He’d never said that thought out loud. Rose’s breath caught, and her hand gripped his knee. Then she took his hand and squeezed.
He allowed the touch for a moment until he gently pulled away. “That’s what my nightmares are about.” He shrugged, because what else could he do? Cry? Yell? Scream? It was what it was. Life was shitty more often than not and you just had to push through it.
“I’ve heard you. During the night,” she admitted. Her cheeks turned a little pink. “And you know what I thought?”
“What?”
“I was glad I wasn’t the only one. How terrible is that?” She tugged on her braid, the blue tips bright against her pale skin. “I’m so glad someone else is suffering, too.” She shook her head.
“That’s not terrible.” At her continued head-shaking, he said more firmly, “It isn’t. It’s just…human.”
“So we’re both human?” She smiled sadly. “How sad. How mortal.”
She had yet to tell him what was going on with her, but he could wait. In this instance, he’d wait until the end of time for her. He didn’t want to consider why—why now, why this woman—but there it was.
She kept pulling at her hair until it was about to come out of its braid. “If I tell you what’s going on, will you promise not to tell anyone? And I mean anyone. Not the police, not your brothers, nobody.”
After a long moment, he nodded.
“I already told you that my ex won’t leave me alone. There’s more to it than that.”
His lips twisted. “I figured.”
In halting tones, she told him about how she’d met Johnny Porter at college. How she’d fallen for him quickly, how he’d seemed so charming and thoughtful and smart. How she’d been sheltered from the world thanks to Heath, and although she didn’t blame her brother at all, she wished she hadn’t been so naïve. So innocent.
“This part, you can’t tell anyone. Promise me.” Her face was pale and drawn.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “I promise, Rose.”
She told him of Heath’s arrest, of the drugs. How she’d known Heath was innocent, but he hadn’t had any money to get a good lawyer. How Johnny had told her he’d get the charges dropped and erased, and how she’d agreed to whatever Johnny had wanted.
With every word, Seth’s anger increased. He wanted to find that weasel of an ex-boyfriend and beat him until he sobbed for mercy. His hands twitched in his lap, and he could feel a vein pulsing in his forehead.
“But mostly I’m telling you this because I’m afraid for you,” she said quickly.
He blinked. “Me?”
“Johnny, he’s—he’s seen us. Together.” She swallowed. “He found me at the park today and threatened not only me, but you. I knew you should know. If you should be hurt because of me…” That finally caused her to sob, but she looked away.
“Rose, princess, look at me.” She wouldn’t look at him; she just shook her head. “I can take care of myself. And if that piece of shit gets near you again, I’ll kill him.”
That made her look up. “No, you can’t. Please. He has friends, people who can hurt you and your family. Don’t do anything stupid. Promise me.”
“You’ve been asking me to promise a lot tonight.”
“I just wanted to warn you. I almost have the money, and this will be over. I swear it.”
She became so agitated that she started trembling. He hauled her into his arms, the top of her head tucked under his chin. She shivered like she’d been caught in the snow, and he rubbed her arms and murmured sweet nothings in her ear.
He stroked her hair until she calmed, but he didn’t let her go. He couldn’t.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he vowed. “If I promise anything, it’s that.”
“Oh, Seth…”
“Don’t tell me no. Don’t tell me you’ll take care of yourself. I’m a soldier; I can take care of myself and I can take care of you.” When she looked up at him, he touched her cheek with a gentle caress. “I’ll watch over you, Rose.”
Her bottom lip trembled, and she buried her face in his shoulder. She didn’t cry; she just clung to him until her terror came under control.
To his surprise, she didn’t tell him to go home or move away. She tilted her head back, and looking at him from under her lashes, she whispered, “Kiss me, Seth. Make me forget.”
The decision had been instantaneous, but it felt right. Rose thought of her dream that had been polluted with Johnny near the end. She wanted that nightmare eradicated by reality. Here in Seth’s arms, she felt safer than she’d felt in a long time.
When he vowed to keep her safe, she believed him.
His eyes darkened, his pupils expanding until there was barely any iris left. She ached for his kiss like she’d never ached for anything in her life. Although her nightmares and her memories were present, she could push them aside right now.
She wanted something good. Something bright and clean and lovely. She wanted to be wanted for herself for once.
“Kiss me,” she said again. She pressed her hand against his thumping heart, and she felt him inhale.
When she felt his cock harden under her, she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I’m not going to take advantage of you,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced. His eye twitched; his jaw was clenched.
She trailed her fingers along his hard jaw, feeling the stubble there. “You’re not taking advantage if I want it.”
“You’re tired. You should sleep.”
She bit back a smile. Rising up, she looped her arms around his neck. “I’m not tired. And I don’t want to sleep right now.”
When she kissed him, she almost lost her courage when he didn’t move. He was like a statue in her arms—albeit a warm one. One who smelled so good and was so handsome it made her heart flutter every time she saw him.
She broke the kiss and stared into his eyes. She waited.
Then, he wrapped her in his arms and muttered a curse under his breath before he kissed her.
He didn’t just kiss her—he enveloped her.
Rose moaned, long and low, as his kiss deepened. She thought of their kiss outside, and she could say easily that that one couldn’t compare. This one made her skin feel too tight for her body, and she longed to have his fingers brush every inch of her. She opened her mouth further, making the kiss even more intense, but he laughed under his breath.
“Patience,” he soothed, his hands coasting down her spine. “We have all night.”
He didn’t understand—they didn’t have all night. They only had this moment. She began to kiss down his neck, licking at the salty taste she found there, and he tugged at her braid.
She found herself lifted into his arms a second later, and he carried her to her bedroom. She wasn’t even embarrassed that she didn’t have a bed: just a nest of blankets and pillows. It was a far cry from her dream, that was for sure, but this was better. In a dream, you couldn’t feel a man’s heat, or feel the play of his muscles. You couldn’t smell him, or discover scars and moles and freckles that marked him as painfully human.