𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅 ━━ LYDIA MARTIN

74

"I'M SORRY," Reid whispered, his eyes closing at the feeling of Lydia's fingers running through his hair.

She had taken a shower and changed into his clothes. They were both lying on his bed with his head in her lap while her back was against the headboard. "For what?"

"What that bitch did to you," he responded, opening his eyes to look at her, "I should've killed her the second I saw her. None of this would've happened–"

"You gave her a chance," she muttered, "and none of this is your fault. If anything, this is on me. I should've known that someone was following me— it was stupid to come here alone."

"It wasn't," he lifted his head from her lap to look at her, having turned to lie on his stomach and elbows, "this house is supposed to be a safe place sort of thing y'know?"

"It happened once," she tried to resonate, "it won't happen again."

"Damn right, it won't." He flickered his eyes on his phone which was charging on the bedside table. Reaching out to it, he grabbed it as she questioned, "what are you doing?"

"Seeing where she is," he replied, his mind drifting to earlier when he was filling the duffle bag with money. He had also managed to slip a tracker inside so he would know where Genevieve was.

"What are you doing to do once you find her?" The strawberry blonde asked out of curiosity. She didn't mind him killing her for once although the thought of murder sent chills down her spine.

He was silent for a few seconds as he located her on his phone. His brows furrowed once he saw that she was in some house. "What I should've done."

"Kill her, you mean." She spoke earning a nod from him. "Yeah," he went to lie beside her, tossing his phone to the side.

"When? Tomorrow?" She asked as she drew closer to him, placing her head on his chest. The two had this unspoken agreement that everytime they'd sleep together, they would cuddle.

Reid was never one to do that but somehow he found that being one of his favourite things when it was with her. On top of that, he didn't need his sleeping pills anymore— at least, when Lydia was around. Settling a hand on her waist while the other one went behind his head, he finally replied, "tomorrow. It's pretty late now. Let her enjoy a few more hours of her miserable life."

"Can you tell me something?" Without waiting for a reply, she quickly added, "and be honest, okay?"

"Yeah," he looked down at her, "shoot."

"Are you with me only because of the mate thing?" Reid would be lying if he said that her question didn't throw him off-guard.

The strawberry blonde was staring at him expectantly, waiting for a response. Reid opened his mouth, about to reply but then he closed it almost instantly. Lydia hummes to herself at his silence before sighing, taking it as a yes. "Okay, that's fine. I just wanted to know."

Upon seeing the rejected look on her face, he was quick to speak, cursing himself for not replying. "No," he spoke making her look at him again, habing turned her head back to the front earlier, "no, I'm not with you only because of the mate shit."

"Are you being honest right now?" She asked to which he nodded, "yes."

"So you like me then?" She gave him a small smile resulting in him mirroring her expression, "a lot."

"Good," a chuckle left her lips at his words before it died down and she offered him yet another smile, feeling nothing but happiness at that moment, "because I like you a lot too."

"Do you now?" He couldn't help but grin at her words. It was the first time someone was telling him those words meaningfully. Lydia nodded as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and placed a kiss on his skin, "I do. You know, I only ever approached you at school because I needed a distraction and you were there, the new guy, looking hot as hell."

"Just what every guy wants to hear," sarcasm was filled in his tone, "how'd that turn out for you?"

"Better than I've ever expected," she began trailing her fingers down his chest which earned a chuckle from him, "you were supposed to be a distraction as well. But then you began with this whole friends shit and I couldn't bring myself to sleep with you."

"Me neither," she plopped up on her elbows to look at his face, "but then I found out about us being soulmates and I... I don't know, I couldn't stop myself."

"Yeah, remember when you jumped my bones like holy fucking sh—" he was cut off by a pair of familiar soft lips on his. He wasted no time in kissing her back, one of his hand going to the back of her head as he pushed her closer, slipping his tongue inside her mouth.

"I could do this all day," he breathed out once they parted away. She chuckled in response before placing her head back on his chest, "that was a goodnight kiss, by the way. Go sleep."