Page 104 of Master of My Heart

Jayson had texted him, saying Sabrina had been struggling in her sleep for a few hours, but wasn’t waking up. He’d decided to come over after the Gathering and stay the rest of the night on the couch, just in case she woke up.

The clock on the wall said it was four in the morning. He’d been asleep for a couple hours but something had woken him. He looked around again. The apartment was quiet. He sat down on the couch and listened. Something wasn’t right, something felt off, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

A scream had him sprinting into Sabrina’s room a second later. She sobbed and thrashed about in bed.

“Sabrina?” He reached for her hand. She grasped it tightly, making his heart leap. She was still sobbing, so he sat and gathered her small frame in his arms. “Sabrina? Wake up. It’s just a dream.”

She shook her head, but didn’t fight him.

“Open your eyes,” he urged quietly. “Open your eyes and see it was just a dream.”

She sobbed and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before slowly opening them. She blinked, staring at his chest, then looked up at him, eyes full of terror. “He found me,” she choked out before burying her face in his chest.

“Chase? Is she okay?” Jayson stood in the doorway, Liz next to him.

“I don’t know,” he said, tightening his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. He stroked her hair. “You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he whispered. “No one will hurt you.”

When she tightened her arms around him, he couldn’t stop the sigh from escaping his lips. How many years he’d longed to have her in his arms, though he never imagined it would be comforting her after a nightmare. Still, it was heaven. Or would be once she wasn’t afraid anymore.

He rocked her gently. After a few minutes, Chase felt her relax. He looked down to see that she’d fallen back to sleep. Bewildered, he glanced at Jayson still standing in the doorway. “She fell back to sleep.”

His eyebrows raised. “Really?” He walked in and looked down at Sabrina, sound asleep in Chase’s arms. “I hate her nightmares. She stopped letting me comfort her after the first couple nights. Started locking her door.”

“Why?”

Jayson shrugged. “Said it was to protect me.”

“Hmmm.” Chase wondered if it was the sex thing, but didn’t say anything. He was too tired to argue. He started to move to put place her back into bed, but she tightened her hold on him. He looked up at Jayson, not sure what to do.

“You might have to stay.” He grinned. “Just watch out for her wandering hands in the morning.”

Chase sighed and shook his head. “I don’t need the temptation.” He tried to lay her down again, but even in her sleep, she wouldn’t let him. “What do I do?”

“Stay with her for a while. Then go back to the couch.” Jayson leaned down and reached for her, but she tightened her grip on Chase again. “Sabrina, Chase isn’t going anywhere. Lie down, okay?”

To his surprise, she relaxed and let him lift her out of Chase’s arms. He laid her back in bed and stroked her arm, then looked at Chase expectantly. “You have to stay now.” He laughed softly.

Chase glared at his friend, but in all honesty, the thought of going back to the couch made him sad. He wanted nothing more than to hold Sabrina in his arms all night long. But he was nervous about what Jayson called her “wandering hands.” An accidental sexual wake-up call would mean he couldn’t marry her. They had to be platonic until their wedding night. It was a very strict rule of the Brotherhood.

But even now, she reached for him. He figured he could keep it together for one night. He had to. Good thing he’d gone to the Gathering earlier. It would certainly make temptation less alluring. “Leave the door open. If you hear anything going on, please stop us.”

Jayson chuckled again. “Sure thing.”

Chase sighed as Jayson left the room and he stretched out behind Sabrina. He buried his nose in her soft hair as he wrapped his arms around her. He inhaled deeply. She smelled of vanilla. She snuggled back against him. His breath caught in his throat as her ass pressed against his hips and his cock twitched.

God, I do not need this right now.

He closed his eyes and slowly counted backward from one hundred, concentrating on his breathing and praying he’d keep his hands to himself in his sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sabrina woke feeling wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and safety. She’d never felt such a sensation upon waking next to a man. Normally, if they held her at all, she felt like a prisoner. But not this man. He held her tightly against him. There was something different about it, though. Something that made her feel like she could get up if she wanted to, but she really didn’t want to.

It wasn’t Jayson. Jayson was long and lean. This man was certainly tall, but he made her feel tiny, and it wasn’t just the huge body behind her. It was something in his very presence that made her feel that way. But it wasn’t threatening in the least.

He breathed deeply, one arm around her waist. His other arm was bent, his hand hidden beneath the pillow. Her head rested on his massive bicep. She was snuggled beneath the covers, but he was on top of them.

When she shifted, he tensed, his heart pounding against her back. He was nervous. She could sense it, but she didn’t understand why. Why would anyone be nervous around her?

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