Never Far Away (The Never #2)(69)
After a few minutes, without breaking their connection, he slid to the head of the bed and laid them both down on their sides so their bodies were facing each other. She never let go of him and he didn’t want her to. She kept her arms around his neck, snuggled into his neck. He continually used his hands to sooth her, rubbing his hands along her back, stroking the nape of her neck, gently kissing the top of her shoulder. He couldn’t be sure how much time had passed, but he felt like they’d laid in bed for over an hour, and he was finally convinced that she had fallen asleep.
He kissed her temple, then gently and very slowly slipped out of her grasp. Her arms fell to the bed next to her and he took an opportunity to admire her while she slept. He examined the rough, red patch on her cheek that appeared after the incident down the hallway at the club. He traced a finger over it and it made him feel better to see that she wasn’t actually cut, but just scraped. His eyes traveled down her body, partly checking for injuries, partly just taking in her beauty. Although her body was undeniably attractive, at the moment he didn’t feel turned on by looking at her naked breasts or the creamy skin of her seemingly endless legs. Instead, he felt she was the most fragile and important being in his life. She was put in his path for a reason and he was going to do anything he could to remind her that if separated they would be undeniably miserable. The only way either one of them stood a chance at happiness was if they were together.
He climbed over her small body to lie behind her, trying his hardest not to wake her, although he figured with the valium and vodka in her system she was probably out for a while. He reached down and pulled the comforter up and over their bodies and then wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his front.
“You’re mine forever,” he whispered into her shoulder, then closed his eyes and let sleep take him away.
Porter woke to Ella thrashing in bed, her screams ringing through the silent and dark air. He ran to flip the lights on and was crushed by the sight of Ella curled up into a ball, hands gripping her hair at the sides of her head, screaming out pleas of mercy.
“Kyle, no! Don’t hurt him!” She cried and tears streamed down her face. Porter wanted to help her but didn’t want to add to her trauma by waking her suddenly. He crept over to kneel by her side of the bed. He tried to reach up and brush the hair gently from her forehead, but as soon as his fingers touched her skin she started thrashing around again, arms flailing, legs kicking. He was worried she was going to hurt herself. He saw an opportunity to restrain her so he jumped on the bed and pinned her arms down then flattened his body along hers, effectively immobilizing her. She still wriggled under him, crying out, and she sounded terrified.
“I’ll leave. I’ll go. Don’t take him from me,” she sobbed.
“Ella,” Porter whispered in her ear as gently as he could. “Wake up, Baby. It’s me. It’s Porter. Come back to me.” The only part of her that could move, her head, continued to thrash back and forth. She wasn’t crying anymore, but her face looked pained and worried. He brought his mouth to her neck, trying to get her to hold still, and pleaded with her against the crook of her shoulder. “You’re safe,” he said. He felt her slowly relax against him, the tension in her arms eased, the muscles of her stomach went lax, and her breathing slowed. He still remained atop her, hoping the contact would sooth and calm her. He loosened his grip on her wrists and she slid her hands up his arms. He could still feel her hands slightly shaking, obviously the adrenaline still coursing through her from the nightmare.
He stilled as her hands continued down his back, slowly grazing her fingers down the canal that formed over his spine. She continued until he felt her hands cover his ass and she gripped him firmly, pulling him against her. He instantly hardened, but felt uneasy about it.
“Ella, tell me what you were dreaming about,” he said against the skin of her neck. She raised her hips up to grind into him and shook her head at the same time. He was confused about where her mind was going, but his body was responding to hers. “Tell me what happened at the club,” he said as he slid his teeth and tongue along her shoulder. Again, she shook her head, but her hands pulled his hips down into her again. A hiss left him as he continued to fight the urge to take her as she was offering.
She reached down in between them and palmed him, obliterating any restraint he might have been holding on to. He pulled back to look in her eyes, trying to figure out what she wasn’t telling him.
“Did someone at the club hurt you?” He whispered. She answered simply by biting her lip. He took a deep breath in and rested his forehead against hers. His muscles went rigid at his next thought, and his blood pumped faster through his veins.
“Was Kyle there? Did he find you?” Silence was all he heard. He pulled back to look at her and her eyes were closed. He could see the wetness brimming through her fanned lashes, and she was still gnawing on her lip. “He was there, wasn’t he?” He said with more insistence. “Did he touch you? Did he lay a hand on you?”
She opened her eyes, fighting back the tears in her eyes, and brought her hands to his face. She reached her lips up to his and kissed him.
“Please, Baby. Tell me what’s going on.” He slowly flipped his nose against hers, trying to convince her to trust him with whatever she wasn’t telling him. “I can’t help you unless you talk to me.” She reached her hands down his back again, but this time slid her hands under the waistband of his sweatpants, her palms gliding over his ass, pushing the pants down his thighs. He growled in aggravation, knowing what she wanted – what she was doing. His mouth finally gave in and began to lick along her collar bone, splaying kisses along the skin that was salty from sweat. The sweet vanilla scent she always carried mixed with the tantalizing musk of sweat and sex was enough to cause his heart to beat powerfully in his chest.