Page 24 of Reading Between the Lines
Alone.
Open your fucking eyes. Open your fucking eyes.
It’s a nightmare. A familiar fucking nightmare. I’ve been here more times than I can count.
Open your fucking eyes.
Open your fucking eyes!
Edging toward consciousness, I focused on connecting the synapses between brain and eyelids, forcing them open with all my might, knowing it was the only way to break free of the nightmare. They resisted, then released, and I flailed, gasping a lungful of pungently scented air like I’d been underwater for decades. The poisonous stench on my tongue made me gag, but I didn’t care. I coughed and sucked oxygen, still tasting residual blood that wasn’t there.
I ran my tongue along my teeth, finding them intact.
I was in bed.
Taking in the room, orienting myself, heart knocking a tattoo against my ribs, I remembered the B&B. The case. A nap. I’d taken a nap.
Glancing to the other side of the bed, I discovered Tallus fast asleep in the fetal position, hovering at the far edge of the king-size mattress. The man had gone out of his way not to intrude on my space.
Guilt swamped my veins.
I swiped a hand over my face, mopping the sweat that had gathered and blowing out a steadying breath. I hadn’t dreamed like that in a while, but when I did, I woke bone-weary from having fought so hard in my sleep. With Dr. Peterson’s help, we discovered that the bad ones only surfaced when my stress level was especially high.
Was it the prospect of sharing a bed with Tallus or the uncertain future of my business?
Muscles still clenched, I reached a stiff arm to the bedside table and fumbled with my phone, checking the time. We had an hour before meeting Delaney at her house.
I replaced the phone on the bedside table and rolled to face Tallus. The little shit had fallen asleep with his glasses on again,and they were askew. “You’re going to break these fucking things again,” I mumbled, carefully removing them and setting them beside my phone.
I debated what to do. He seemed peaceful, and I hated to disturb his slumber. Staring openly, I took in Tallus’s natural beauty, ignoring the knot of worry pulling tighter and tighter in my chest. A voice screamed a reminder that I needed to pull my shit together or lose him.
After ten minutes of inaction, of doing nothing more than watch him sleep, he stirred.
Without opening his eyes, he croaked, “You’re staring.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“I can feel your eyeballs creeping my body.”
“Can’t help it. You’re hot.”
“I know. I didn’t say I blamed you.”
“Modest as always.”
He chuckled sleepily. “What time is it?”
“We should get ready to head out.”
He groaned and rolled to his back, stretching his long, lithe body. With his arms overhead, his shirt lifted until I peeked the smooth, pale skin by his navel. My mouth watered.
“Touch me, D.” He licked his lips salaciously. “I know you want to.”
I growl-grunted something inarticulate.
“Was that a protest?”
“I…” God I wanted to. “We have to get ready to go out.”
