Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
I reach out and catch her hand, keeping her from going to the door. “Here,” I murmur.
She looks down at my hand as I hold out one of my favorite tees toward her. It’s a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. For some reason, I really want to see Gabby in it.
“What’s this?” she asks confused, taking the shirt but looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Something for you to sleep in. We don’t have to have sex, but you can sleep here and let me hold you.”
“King …”
“Give me this, Gabriella. I want to hold you through the night. Maybe I just need the company. Hell, I don’t know. I think we both need it.”
“I don’t sleep that great,” she warns. “I may keep you awake.”
“I’ll chase the nightmares away,” I promise her.
A smile plays on her lips as she looks at me. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“If I don’t, then we’ll talk through the night until they disappear,” I compromise.
“You’re a crazy man, you know that?”
“I believe the word you’re looking for is determined,” I counter.
She laughs and then shocks the hell out of me by going up on her tiptoes and kissing my cheek. “Thank you, King.” I watch as she walks into the bathroom. Before she closes the door, she looks at me with a sad little smile. “It seems you’re always saving me.”
She closes the door, and I strip quickly. I’m not really the type to wear clothes to bed, and I normally go commando, too. Luckily, because I was staying at a strange club and you never know what kind of shit will go down, I brought some joggers with me. I grab them and put them on quickly.
Gabby comes out in my shirt, making me grin. My shirt swamps her. It falls just a couple of inches above her knees. She looks damn good in it, though. Looking at her now, I don’t get how anyone could say she looks like Lyla. I see nothing in common at this moment—and that’s a good thing.
“Go ahead and get in bed, Wildcat.”
“Okay,” she answers, pink tinting her cheeks.
I make quick work of brushing my teeth. Gabby must have laid out a toothbrush still in its packaging. Using it, I grab some mouthwash and then head out. I slide into the bed with a visibly nervous Gabby.
“Relax, Gabriella. You’re safe, remember?”
“Are you sure about this?”
“I’m actually looking forward to it,” I admit. I’ve had my own sleepless nights. Turns out, it isn’t easy saying goodbye to the future you planned for yourself.
She shakes her head. “You might be crazier than I am, King.”
“Do you sleep on your back or your side?” I ask.
“I kind of toss and turn and give up however I’m lying,” she mumbles.
“Then come here,” I order as I turn off the bedside light.
I hold her against my side, so that her head is on my arm, her hand is on my chest. At first, she’s really tense. Her muscles are so tight, I’m worried about her. I begin sliding my hand up and down her back, saying nothing. Eventually, Gabby lets out a breath that I’m almost positive she didn’t realize she was holding. She burrows in deeper as her body relaxes against me. I smile as her hand stretches out over me. “Goodnight, King.”
“Night, Gabriella,” I whisper back, kissing the top of her head as I continue to stroke her back. I slowly close my eyes, but they open quickly when I feel her hand find mine. One by one, her fingers lace with mine as her leg hooks into one of mine—leaving us touching everywhere. There’s nothing sexual about it, but it is oddly comforting. I bring our joined hands up to my chest and let them rest there. We stay like that until I hear her breathing level out and I smile. “Sweet dreams, Wildcat,” I wish out into the darkness of the room, kissing our joined hands. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for sleep to claim me either, and I welcome it.
Chapter 34
Gabby
I wake up slowly, enveloped in a heat that has my bones and muscles feeling languid. I carefully open one eye and from the window, I can tell the sun is starting to rise. I rub my eyes and look around the room and then immediately go still. I’m lying on top of King. His shirt has risen up and King has his hand flattened out against my ass. He’s asleep, but his cock is pressing against my center. I imagined I would be terrified, but instead I feel a small kernel of desire rising inside of me.
No, no, no.
I carefully slide off him. I expected to wake him up, but he just turns to his side and grabs my pillow, which was laying longwise by his side for some reason. I shake my head as I stand up. I did warn him I don’t stay in one place when I sleep. I have a feeling, however, that I stayed close to King all night. There is one thing I am surprised about—not one nightmare woke me up. Not one.