His Innocent Sera novel Chapter 6

Sera was on the edge of sleep when she felt a presence hovering over her. Her eyes snapped open in alarm.

........

He hated her. Everything about her just made his blood boil with rage- her hair, her lips, her eyes- especially her eyes that beheld the world with childlike innocence. He wanted to ruin her, to dismantle her piece by piece.

Nate stood over her, his glare burning into her back as she lay on her side, oblivious to his ominous presence. This wasn't the first time he had invaded her space. It was a daily thing now. An unspoken rule- he would come to her and she would give him whatever he wanted. It started the day he pulled the trigger on Nick. The disappointment for him in his mother's eyes had unsettled him so badly that he couldn't get an ounce of peace no matter where he wandered. To seek peace, he had come to her.

She irritated him- God, she did- but there was something about her, something untouchable by the darkness she carried that, strangely enough, soothed the storm inside him. Since then, he has visited her whenever he felt uneasy and quietly lay beside her.

He heard her breath hitch. She was awake and now fully alert.

She slowly turned, her eyes meeting him with neither surprise nor warmth. She broke their eye contact and sat up, her clasped hands resting on her lap.

Her gaze caught the blood-spots tainting his shirt causing a wave of disapproval to flicker through her features. She, unconsciously, scooted backward. Nate slipped off his shirt revealing a physique that was almost unnaturally strong for his age- broad, solid, imposing. She dropped her gaze to her lap, acutely aware of his stare burning holes into her face.

Suddenly, something soft hit her face. His dirty shirt landed on her lap.

"Get rid of the stains. Every last one," Nate commanded. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, pinching the fabric as if it would contaminate her. Without a word, she slipped off the bed and headed towards the attached bathroom.

After washing the shirt, she returned carrying his other shirt. She had a few of them with her. He made her wash his clothes as if she was his laundress. The despicable boy was sprawled across the bed. On her bed. She ground her teeth, exasperated by his nerves. The girl was tempted to throw him out but she knew her limits. With a quiet sigh of resignation, she walked over and sat at the very edge of the mattress.

She should have gotten used to his shamelessness by now- but she wasn't. She couldn't understand how he could invade her personal space whenever he wanted? Why he even come here if he hates her so much.

Indifferent to her uneasiness, he kept gazing at the wall across from the bed. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. She placed the shirt between them and lay down on her side, facing away. He wouldn't let her sleep anywhere else but the only positive thing was that he wouldn't touch her either. They would just sleep side to side. It's not that she had gotten comfortable but she had no other option.

Terror gripped her when she suddenly felt the bed shift beneath her. His warm breath caressed the curve of her neck, causing tiny hairs to bristle at her nape. The girl tried to move away but he prevented her by wrapping his hand around her fragile neck. She whimpered as a wave of panic washed over her. He brought his mouth to her ear.

"Who was the boy you were talking to in the library?" he asked, a hint of menace underlying his calm tone. She froze, caught off guard. How did he know? He wasn't in the library. She had only been helping a boy with the syllabus.

"He..he was asking a question," Sera stammered, her heart lodged in her throat.

"A question that made you smile," he murmured, his fingers tightening around her throat. Sera squeezed her eyes close, feeling trapped now. She didn't even know she had smiled.