curtain and listened.
My pussy was practically screaming at me to finish what I had started but I was
certain I had heard Riley cry out. I was certain that –
His second cry was louder and filled to the
brim with heartbreaking fear. I shut off the water and stumbled out of the tub
as he groaned and whimpered. I snatched my towel from the counter, wrapped it
around my wet body and hurried into the bedroom as Riley screamed.
“Riley!” I ran to the bed and nearly fell
on to it as Riley began to twist and turn.
“Andrea! NO!” He screamed again and my
blood ran cold.
“Riley, wake up!” I pinned his body down
with mine and slapped him lightly on the cheek. “Riley, open your damn eyes!
Please!”
His hands, which had been clenched in the
quilt, sank into my towel-covered hips and I bit back my groan of pain as he
twisted under me.
“Riley, stop!” I shouted and then slapped
him again. “Wake up!”
He woke with a start, his eyes popping open
and his face twisted in pain. Tears were running down his cheeks and he stared
wide-eyed at me as I stroked his thick, dark hair.
“You’re okay, honey. Ease up on your grip,
please.”
He stared blankly at me and I gave him a
pleading look. “Riley, you’re hurting me.”
Shame flashed across his face and he
released my hips. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You didn’t mean to.”
He was shaking and shivering and I rolled
cautiously to my side beside him before wiping the tears from his face. “You
were having a bad dream.”
“Yeah,” he said hoarsely and then winced
when a shiver wracked his entire body.
I eased back the quilt, almost afraid to
check his bandage, and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no blood oozing
through the white. “I’m just going to take a quick look, okay?”
He nodded and I peeled back the bandage.
The stitches hadn’t torn and I taped the bandage down before sitting up.
“No!” His hard hand grabbed my wrist in
fresh panic.
“I just want to check your back,” I said
soothingly.
He shook his head. “It’s not bleeding.”
“Just let me look to be sure.”
“No,” he said. “It’s not bleeding,
Maddie.”
I bit my lip before nodding. “Okay. Do
you – do you want to talk about your dream?”
R iley
I stared at Maddie’s sweet face, willing
the image of Andrea’s swollen face, her tongue protruding grotesquely from
between her lips, out of my head. Christ it had been awful. Normally I was
able to wake myself up before I saw her face but this time…
Another shudder wracked my body, sending
such a bad bolt of agony down my side that I had to clamp my mouth shut against
the cry of pain.
“Riley? Do you want to talk about it?”
Maddie repeated before stroking her soft fingers over my naked chest.
For a moment I almost blurted out everything.
The horror I had felt when I’d seen Andrea’s body swinging from that rope, the
all-engulfing panic that had enveloped me when I heard my mother’s footsteps on
the stairs. I could feel tears threatening to fall and I blinked rapidly.
Maddie will make it better , my mind whispered. Tell her and she’ll make it all go away .
I opened my mouth, ready to spill the whole
goddamn story to her, when my common sense kicked in. I couldn’t tell Maddie
something like that. If she found out how badly I had failed my sister, if she
realized that I had been so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn’t see
the way Andrea had been practically screaming for help, she’d think I was a
monster. I didn’t want that. Seeing the look on her face as it turned from
compassion to repulsion would destroy me.
“No,” I said hoarsely. “I don’t want to
talk about it.”
“Are you sure?” She asked softly.
“Sometimes talking about it, even if it’s scary and painful, can help.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered.
“You’re not fine,” she said. “I
My pussy was practically screaming at me to finish what I had started but I was
certain I had heard Riley cry out. I was certain that –
His second cry was louder and filled to the
brim with heartbreaking fear. I shut off the water and stumbled out of the tub
as he groaned and whimpered. I snatched my towel from the counter, wrapped it
around my wet body and hurried into the bedroom as Riley screamed.
“Riley!” I ran to the bed and nearly fell
on to it as Riley began to twist and turn.
“Andrea! NO!” He screamed again and my
blood ran cold.
“Riley, wake up!” I pinned his body down
with mine and slapped him lightly on the cheek. “Riley, open your damn eyes!
Please!”
His hands, which had been clenched in the
quilt, sank into my towel-covered hips and I bit back my groan of pain as he
twisted under me.
“Riley, stop!” I shouted and then slapped
him again. “Wake up!”
He woke with a start, his eyes popping open
and his face twisted in pain. Tears were running down his cheeks and he stared
wide-eyed at me as I stroked his thick, dark hair.
“You’re okay, honey. Ease up on your grip,
please.”
He stared blankly at me and I gave him a
pleading look. “Riley, you’re hurting me.”
Shame flashed across his face and he
released my hips. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You didn’t mean to.”
He was shaking and shivering and I rolled
cautiously to my side beside him before wiping the tears from his face. “You
were having a bad dream.”
“Yeah,” he said hoarsely and then winced
when a shiver wracked his entire body.
I eased back the quilt, almost afraid to
check his bandage, and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no blood oozing
through the white. “I’m just going to take a quick look, okay?”
He nodded and I peeled back the bandage.
The stitches hadn’t torn and I taped the bandage down before sitting up.
“No!” His hard hand grabbed my wrist in
fresh panic.
“I just want to check your back,” I said
soothingly.
He shook his head. “It’s not bleeding.”
“Just let me look to be sure.”
“No,” he said. “It’s not bleeding,
Maddie.”
I bit my lip before nodding. “Okay. Do
you – do you want to talk about your dream?”
R iley
I stared at Maddie’s sweet face, willing
the image of Andrea’s swollen face, her tongue protruding grotesquely from
between her lips, out of my head. Christ it had been awful. Normally I was
able to wake myself up before I saw her face but this time…
Another shudder wracked my body, sending
such a bad bolt of agony down my side that I had to clamp my mouth shut against
the cry of pain.
“Riley? Do you want to talk about it?”
Maddie repeated before stroking her soft fingers over my naked chest.
For a moment I almost blurted out everything.
The horror I had felt when I’d seen Andrea’s body swinging from that rope, the
all-engulfing panic that had enveloped me when I heard my mother’s footsteps on
the stairs. I could feel tears threatening to fall and I blinked rapidly.
Maddie will make it better , my mind whispered. Tell her and she’ll make it all go away .
I opened my mouth, ready to spill the whole
goddamn story to her, when my common sense kicked in. I couldn’t tell Maddie
something like that. If she found out how badly I had failed my sister, if she
realized that I had been so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn’t see
the way Andrea had been practically screaming for help, she’d think I was a
monster. I didn’t want that. Seeing the look on her face as it turned from
compassion to repulsion would destroy me.
“No,” I said hoarsely. “I don’t want to
talk about it.”
“Are you sure?” She asked softly.
“Sometimes talking about it, even if it’s scary and painful, can help.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered.
“You’re not fine,” she said. “I
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