Page 110 of Bloom: Part 2

“Bloom!” I said louder, gripping his shoulder. His skin was clammy, and tremors ran through him. “Wake up! It’s just a dream.”

He twisted away from me, his lips forming a word but no sound came out.

I leaned closer, my heart pounding. “Bloom, you’re safe. You’re with me.”

But his body writhed harder, his head thrashing side to side. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were stark white against the dim light.

“Bloom!” I shook him gently but firmly. His eyes flew open, wide and wild, and for a terrifying moment, they didn’t seem to see me.

“It’s me,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “It’s Logan. You’re safe.”

He blinked, his breaths still coming in shallow, uneven gasps. His hands reached out blindly, and I caught them, holding on tightly. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “You’re okay. You’re here with me.”

Gradually the tension bled out of his body. His chest heaved as he gulped in air, his grip on my hands loosening. Shudders rippled through him, and his throat worked, but no sound came out. He opened his lips, tried again, but nothing.

With a groan, he folded himself into a tight ball with his back to me. A lump tightened in my throat. His body shook the mattress, so fragile like an injured bird.

Carefully I slid into bed with him and formed a protective shell around his body. The tension gradually eased out of his body until he relaxed against me and fell asleep. I watched him for as long as I could, knowing it was selfish of me to take him away from Smoky Vale and his family but not seeing any other way.

The next time I woke up, Bloom was staring at me. Almost gave me a heart attack. I closed my eyes and swore under my breath.

“Did I scare you?” He inched so close to me the tip of our noses touched.

“Yes.” I groaned, gathering him in my arms and rolling over onto my back with him on top of me. “I feel like I didn’t sleep long enough. What time is it?”

“Almost noon.”

“Already?”

“I’ve been awake forever.”

“Forever, huh?”

“Hmm.” He danced his fingertips over my collarbone. “I didn’t mean to keep you awake. Just some stuff from the therapy session.”

I stamped down the urge to ask him again if he wanted to talk about it. “You don’t have to apologize. We’ve both got a lot going on.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure I buy the reason your uncle came to Smoky Vale.”

“I know, but we were always close. Before I left the family, that is. This was the exact sort of thing he did when I was younger—hide me from my father’s wrath.”

Bloom sat up, straddling my thighs. He slipped his hands under my shirt and gave me that knowing look. I caught them in mine and held them tight.

“Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

“It can wait, can’t it?”

“No, it’s urgent. About us.”

“You’re leaving me?”

I’d already told him a dozen times that I wasn’t leaving him behind. The fact that he still asked didn’t sit right with me. Wasn’t I convincing enough?

“No, never. Quite the opposite.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “I want us to stay together—in a new place.”

He furrowed his brow, his eyes searching mine. “You mean…leave Smoky Vale? Leave my family behind?”

“It won’t be easy. I know how close you are to the bikers, but this is the only way I can think of to keep us bothandthem safe.”

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