Page 39 of Reins

Was there anyone to comfort him? At least I had Ava when I got most of mine…

My fingers itch to trace the rough contours, to feel the heat of him wanting my touch.

Am I so desperate for the tiniest sign of acceptance that now I’m lurking over a sleeping man in the middle of the night like some sort of creep?

“Ros…” His voice trails off.

My name? Not Ava’s?

“Please,” he whines, then mumbles something I can’t understand.

What does he want? Why is he dreaming about me?

His rapid panting and whimpers of distress make my brain misfire in an urge to soothe whatever night terror he’s experiencing.

The moment I press my palm to his chest, his wild eyes fly open and he snakes his arm up, tumbling me against him to pin me between his body and the back cushion of the couch.

I’m wedged along his lean torso, trapped by the blaze of him pressing so tightly.

Blinking in the dim light of the microwave numbers, he shakes his head. “Ros?” he rasps. “What are you doing?”Just as quickly, he shifts to lift me up and off him.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble. “You sounded like you were having a nightmare.”

He falls against his pillow, his hand covering his eyes. “Yea,” he groans. “It’s the same almost every night.”

I’m not sure if I should admit what I heard. “You said my name.”

His elbow lifts to crack a glance at me under his palm. “This time it was you I saw lying in blood. Eli was standing over you with a pistol.” Squeezing his eyes shut, he rubs them slowly then pinches the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Same.” I feel so dumb to have disturbed him.

Except as I walk back to the bed, there’s a change in me I didn’t expect.

He held me and I liked it.

Chapter 22 - Cade

The images from my nightmare blend into the reality of those brief seconds that I held her in my arms.

I fucking hate myself for that moment of weakness. But the rapid rush of elation I felt when I opened my eyes to see her alive overrode my logic.

Big mistake.

Now I can’t unfeel the press of her body through the thin t-shirt or the pale flash of her thighs exposed under the long hem.

My shirt.

God damn it all.

Tossing and turning doesn’t let me fall back asleep. I only manage to doze until the light crests through the uncovered windows.

There’s a massive weight that feels as if it’s been lifted off my chest. I didn’t cause the accident that ruined my life.

It almost frees me, even knowing it’ll take a long time to rebuild the relationships I’ve severed over the years. Once the truth is out there, I know I can forge the bond with my family that I miss so desperately.

Fuck. Rosalyn has no one.

I need to find her a safe place to stay where she can find her own circle of people who will love her.