Page 45 of The Unbecoming

“You’re telling me to go fuck myself again, aren’t you?” I ask, and he smirks.

“I need to make sure it’s you and not the trauma, Nora,” he says softly, moving his hands to my hips. “You’ve been out for a day.”

“Alright,” I say, stepping back.

“Nora,” he says gently. I ignore him and move to the dresser to get a shirt out. I pull it on over my head before throwing the covers back and lying down.

“See you Wednesday, Dr. Carter,” I say, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders so I can wrap it tightly around me.

“Nora…”

“Lock the door on your way out,” I say, so calmly that it’s ice cold. I have literally no reason to have my feelings hurt, but they are.

He doesn’t leave, and that’s the most annoying part. He isn’t walking away, and I don’t want him to.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Owen moves to sit next to me, and I bury my face in the blanket. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn't need to. Eventually I lie here so long as I start to drift away.

Chapter Twenty-One

Owen

When I am confident that she is asleep, I move into the living room and call Luke.

“Hey, man,” Luke answers.

We’ve known for a while that I’d be the one Nora had therapy with, and Luke would be who she ended up working for. With Alex’s killer still being out there, we didn’t want to chance that they’d get to her.

“I fucked up,” I say. “I kissed her. Luke, I fucked up.”

“Chill,” Luke laughs. “She’s a grown woman and a smart one, too. She would have made it very clear if she wasn’t interested.”

“I hurt her feelings, and I didn’t even mean to. I want what’s best for her, and if I let her… Fuck, man. I’ve not let myself get that close to a woman since Chelsea and Parker…”

“I know,” Luke says.

“She saw the picture in the truck, and I lied,” I tell him, hot tears burning my eyes. “I didn’t want to tell her the truth because I don’t even want to believe the truth.”

“Ricky said she’s coming to the interview, so let's get the worst of it over with, and we can go from there,” he tells me. “You’ve spent the last year preparing not only to take on your first client since they died, but to help me save her.”

“I can’t walk away,” I say. “She cut herself. That’s why I’m here. She called me for help.”

“Then stay,” he says. “If the worst thing that happens to her going forward is her therapist camps out on her bedroom floor to make sure she isn’t alone, I think that’s pretty fucking good considering what she’s got coming her way.”

“Yeah,” I say. “You’re right.”

“So go dote on her. I’ll let you know how it goes,” he tells me. “You’re doing great, Owen.”

When I end the call, I go back to the room and see that Nora is still sleeping. I move to sit in the chair in the corner of the room. I just watch her sleep because I need her to know she’s not alone. She never was.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nora

I open my eyes to see light pouring into my room. My leg is throbbing, so I sit up. I nearly fall out of my bed when I see Owen sitting in the chair positioned in the corner of my room. He has his head back with his mouth slightly open as he sleeps. I get out of bed and tiptoe over to stand in front of him.

He stayed?