playfully at me.
As much as I want to throw her up onto the bar and take her right now, I can’t bring myself to do it. There’s obviously something going on with her, and this is just her way of trying to forget. I’m sure she’ll tell me in her own time, in her own way.
“There is,” I say. “But that’s not what you really need right now.”
She flinches, and her brows raise. “Oh, really? And what do you think I need right now?”
Yup. Something is definitely bothering her. She hasn’t reacted to me in that way since the first time that we met. I grab her hand and lead her to the table, pull her chair out, and gesture for her to have a seat.
“A friend.”
She sits, and I sit across from her at the table. Her head tilts a fraction to gaze at me, and her expression softens.
“I made you a promise, Sam, that whatever you need, I would be there for you. You don’t have to pretend with me. Whatever is on your mind is yours to keep until you’re ready to share, but know that I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I try to reassure her. I want her to trust me, and for her to do that, I have to be patient. There’s nothing that she could say to me that would make me run away from her. So, whatever it is, it can wait.
“Look, I’m sorry if I ruined our first night here together. I just... I just...”
The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice is almost pained. It hurts me to see her like this.
“It’s okay, baby. Last night was perfect, except for the part where you were crying,” I add with a soft chuckle. “I hate seeing you in tears, but everything else; falling asleep with you in my arms and knowing that I would wake up next to you this morning was perfect. Just how I imagined it would be.”
She opens her mouth to say something, and I cut her off. I don’t want her to feel pressured or to feel like she needs to explain herself to me if she’s not ready.
“Let’s eat before my masterpiece is ruined.”
This gets a real laugh out of her. I love hearing her laugh. I know she wasn’t ready for that kind of intimacy earlier, and I didn’t want to be just a distraction. Once we’re done eating, and she’s gotten whatever it is off of her mind, then maybe I can hear that moan I love so much from her too.
“Masterpiece?”
“Yeah. I’m not as great a chef as you, but there are some things that I’m a novice at. My eggs and bacon just happen to be on that list. Now eat woman before I come and feed it to you.”
“Mm, I think I like the sound of that,” she responds with a grin.
My mind goes wild with her comment. I like the sound of that too. I think of the different things we could do to make this breakfast even more enjoyable. I shake my head at her. She’s the most adorable woman, and she’s all mine.
