"I can't do that," she said as she shook her head, her face scandalized.
"Why not?" I asked with a small smile. "There's plenty of room." I desperately wanted her next to me, to feel her warm body, to hold her, and just be with her. It had absolutely nothing to do with sex. I needed her.
"What will the nurse think when she comes in?" she asked. "What if your mother walks in?"
"I just want to hold you," I said as I smiled wryly. "And it's not like I could do anything inappropriate anyway. I'm in a fucking hospital gown with cracked ribs for God's sake."
She looked doubtful as she pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. She was adorable in her discomfort.
"Please," I pleaded. "I need you." I filled my voice with all my love and need.
"I don't want to hurt you again."
"You won't," I promised her, my eyes pleading until I saw her eyes soften, and I knew that I had gotten my way.
"Okay," she said with a slow nod and stood.
I scooted over painfully to make room for her, hiding my grimace by looking the other way for a second. She carefully crawled up onto the bed and stretched out next to me on my left side, resting her head on my shoulder. I breathed in her scent and let out a deep sigh of contentment. I looked out the window, watching the sky darken into dusk as I lie there, feeling the rightness of her being next to me.
"You know; I think Andy's afraid of me now," Sydney announced out of nowhere. I glanced down to see her looking up at me with a grin.
"Oh, yeah?" I asked with amusement as I took her left hand in my right and twined our fingers together.
"I'm a bad-ass. Did you know that?"
"I do now," I admitted with a smirk, and tilted my head down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I told you that sometimes I could take care of you," she said, her face turning earnest. "Do you believe me now?"
"Baby, you did more than that. You saved me."
"No, David did," she told me with a shake of her head.
"I'm not talking about that," I told her as she looked at me in confusion. "Ever since I laid eyes on you, I knew you'd be my salvation. I just fucking knew it." My voice became a whisper as tears burned my eyes, my voice breaking with overwhelming emotion. She raised her chin up toward me, and I kissed her tenderly, her lips so soft and warm. "I love you, Sydney," I whispered against her lips.
"I love you, Jensen," she whispered back, our eyes locked together just like our hands. I watched tears of joy well up in her eyes as her love filled me up inside. There was no guilt this time, no feelings of unworthiness. For the first time, I just let it in, accepted it, and I couldn't have been more thankful for it.
COMING SOON...
Look for the third and final book of Jensen and Sydney's story in the Beautifully Broken Trilogy coming in December 2015. Then watch for the next trilogy featuring David in his own story in early 2016.
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