Every Rose has it's Thorn.

Chapter 16 - Stay?

Hotel, Aberdeen;
Shayne Ackles...

My brother had booked the penthouse suite for us - it ensured that we were all in the same space but also allowed us our privacy with our own rooms. The suite was luxurious in a way that I have never truly been comfortable with. Yet, right now, it definitely made me feel safer than I imagined I would be feeling at this point.

Everything was pristinely presented - silver fixtures and fittings, soft pastel colours adorned the walls and the seating area. A large glass dining table sat near the entrance to the suite. Large sliding doors led out onto a wrap-around balcony. A small kitchenette ran along the side wall where a small hallway led to the 4 bedrooms housed within the suite. A large gas fireplace was by the sofa and chairs and gave a nice warm glow to the room. This was opulent decadence at its finest. Not at all my taste but there was no way I was kicking up a fuss tonight. No, tonight I just wanted to curl up and sleep.

Sleep. Not going to lie, I am a little worried that it won't come. I am terrified that I am going to be plagued with nightmares of what Jonah had done to me, earlier in the evening. What if I can't ever get past it?

What if my home never feels safe again? That alone is enough to make me break out in a cold sweat. My home has always been my safe place, my sanctuary - the one place where I can just let my hair down and be myself. Where I don't have to worry about what people think. Will it ever feel like that again? I truly fear that it won't. I fear that it will always feel like a place where I am no longer safe.

Hailey and my brother headed off to bed as soon as we locked the suite up. Of course, I was still clinging to Jeremy, and I hated myself for it. I have never been a clingy woman. I have never felt the need for a man to protect me. From anything. Yet here I am - feeling the need for him to remain by my side. I am terrified to even contemplate what could have ended up happening to me tonight if he hadn't shown up when he did.

Would Jonah have killed me? I mean, he had definitely had that look in his eye. You know the one I mean - the look where he was completely vacant. No sign of the man I had once loved with all of who I am. No sign of anything other than pure hatred.

When had he grown to hate me so much?

A small shudder raced through my veins and Jeremy gently wrapped his arms around me and held me close, his body a warm and welcoming comfort from the tormented form of my thoughts and feelings. My arms wrapped around his midsection and held on with all of my strength, "I've got you, Shay. Just let go, I won't let anything happen to you!" He whispered in my ear, and I was pretty sure I heard him breathe me in.

I knew he had me, I knew that with him, being in his arms, I was the safest I could possibly be, there was nowhere else in the world where I could ever be more, safe. And with that knowledge the tears came. Painful, soul-wrenching sobs escaped as he gently scooped me up into his arms and strode towards the bedroom furthest away from the one my brother and Hailey had chosen. I nuzzled into his neck as my arms clung to him tightly. Once in the bedroom, he carefully laid me down on the bed and stood up. "Please don't leave me. Stay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just-I can't be-alone, not to-tonight!" I sniffled as I wiped at the tears that were falling from my eyes.

Nodding his head slowly, he moved around the other side of the large double bed and took the spot next to me. Opening his arms to me, I shuffled in closer to his side. My head came to rest on his chest as his arms closed around me. This was where I felt safe. He was where I felt safe. The numb feeling didn't feel so disabling when I was in his arms. I couldn't explain it, I simply didn't know if I ever would be able to explain it but being in his arms, at his side - I knew that he would fight to the death to keep me out of harm's reach. I can still hear the way his punches had landed on Jonah over and over in my kitchen. The way he had grunted his anger at my ex. The look of possessiveness when he glanced at me. The shine of love in his eyes when he held me afterwards. He was my saviour, and I honestly couldn't think of anyone better for the job.