Page 78 of His to Keep
Must’ve been a dream,I reason as I stretch and settle back against my pillow.
“No, stop!” Scarlet screams, her voice shrill with terror.
I don’t think, I just react, grabbing my phone and my gun from my nightstand and running toward her room.
I’m tempted to clear the entire house but her frightened whimpers persuade me to forgo my training and go directly to her.
I shoulder open her door and enter her room with my gun drawn, but there’s no one there. No one other than Scarlet.
She twists and kicks and whimpers as she battles whatever monster is plaguing her dreams.
I flick on the safety and place my gun down on the nightstand before lowering myself onto the edge of her bed.
“Wake up,” I murmur, brushing her hair out of her face. “You’re okay, Scar. It’s only a dream. Wake up.” I jostle her lightly, but it’s enough, and before I know it, she launches herself into my arms.
“Oh, my god, El-Ellis,” she sobs, clinging hard to me. “It was s-s-so real.”
She’s shaking like a leaf and clawing at my chest, like she can’t get close enough.
“You’re safe, I’ve got. Just breathe, baby girl.”
She blinks up at me through tear-filled eyes and parts her lips like she wants to speak, but no intelligible words come out, only gut-wrenching sobs.
“Shhhh,” I soothe, holding her close. “It was only a dream. Not real. You’re here, safe, with me. I’ve got you.”
“N-not a dream.” It takes her a minute to get the words out. “A nightmare.”
I nod, my chin rubbing against the top of her head. “I know.”
“It was so real.” She shudders against me and then clutches me closer. “We... we were at my house, but he-he was still there and he k-killed you and threatened Fefe if I didn’t—” She devolves into another fit of hiccupping tears.
“I can’t even imagine. Truly. But I need you to calm down.” I pull my hand from her back and cup her cheek, guiding her faceto look up at me. “You’re going to pass out if you don’t take a full breath.”
But it’s no use. She’s too far gone, and her fear is a living, breathing thing, sucking all of the light from the room as it pulses around us, filling the room.
So, I do the only thing I can think of—I kiss her.
It’s meant to be simple—a quick press of my lips to hers meant to reset her nervous system—except she didn’t get the memo because, before I know it, she’s straddling my lap as she flicks her tongue against my lips in a way that has me threatening to pop a semi.
Not the fucking time, man.
“Hey, whoa, Scar.” I try to pull back but she follows, sucking lightly on my lower lip. “You’ve—we can’t do this.”
“Why?” she asks, and while I can’t see her face, I canhearthe pout she’s undoubtedly rocking in her voice.
“First of all, I refuse to take advantage of you.”
She rolls her eyes. “You wouldn’t be, but what’s your second point?”
God her smartass mouth shouldn’t turn me on—especially when less than five minutes ago she was hysterical to the point she couldn’t take a full breath—but here we are.
“Second, I don’t think friends kiss.”
She leans back and crosses her arms over her chest. “Some do.”
“Fucking hell,” I hiss as the heat of her barely covered pussy engulfs my cock. This is the most delicious kind of torment. My want for her is visceral, but the timing is awful. Beyond awful, really. I mean, my god, she still has tears tracks lining her cheeks.
“We’re already friends who cuddle.” She has the audacity to bat her lashes and stick out her lower lip. Her lower lip that I now know the feel of… the taste of. It’s like she was put onthis earth to tempt me, which makes me feel like a fucking dog, because who the fuck gets turned on at a time like this?
