Page 24 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

"Lindsay. Lindsay, wake up."

She startled awake, bolting up. Wild fear in her eyes broke my heart.

I brushed her hair out of her face. "You had another nightmare. But you're safe."

It took a moment for her to orient herself. Once she did, her body shook and she cried. I wrapped my arms around her, wishing I could make all this madness go away. Eventually, she lay back, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you all right now? Do you want me to get you some water?" I started to stand but her hand gripped my wrist.

"Don't leave."

I laced my fingers with hers. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Can you stay here with me?" she asked.

I cocked my head to the side, wondering if she forgot that I was staying there. It was only for a few days until she felt safe again. Then my plan was to take the job offer in California. I was so eager to get away from Boston and all the misery, although leaving Lindsay wouldn’t be easy. At the same time, I knew leaving her was necessary for my own sanity. It didn’t matter how much I’d grown to care for her, to love her. She was Liam’s.

"I am here. I'm just down the hall."

She shook her head. "No, I mean here, with me."

I scanned my room, looking for a chair or something I could sleep in. "I suppose I could drag a chair in here or something."

She smiled sweetly. "No, right here." She patted the bed. "It's okay. I promise I won't attack you in your sleep."

Heat inflamed my cheeks. It took me a moment, but eventually, I gave in. It was selfish of me to think only of myself when she clearly needed comforting. I went to the other side of the bed and lay down on the covers.

She rolled toward me, our faces close. "Do you think the nightmares will ever end?"

I brushed my fingers along her cheek. "Someday. I suspect that once the case is resolved, we’ll be able to put it behind us." I kissed her forehead. "It kills me that you had to find him." What the fuck had Liam been doing here, and why had his killer followed him here?

“I still can't figure out why he was here. Maybe I should've changed the lock, but he had no reason to be here that I can think of."

"You’ll make yourself crazy trying to figure Liam out. He was changed." Frustration gripped me that I hadn’t been able to save him.

"The police think he might have startled an intruder, but I don't think that's true."

I shook his head. "I don't think so either. And by now, I doubt the police think that as well. They're well aware of what Liam was into."

She shuddered, and all I wanted to do was rid her of all this ugliness.

"Right now, you need to think good thoughts. You've got a great family. You've got a great job. Your future is bright."

She gave me a wan smile and snuggled closer to me. It was shocking how much I wanted to be her hero. To keep her safe.

She tilted her head back to look up at me. "Thank you for everything, Oliver." She pressed her hand on my cheek. "I don't know how I would survive all this without you."

I was in such awe of this woman. "You’re a strong woman, Lindsay. You'd be fine. But I'm glad I can be here for you. To be completely honest, I'm the one who needs you. Liam was all I had, and I failed him."

"You didn't fail him. You went above and beyond, but in the end, Liam made his own choices."

I knew she was right, and yet, I couldn’t help but think there was more I could have done. I could have not hit him. I could have fought harder to have him stay with me instead of letting him go.

"Thank you for saying so." We stared at each other for a moment until the desire to kiss her shocked me back to reality. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

She nodded. "But promise me you’ll stay here."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." I leaned in again, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. As I pulled away, she kissed my cheek. And then, inexplicably, she pressed her lips to mine. Every cell in my body lit up as her soft lips brushed over mine. I tensed to fight the desire and then I failed. The taste of her was too much to deny. I fell into the kiss, wrapping my arm around her to take it deeper. Lost in her, I pushed her back on the bed. She held onto me like she needed me. Was that what this was? Two lost souls looking for connection? Maybe for her, but for me, this was months and months of unrequited love coming to the forefront.

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