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Talyn drew her closer as other emotions revealed themselves. It felt like there was a different person inside Sinead. The feelings were brash and sharp. When he focused on them, he could pick up the occasional word. This voice and those other feelings were trying to beat the joy out of Sinead.

He felt a surge of protectiveness for her. These feelings weren’t dissimilar to what his mom did to him. She batted at him with her torrent of instability, injuring him as she did so. The emotions Sinead hid felt like the same thing.

Talyn hated them. He wanted those feelings out of Sinead’s head. They had no place being inside her, making her doubt herself and feel she wasn’t good enough to be loved and taken seriously. Someone so gentle and loving didn’t deserve that cruelty.

Unease glimmered through him. She also did not deserve to deal with his issues. His head was a mess. Was it right that Sinead got trapped in his problems, as well?

Sinead stirred beside him, and Talyn froze. He didn’t want her to wake. He wanted to revel in these feelings for a little longer.

He gritted his teeth. He was also very aware of the enormous hard-on he had. Who could blame him? A gorgeous, almost naked woman was lying next to him, wrapping herself around him. He would be less of a man if he didn’t respond to her presence.

She murmured something, and her eyelids fluttered open.

Talyn brushed her hair off her face as she continued to stir.

Her body shifted against him, and her hips bumped his thigh several times. It only made his erection harder. It would be no trouble to flip her onto her back and pleasure her. The thought warmed him from the inside. If touching Sinead had this effect on him, he could only imagine how mind-blowing the sex would be.

Sinead mumbled something he couldn’t understand. She opened her eyes and blinked at him, her gaze not focusing. “Oh! I forgot. I’m here with you.”

“Booby, can we have more light?”

“Shall I pick something appropriate to the mood?” A warm amber glow lit the room.

“What mood are you trying to set?” Talyn asked.

“I’m sensing a hint of romance.”

Talyn shook his head as Sinead laughed softly. Her laughter grew louder when romantic music began to play.

“Booby,” Talyn warned.

“Too much?”

“No, I love it.” Sinead lifted her head, her attention on Talyn. “How are you doing? You had us worried.”

“I thought I was okay, but then the headache struck, and I could barely move.” Talyn shrugged. “I overdid things.”

“When I left the ship, I had a feeling that all wasn’t well. I had to come back and check. I didn’t care if you’d be annoyed, but I hated to think you were hurting and no one was assisting you.”

Talyn looked down at her mouth. “I appreciate your help.”

Her smile disappeared. “You need to deal with this problem. Booby told me this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

“Six hundred and forty-seven previous times,” Booby said, “not counting this one.”

“Thanks for keeping a tally, Booby.” Talyn shifted to ensure Sinead didn’t become aware of his hard-on. “I’ve got a handle on it.”

“You haven’t. I saw you were hurting, but you wouldn’t admit it,” Sinead said. “Has this helped?”

He let out a slow sigh. “You cannot imagine how much this has helped me. I wondered what was going on when I woke up. I didn’t have a single dream or nightmare. Nothing bad entered my head while I was with you.”

Sinead smiled and gave a little shrug. “Which is lovely to hear, but I can’t spend the rest of my life wrapped around you to make you feel better.”

“I wouldn’t object if you did.”

She chuckled. “It’s not been a hardship. I feel good when I’m with you, but you must do something to help yourself. There’s only so much a mind can take before something goes horribly wrong. It sounds like you’ve been dealing with this for a long time.”

Talyn looked away. “I’m managing fine.”