Page 20 of Canvas of Lies
We spent the rest of the day lounging around the cabin, watching old DVDs, eating sandwiches, and throwing popcorn at each other as the evening wore on. By the end of the second movie, Kat was half asleep where she lay curled at one end of the couch. I switched off the television and held out a hand to tug her to her feet.
Neither of us said much as we prepared for bed, though I eyed her suspiciously when I came out of the bathroom and found her nestled under the covers already with her eyes closed. I turned off the lights and slipped into the other side of the bed, waiting for her to speak—or to make her move. It wouldn’t surprise me if she simply reached out to take what she wanted. Every muscle in my body coiled in anticipation.
Instead, she sighed softly and murmured, “Goodnight, Nico.”
For a moment, I stayed silent, staring up at the ceiling, then I rolled my head to the side to look at her. “Goodnight, Kitten.”
Sometime before dawn, I jolted awake. A flash of annoyance shot through me, given that my dream—featuring Kat wearing very little clothing—was about to take an erotic turn. It was followed by a bolt of panic, thinking maybe an alert that one of the cameras scattered around the property spotted something had woken me.
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and quickly scrolled through the camera feeds, but there were no notifications and I saw nothing of concern in any of the footage, not even a raccoon or deer passing through.
Just as I set the phone down again, I heard a soft whimper and realized that must have been the sound that had pulled me from the dream.
Carefully, I rolled back onto my side to face Kat. She was perfectly still, curled in a tight little ball with the blanket clutched under her chin. After a moment, another quiet whimper slipped past her lips.
“Hey,” I said softly, setting my hand against her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Wake up, Kat.”
She didn’t flail or thrash, but her eyelids squeezed tight and she shook her head slightly. I gave her shoulder a gentle shake and her eyes suddenly flew wide, black discs against the pale oval of her face. She blinked owlishly for a minute before finally focusing on my face.
“Nico?”
“You were having a bad dream,” I murmured, brushing her hair back from her forehead. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
She shook her head more definitely this time, then opened and closed her mouth twice before whispering, “No, I just . . .”
A trembling breath passed her lips and I couldn’t help myself—I held open my arms. “Come here. I’ll keep the nightmares away.”
Without a word, she immediately scooted against my side to lay her head on my chest. I laced my fingers with hers at the center of my abdomen and ran my other hand gently up and down her arm, avoiding the bandage I’d wrapped around it earlier.
Though she didn’t speak again, she nestled in, her ear resting against my heart. Something about that felt so intenselyrightthat I had to keep myself from tightening my arms.
I couldn’t tell when she drifted back to sleep, but her tension slowly eased, her breath evening out as her body softened against me. What I did notice was the contentment that seeped through my own limbs as I held her.
Like everything I needed was right here in this room.
I fell asleep with her hand still clasped in mine and my other arm tucked snugly around her.
Chapter Seven
Kat
WhenIawokethenext morning, sunlight peeked around the edges of the curtains. I was curled against Nico, my head still on his chest, my palm resting against rock solid abs. Though I vaguely remembered him holding my hand there, in sleep he’d flung that arm up above his head on the pillow.
I tilted my chin carefully to keep from waking him as I studied his features.
A faint growth of stubble shadowed the line of his jaw, making me itch to run my fingertips over it. He looked younger, more vulnerable, and terribly handsome with a lock of black hair tumbling across his forehead. The way his arm curved over his head revealed sleek, corded muscles that caused my pulse to trip over itself.
Been doing more than just programming computers. What else has he been up to?
He was as beautiful as ever, but I definitely appreciated the maturity of this look over his gangly adolescence or lean teenage years. A low hum vibrated against my cheek as he cracked open one eye to peer down at me.
“Morning,” he said, his voice gravelly with sleep. “No more nightmares?”
I snuggled back down against his chest. “No, you really did keep them away. Sorry I woke you.”
Though he tucked his bent arm behind his head, his other hand lifted to stroke lightly over my hair. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from uttering the appreciative murmur that rose in my throat.
For a moment, I thought I’d succeeded, but then he chuckled softly. “Are you purring, Kitten?”
