Page 10 of Found By the Mountain Man

His eyes are closed, and he’s thrashing wildly. He moans, and the sound is so guttural it sounds like a dying animal.

“Rhys.” I push the rifle away with my foot in case he freaks out and grabs it.

“Rhys.” This time I say it louder and give him a shake, trying to wake him up. “You’ve having a bad dream.”

He pushes against me but I crouch next to him, taking his broad shoulders in my hands.

“Rhys, wake up!” His eyes fly open and he looks around wildly, his pupils like saucers.

“It’s me, Indigo.”

His gaze settles on my face, and he sucks in large breaths as his pupils return to normal. Beads of sweat pool on his forehead and I wipe them away with the back of my hand, smoothing his hair back.

“You were having a nightmare.”

He doesn’t speak, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him vulnerable.

“I’ll get you a glass of water.” I go to stand up to give him some time to compose himself, but he rises onto his elbows and reaches for me.

“No. Stay here.”

I crouch back down, and he sits up and leans into me. My arms wrap around him, and I pull his head to my chest. My hand runs down his back, soothing him as I rock gently. It’s how my mom used to hold me when I woke up with night terrors.

“Were you sleeping on the floor?”

He pulls his head back, and his eyes are deep pools in the dim light. “I was making sure no one can get to you.”

He says it so matter-of-factly, but the gesture touches me. That he would sleep outside my door, like a guard. “I thought you were sleeping on the couch.”

“I’m protecting you.”

My heart opens to this man. Damaged in his own way, protecting a damaged girl. But I can’t let him to sleep on the hard floor.

“You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

I sit back, releasing him, and he gets up and gathers his cushion and blanket.

“You can put me back on the couch, but I won’t stay there. You’re mine to protect, Indigo…”

“You’re not sleeping on the couch or the floor.” I push open the bedroom door. “You’re sharing the bed with me.”

He hesitates, and my heart climbs into my throat. Maybe I’ve been too forward. Maybe I’ve misinterpreted the signs.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I take his hand. “I’m not leaving you out here alone, Rhys.”

He follows me into the bedroom, and we climb into bed together. Rhys takes the left hand side, putting himself between me and the door.

I mean to keep my distance, but with Rhys beside me I can’t. We get in on opposite sides of the bed, but we find each other in the middle.

His arm drapes over my hip, and my body molds to his. It’s as if we’re made for this, as if we’ve done this a hundred times.

I lie in the darkness enjoying the heat from his body, but questions run through my mind.

“Do you often have nightmares?”

For a long time Rhys doesn’t say anything, and I think he’s fallen asleep. Then he speaks. “Ever since my first kill.”

---