Nero’s chest is rising and falling against my back. It’s the only sign he heard my words as they scraped their way out of my throat.
“I was so scared for so long after I left. And the thought of someone touching me…” I press back into him, and his arm tightens around me even more. “I wasn’t ready. Then I wasn’t sure how.”
The mattress jostles as Nero shifts onto his back. “Come here.”
Twisting around, I turn and lay against him while he readjusts the blankets around my shoulders. My head goes to that spot between his shoulder and chest. My leg hooking up over his.
Nero’s arms encircle me in a hug.
“But then I met you.” I say the words into his chest. Hoping he understands how much he’s meant to me already. “And it finally felt like it was time.”
“I should’ve made him suffer.” Nero’s
