VALERIE.
Iâm pacing the bedroom floor wondering if I should have a word with Atticus before introducing him to Zade. After all, I donât want him to say anything hurtful to him, but then⦠didnât I say hurtful things to Zade earlier?
I have always been blunt and pretty harsh at times, to the point I struggle to keep my mouth shut, especially when Iâm mad.
I watch as he finishes cleaning up the glass that broke earlier and my heart skips. a beat. Heâs so caring, in his silent way, doing things without rubbing them inâ¦. My stomach flutters, a surge of emotions dancing through me. Walking towards him, I stop beside him. âIâll work on it,â I say, tugging at the sleeves of my top.
He glances up and cocks a brow?
âI would hope so⦠training starts tomorrow.
âWait, what?â I ask, confused as he stands up and I have to remind myself not to check him out.
âWhat else are you going to work on? I thought it was pretty obvious you were talking about your lack of survival skills,â he remarks, making me pout with displeasure at his obvious mockery.
âI meant my attitudeâ¦â I mutter, looking away from him.
Heâs watching me intently, but Iâm not brave enough to look him in the eye. He takes hold of my elbows and I know I need to say it all properly.
âI do it when Iâm overwhelmed. I have anxiety and when things get too much, 1 just need an outlet⦠I overreact⦠itâs something Iâve always done and Iâm sorry that youâve been on the receiving end more than once in such a short timeâ¦. and then just saying sorry after being a bitch isnât-â
âHey, I donât want to hear you call yourself that again. If anyone is going to call you by a degrading title, itâs going to be me. Whilst I fuck you.â My core throbs, his deep, husky voice sending shivers of desire through me.
Fuck, why does he mess with my head like that?
My cheeks feel hot, and I toss my hair back from my face.
âUmm, ok, well⦠uh⦠what was I saying?â I say, feeling confused as I look up at him and trying not to feel all lightheaded from his words.
Oh, how I want him to fuck me.
There is a glint of amusement in his eye. âYouâre supposed to be a doctor, certainly you canât be so forgetfulâ¦â he coos teasingly.
âIâm not! I just uh⦠you make me go blank,â I blurt out.
He smirks at that, itâs a faint crooked halfâsmirk but it makes my heart soar. You were saying⦠how saying sorry after youâve been a little upset-â
âAfter Iâve been harsh when I shouldnât have been⦠I just change is hard for me and I did react but itâs not ok⦠I just want you to know, although I asked about there being two rooms⦠I prefer sleeping in your bed. Um yeah, I mean sure Iâll need space sometimes. Iâm sure you will too, but I can just take a walk around the house. I cool off easil-â
He places a finger to my lips and I stop spewing word vomit.
âI like you the way you are. Annoying, loud and a total drama queen at times, but I like you, Little Mate.
You forget that I saw your wrath for five yearsâ¦â he whispers.
My heart races as I gaze into his eyes, that time making my heart ache⦠but I donât want to go down that path⦠not today. One day I will. One day, we will talk about everything. Together.
I pout. âThat sounds like an insult,â I grumble.
He chuckles ever so quietly as he tugs me into his arms and I close my eyes inhaling his seductive scent, the hint of oil reminding me of when I first saw him in that garage that night.
âSo⦠I was thinking if I should talk to Atticus before he sees you, I donât want him to say anything to youâ¦â
âNo one elseâs words bother me, baby girl, no oneâs⦠so Iâm ok to be there with you,â he says, his hand massaging my back. 2 His mention of âno one elseâsâ didnât slip past me unnoticed. My words, my feelings⦠he cares what I think, and I better remember that.
âGood then. Alright, weâll face him togetherâ¦â I say, exhaling. Atticus has been there for me, although we met as adults and I didnât like him for years. Itâs crazy how things change.
The doorbell rings, and I look up at Zade, but instead of saying anything, he kisses me deeply for one long, delicious moment before he moves back.
âIâll give you a minute to at least greet him,â he says before he steps back and walks off towards the kitchen area.
My heart is pounding as I take a deep breath and walk over to the door. âAlways check who it is, even if youâre expecting someone,â Zade murmurs I close my eyes, realising how careless I am⦠how do I keep forgetting?
I look through the small screen beside the door that displays the camera footage.
It sure is Atticus, dressed in a grey suit, his shirt buttons open, his brown hair styled back, with a strand falling over his forehead. Heâs holding a pullâalong carryâcase and a gift bag in one hand, the other one holding a bouquet of flowers.
Ok, here goes nothingâ¦
I unlock the door and pull it open.
âHey!â I say, as he instantly looks me up and down before he puts down his bags and wraps his arms around me tightly. His heart is racing faster than it should be.
âThank god youâre ok,â he breathes. âI knew you moving so far was a bad idea.â
âHey, Iâm fine. Itâs nice to see you, though. I missed you,â I reply, hugging him âI back.
Heâs about to move back slightly when I hear him sniff before he slowly moves. back. âWho are you here with?â he asks.
Atticus is one of the strongest people I know, well everyone in the sublime is, aside from me. I donât think he could have connected the scent to Zade, but possibly picked up on a male scent from me.
âMy boyfriend, and the reasons Iâm not dead already,â I say quietly as I step back, allowing him to step inside.
He picks up his back looking uneasy and confused.
âBoyfriend? Val⦠I love you, from the bottom of my heart and want you happy, but⦠I didnât think you were ready to move onâ¦â his voice is low, full of concern.
âBecause the right person was never there,â I reply, heâs already become serious, and he doesnât even know who it is yet.
âWho is it? What do you know about him? How are you sure heâs-â
âShe may not be the most careful person around, but she knows me pretty well,â Zade says as he saunters over to us.
Atticus turns, a flicker of confusion changing to realisation when his eyes fall on Zade. His face drains of all colour, his eyes blazing with rage and a menacing growl that is not like the brother I know tears from his throat.
I think this might just go worse than I thoughtâ¦
Fuck me. 1 Moonlight Muse Author Thankyou for reading! Good night everyone D