She nodded, "I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, Sophia and Adam were gone. Something felt wrong, so I messaged you, and then I went to look for them."

"Foolish girl," Sean whispered. "What would have happened if I hadn't seen my phone?"

​​

She looked up at him and smirked slightly, "I trusted that you would. Isn't that what you want? For me to trust other people?"

A mixture of tenderness and anger flashed in Sean's eyes. He squeezed her tighter and shook his head.

"I don't blame you for what happened," he said. "But you knew better than to take him on by yourself. You need to believe me when I say that there are people who want to hurt you. This isn't some fight in the halls at your school, this is life or death."

"I know that now," she said.

"You were right about one thing, though," he said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"You can always trust me," he replied. "I will protect you, honey. No matter how difficult you make it for me."

A wave of warm exhaustion washed over her, and she closed her eyes, snuggling closer to his chest. "I know you will, honey," she whispered.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Sleepily she realized she'd called him a pet name. Though she was tired, she felt herself blushing in the dark. She buried her face against his shirt, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Say it," he whispered, against her ear.

Something inside her sparked at the feeling of his soft lips on her skin.

"Honey," she murmured against his chest.

"One more time," he whispered, his voice growing hoarse.

"Honey," she said, stifling a yawn.

***

Catherine woke in an empty bed. Conscious of her nakedness, she moved slowly, careful to keep the cover pulled up to her shoulders. The bed was empty next to her, and the sheets were cold but wrinkled.

"Sean?" she called.

There was no reply. Moving carefully, she slipped out of bed and darted across the room to the closet. She fumbled inside, looking for something to wear. The bedroom door creaked open, and she settled for a green silk robe, tying it firmly at her waist. She stepped out of the closet and smiled.

Sean stood in the doorway, balancing a silver tray in his hands. The tray had small silver feet and several domed platters on top. His hair was disheveled, and his face was flushed as if he'd been doing exercise. He frowned at her and rushed to put the tray on the bed.

"Good morning," she said.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

"Getting dressed," she answered.

"You need to rest," he said.

"I'm not sick," she replied coolly. "I was just drugged."

Sean arched an eyebrow, and his frown deepened, "Just drugged?"

"I feel better now," she said.

"Just get back into bed," he said.

She sighed and returned to the bed. He settled in beside her, carefully removing the lids from the food. He revealed a bowl of steaming oatmeal drizzled with golden yellow honey, a bowl of fruit cut into stars and flowers, and a cup of pure green tea. He stirred the oatmeal slowly and lifted a spoonful to her mouth.

"I can feed myself," she said, a bit sharply.

"Just humor me," he said.

She sighed. After putting him through the ordeal at the hotel, she didn't want to argue. Forcing a smile, she humored him and took a bite. The oatmeal was warm and creamy, and the honey tasted floral and sweet.

"It's delicious," she said.

"Eat more," he insisted.

Reluctantly, she allowed him to feed her. She chewed and swallowed slowly.

"How's Geoffrey?" she asked between bites.

"She's recovering," he said. "I gave her two sick days."

"Two sick days?" she asked, horrified. "She's covered in terrible burns. She needs weeks to recover."

"As you say," he said with a shrug. "But I'll have you know, she's been insisting on coming back to work."

Catherine's stomach twisted, and she shook her head at the food he was offering her. Geoffrey's probably covered in scars, she thought. And it's all my fault. If it wasn't for me, she'd be perfectly safe. It's the same for Sophia—I'm a danger to everyone around me.

As if he'd read her mind, Sean said, "For the next few days, I want you to stay at home and rest. I need to make sure that the people behind this have all been taken care of."

"But—" she objected.

"Don't fight me on this," he said. "If you refuse, I'll stay home with you, and I can think of lots of things we could do here to pass the time."

He smirked at her and gently tugged the collar of her robe down her shoulder. He brushed his lips against the top of her shoulder blade and then replaced the robe. Her skin tingled beneath the silk, and she fought the urge to reach for him. She wondered what it would be like if she finally made love with him—would he be gentle or fierce? Selfish or kind?

"What's that?" he asked.

She blushed and looked away—she'd been talking out loud again. "Where's my phone?" she asked. "I want to call Sophia."

"She called earlier," he said. "She's fine."

"Still, I want to talk to her," she insisted.

"After you finish your breakfast," he said.

"Sean," she complained. "Please I—"

"What did you just call me?" he asked.

"Your name," she said.

"Not after last night," he replied.

"What?" she asked.

"After last night, I don't want you to call me by my name anymore," he said.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, honey," she said, putting sarcastic emphasis on the pet name.

"It's a start," Sean said.

"Anyway," she said. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier."

"About what?" he asked.

"About keeping me safe," she said. "There's something you should know."

"What is it?" he asked.

"My Aunt Melanie has a younger brother," she said. "His name is Jimmy. I fired him when I began interning at Feather."

"What about him?" Sean asked.

"He was at Madison's party," she said. "He tried to drug me. I was able to fight him off, but it was close."

"I see they planned for everything," he said, his voice going cold.

"It did seem a bit overkill," she giggled.

"Don't joke about that," he snapped.

"Sorry," she replied.

He didn't respond—he was already typing a message on his phone. She sighed and moved the breakfast try aside, settling against the fluffy pillows. Though she didn't want to admit it, she was tired. She closed her eyes for a moment to rest.