Intransigent

Intransigent | 13

Chapter 13

Emma's POV

"Emma," someone whispered. I felt them gently shaking my shoulder. "Emma, you need to wake up, sweetheart."

I so did not want to wake up. I was comfortable, wrapped in warmth and snuggled close to a very tingly pillow. I blearily opened my eyes and saw that I wasn't cuddled up with a pillow, but with Ashton.

I blushed, looking away from his smiling face. "Hi," I murmured. I wasn't used to anyone sleeping with me. In the cells, Rick could only get close enough to hold my hand while I slept and back home I had my own room. The only reason the night before didn't bother me is because I knew Rick was doing it to protect me.

Although, now that I thought about it, Ashton probably had the same reasoning. I shuddered, remembering the nightmare I'd woken up from earlier.

"Hi," Ashton whispered back. "Did you sleep okay?"

I nodded. "The second time through I slept like a baby," I told him with a small smile.

His eyes filled with sympathy as he looked down at me. "Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" he asked.

I shook my head. "They're just flashbacks," I told him. "They'll go away eventually."

He hugged me closer and kissed the top of my head. "I'll protect you from them," he promised me.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. It was embarrassing that I couldn't sleep alone without nightmares, but I was grateful that he'd stayed with me. "Thank you for being here," I told him quietly.

He pulled away slightly so that he could see my eyes. He placed a soft hand on my cheek and stared into my eyes while he said, "I'll always be here for you, love."

I reached forward and kissed his cheek in gratitude and then once again hid my face in his chest, hiding from his shocked eyes. He chuckled and pulled my face back up to his.

"Don't ever be embarrassed for kissing me, Emma," he told me. "I will always enjoy it, I promise."

I smiled at him and then buried my face in his chest again, this time only because I liked it. He smelled delicious and he made thoughts of the nightmares fade away when I was with him. They weren't as scary when he was with me; I knew they couldn't hurt me in his arms.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me, stroking his hand up and down my back as he held me, leaving trails of pleasurable tingles.

His words trigger my stomach to growl like a monster and we both laughed. "I'll take that as a yes," he told me, tossing the blankets back and helping me out of bed. "Your dad will be here soon, but we have enough time to eat and you can take a shower if you want to as well."

A shower. I hadn't had a shower in so long! They were far and few between when I was imprisoned. It sounded heavenly at the moment. "A long shower?" I asked Ashton as we walked down the stairs.

He grinned down at me. "As long as you want," he confirmed. "We'll wait for you."

On the first floor, Ashton guided me into a large kitchen. A tiny woman stood at the sink washing dishes. She had shiny brown hair, eyes to match and looked so tiny. She seemed surprised to see us there and quickly bowed her head.

"Alpha, what can I do for you?" she asked. I didn't like the way her voice sounded, like she was scared of us or something. She had no reason to be scared of us. At least, she shouldn't.

"Emma and I would like some dinner," he told her.

She nodded, scurrying to the stove. "There were no leftovers from dinner tonight, is there anything specific you would like?" she asked.