Page 33 of Unburied

And suddenly it hit her. Ellen thought she was an old friend, someone named Edna. It was on the tip of her tongue to correct her, but she swallowed it down as Ellen stared at her expectantly. Her heart hurt as she nodded and smiled. “They were.”

She turned her gaze away, hoping Ellen wouldn’t see the tears glazing her eyes. But she didn’t seem to notice. Ellen rambled on about days gone by, while Vivi mourned the woman who’d raised her—but didn’t even recognize her.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

Mason woke with a start, his body attuned to Vivi’s. Immediately, he registered her panting, uneven breaths, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Propping himself up on an elbow, he settled his hand on the curve of her shoulder. “Vivi. Wake up, baby.” Her head rolled on the pillow next to his, and she made an agitated gesture with one hand, her fingers curled tightly into the sheets. He shook her a little harder. “Virginia.”

She woke with a start, tearing herself away from him and drawing in a sharp gasp as her eyes flew open wide. She looked disoriented as her gaze flew around the room before landing on him. Her chest still heaved, and terror creased her face in the moonlight. He gave her a second to collect herself, carefully cataloging her reactions. “You okay?”

She nodded shakily and swallowed hard as she rubbed her chest with one hand, as if the motion could physically slow down her heart rate. “Yeah. Just… a bad dream.”

He pushed to a sitting position. “Want to talk about it?”

“I…” She dropped her chin to her chest, practically folding in on herself right before his eyes.

“Come here, babe.” Moving slowly, he looped one arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him. Her entire body trembled, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Whatever she’d been dreaming of had rattled her—hard.

“Everything’s fine,” he murmured against her hair. “Just relax.”

The tension gradually drained from her muscles as she melted into him, and he tightened his hold on her hip, letting her know he was right there with her. With his left hand, he drew the backs of his fingers up and down her arm in a soothing motion.

“They started once I moved back in,” she finally confessed. “I was here—in the living room. It was the same… but different. I don’t know how to explain it. Like, I could tell it was the living room, but it just felt different.”

“What happened?” he asked softly.

She hesitated, her teeth cutting into her bottom lip. “There's a guy… A man. Tonight was the first time I was able to make out his face. He...”

Another shiver racked her body, and he nuzzled her temple. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It was just a dream.”

“I know.” He felt her swallow hard. “It’s just… God, it felt so real.”

“They do sometimes.” He turned his head and kissed her temple. “Do you know who he is?”

She lifted one shoulder. “No one familiar.”

“Did he hurt you?” he ventured warily.

Her lips rolled together. “Not… Not like that. He accused me of stealing from him. Then he… touched my leg. Like this.” She grabbed his hand and settled it on her knee, then slowly slid it upward almost to the juncture of her thighs.

He fought to keep himself from recoiling. Why would she have dreams like that? His stomach clenched. “Has anyone ever…?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, my parents weren’t great, but I wasn't abused or anything. That’s what makes it so weird.”

Relief ricocheted through him, and he couldn't help but pull her into his arms. Even though it was only a dream, he found himself wanting to protect her from everything, anything. They sat that way for a long time, just enjoying the feel of each other. For once, Vivi wasn’t inclined to fill the silence.

“I'll be right back,” he said as he dropped a kiss on her temple. “I'm going to grab a drink. Need anything else?”

She shook her head and yawned. “Just you.”

Unable to help himself, he kissed her once more. “You already have me.”

He pushed up from the bed and silently made his way through the darkened house to the kitchen. It was a fairly long walk through the ranch, but he felt like he knew every inch of Vivi's house as well as his own. He'd spent nearly every night there for the past week, and he was looking forward to many more nights just like this.

Standing next to the sink, he opened the cupboard and pulled down a glass, then filled it with tap water. He leaned against the counter and sipped at it, lost in thought. Vivi still hadn’t talked with Knox about them, and he hadn’t pressed. He hoped she would hurry up and tell him so they didn’t have to tiptoe around anymore. He wanted⁠—

Motion in the backyard caught his attention, and he froze. Every instinct went on full alert as he watched the man’s form skulking around the back porch, outlined in the moonlight. He dashed back into the bedroom as quickly and quietly as he could, then yanked on a pair of jeans.