I had already decided that I’m going to make her mine. This just might mean that the timeline is a little bit accelerated. And that thought sends a rush of excitement through my blood.
But there is a time and a place. Right now she needs me to be her savior, and I will play that part. Not even a part - it is who I am to her, who I will always be. Her protector.
If anyone else so much as looks at her sideways tonight, they ought to know that they can expect to meet my fist as well.
Chapter Ten
Ashley
It takes me a while to calm down after our encounter with the boys in the restaurant. I don't know how long has passed before I even stop trembling, and then I realize that I’m pressed up against Fernando's side. He's been holding me ever since we left the restaurant, and I was at first too dazed to even acknowledge what was happening.
But now I realize what is going on, and it fills me with excitement. A kind of strange excitement, tempered by the fear, and by the thought that he might not see it quite the same way that I do. But his body is so close to mine, I feel his strong arm around me, and I not only feel safe but also aroused. I imagine his arms around me in another setting—in bed— and my heart rate soars.
I realize that we’re walking back towards my hotel, and why shouldn't we? I should have realized that this was our destination, given the fact that Fernando already mentioned it in the restaurant, it was time to head back. But now a multitude of thoughts press through my mind. Is he coming back to make sure that I get home safely, and will he leave then? Is this the end of a wonderful day and a wonderful night, ruined by some idiots? Or is this potentially the start of something new? Will he come inside? Can I convince him to do so, given that I still need his presence?
I don't know where I find it in me to be a little bit brave. Maybe it's the fact that he made me feel so safe, that I feel like I will never be in trouble when I’m around him. Maybe it is the fact that I was in much greater danger than just a little bit of embarrassment a short while ago, and that makes me think that any risk is worth taking. Whatever it is, it gives me the courage to look up into his face when we reach the lobby, and then to look down at the bags which he is still carrying for me, and open my mouth.
“Will you come upstairs with me?” I ask. “If you could bring the souvenirs into my room, that would be really great.”
“Of course,” he says, his voice slightly puzzled and a little rough. “I’m not going to leave you right now, after what just happened. I want to make sure you’re alright.”
The natural impulse that hits me is to tell him that I’m alright, but I don't want to spoil the moment. I want him to come upstairs with me, to think that he has to come and check that I'm okay, so I don't want to say anything right now. I keep my mouth shut as we walk into the elevator, and then we head upstairs and along the short passage to my room, and I unlock the door just as normal.
This is it. This is the moment that I've been waiting for. I could say something now and ruin it, or I could say something now to save myself from maybe potential embarrassment later on. But I don't want to do that. I want him to come inside. I want him to take me. And he can't do that if we're standing out in the corridor. I head inside, and Fernando follows me like it's the most natural thing in the world. He places down the bags that he brought with him on the desk in the corner. Then turns.
I hope that he won't say something like immediately make an excuse to leave, and my fears are allayed when he simply starts looking around the room.
“It’s not a bad room,” he says. “Is it comfortable?”
“I haven’t had any problems yet,” I say, closing the door and placing my key down on the table next to my bags. I don’t want it to seem like I’m locking him in – but I definitely don’t want him to go.
“Come and sit down,” he says, gesturing towards the bed. “You need to rest, after what you’ve just been through.”
“I’m alright now,” I tell him, though I do as I’m told. “Thank you, for standing up for me. Doesn’t your hand hurt?”