Girl Crush

Chapter 44

 Dani was sitting up in Eddie's bed later that night, her back propped against the pillows. Eddie lay on his back, his head in her lap as she idly played with his hair, reading the new book she had gotten him, 'Dragonsbane', aloud. His breathing was slow and steady and she thought he'd fallen asleep but she just kept reading, driven to sooth his soul in any way she could. She hadn't been there to care for him this last week and she had every intention of making it up to him, of doing anything and everything he needed just like he'd always done for her.

"But that was the first thing I had to learn about her, and maybe the hardest I've ever learned about anything—that she is her own, and what she gives me is of her choosing, and the more precious because of it. Sometimes a butterfly will come to sit in your open palm, but if you close your hand, one way or the other, it—and its choice to be there—are gone," she read softly.

"They're describing you princess," he mumbled.

Dani laughed, "I thought you were sleeping. You've been so quiet."

"Nope," he responded, "just getting lost in the sound of your voice. I've missed it." He rolled over slowly, holding his ribs as he did, his head landing on the pillow next to her and smiled up at her. "But that's totally you, sweetheart. You are so strong and independent while still being fragile and beautiful and I am so damn lucky that you decided I get to have you. I still sometimes pinch myself because I can't believe you chose me."

She shook her head, returning his smile, "The decision was taken out of my hands. Trust me, I tried like hell to fight it back, to make it go away but nothing ever worked. There was no choice in the matter. You were not a decision, you were an inevitability."

His hands reached up, gently cradling her face and

bringing it to his own. Eddie's lips pressed against hers, tenderly at first and then increasing in urgency. He wound his arms around her, attempting to pull her down to him but she braced her arms on either side of him on the bed to keep herself upright. Pulling back from her, he pouted.

"Why are you fighting my kisses?" he asked.

"I'm not fighting your kisses," she giggled, pushing his bottom lip back in with her finger. "You have broken ribs, remember? I don't want to hurt you."

"Uncle Wayne is at work," he pointed out. "We have this whole trailer to ourselves until tomorrow morning. I have gone an entire week without touching you. Broken ribs or not, we can damn well figure this out."

"Eddie, you're still healing," she insisted. "I'm really not sure if we should."

"Are you saying..." he said softly, his hand slowly sliding up her shirt, fingers trailing lightly across her stomach, "that you don't want me to touch you?" His hand found its way to her breast, cupping it gently in his palm, his thumb dancing across her nipple through the lacy material of her bra.

Dani suddenly flashed back to another time, another hand and her entire body tensed. She squeezed her eyes shut, jerking quickly away from him, turning her body. Damn it. Covering her face with her hands, she chastised herself for letting that dickhead invade her thoughts when she was finally safe with Eddie. What the hell was wrong with her? Was this how it would always be now?

"Whoa," he said softly, gingerly lifting himself so he was sitting next to her. Taking her hands in his, he pulled them away from her face, his eyes searching hers. "Dani...hey, sweetheart, are you okay?"

Dani released a slow breath, shaking her head in an attempt to rid it of the awful memory of that moment. That monster's hands on her skin, his disgusting words next to her ear, the panic and fear that had taken over in that moment making her incapable of fighting back.