Trust Me by Kristin Mayer Read Free Book Online Page A

This is not the place for a breakdown, especially in front of a man I just met.
    I walk out of the restroom door in a fog. Damien gently grabs me by my shoulders and brings me to the corner of the hallway. He’s searching me all over.
    “Alli, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Do you need to go back to the doctor?” The concern and distress in his voice are clear.
    “No. Can you take me back to the hotel? I need to rest. I’ll pay for breakfast.” I hear myself talking, but right now, I feel so disconnected from my body.
    He continues to peruse me as if he’s missed something from his initial scans. “Don’t be ridiculous. What’s wrong? What happened?” He’s not letting me go.
    “Please, Damien, can we leave? I need to leave. I can’t talk about it right now. Please.”
    He studies my pleading face for a few seconds, and then he begins to escort me quickly from the hallway to the front of the restaurant. I feel so protected when he is around. He pulls out some cash from his pocket to cover our bill and gives it to the hostess before we leave the restaurant. He opens my car door, helps me inside, and then makes his way over to the driver’s side. As we drive to the hotel, I stare out at the streets of Miami in a trance.
    His voice makes me jump. “Alli, what’s wrong? Did I say something? You just all of a sudden shut down, and I don’t know what to do.”
    He pulls into the same parking lot across the street from my hotel, and he shuts off his car. I know I need to give him some explanation, but I am too tired to have this conversation right now. I know I would only break down into an absolute mess. Whatever it is we have going on, being the blubbering girlfriend with out-of-control emotions just seems a little too fast.
    “Can we talk about this tomorrow? I am so exhausted, and I don’t have the energy right now. It has nothing to do with you. I just need sleep. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
    I go to get out of the car, but Damien puts his hand on my shoulder.
    “I’m going to walk you to your room. There’s no leeway for discussion on this. Please let me do this because I need to know you’re safe.”
    I nod because I’m too tired to argue. He exits the car, opens the passenger door for me, and extends his hand to help me out. He pulls me into his side, and we walk across the street. I love the feeling his protectiveness brings when I’m in his proximity.
    We walk through the lobby of my hotel and into the elevator.
    He asks, “What room are you in?”
    “Room 717.”
    Pushing the proper button on the panel, the elevator begins its ascent to the floor. After we leave the elevator and reach my hotel door, he brings me in for a hug. He seems like he’s trying to figure out what’s going on, but I can feel my blank mask is in place. Over the last year, I have perfected it to keep people from knowing how not okay I was.
    “Get some rest and call me as soon as you wake up. I’m trying to give you the space you asked for, but it is taking every ounce of willpower not to keep you close to me. Here’s my card with my cell phone number on the back. Call me if you need absolutely anything. What’s your cell phone number?”
    Robotically, I give him my number as I pull out my hotel room key. Besides the sadness I feel from the loss of my parents, I have so much to process from my time with Damien. Right now, the spark is out of me.
    Bringing his head down to my eye level, he looks me squarely in the eyes. “Alli, I mean it. You can call me for anything. At least, just make sure to call me as soon as you get up, okay?”
    I nod. “Thanks, Damien.”
    He leans down and gently kisses my lips. At a time like this, it’s amazing that my body still responds to him. All too soon, he pulls away just enough to break the kiss.
    “I’ll talk to you this afternoon when you get up. Sleep well, baby.” He kisses my forehead, takes my room key from me, and opens my door for me. “Good night, Alli,” he