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“Tiffany. Wake up, baby. You’re having a nightmare.”
Lukus’s voice was reassuringly strong, allowing Tiffany’s dark dream to slowly slink back into the recesses of her mind where, no doubt, it would come out to torture her again. Her eyes fluttered open, seeking the comforting reassurance of Lukus’s protection from a dream that had haunted her for what seemed like forever. Her breathing was labored as she tried to calm down.
Lukus pinned her ocean-blue eyes with a probing glare, seeking to ascertain if she was okay. In the dim pre-dawn light, Tiff could see the concern etched on his face. She tried to pass off a reassuring smile, but she was pretty sure her shivering gave away her mental status. She tried to keep the quaver out of her voice as she replied. “I’ll be okay in a minute, Lukus. I just need to wake up a bit and then I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not fine. You were actually screaming as if you were hurt. What the hell were you dreaming about?”
Lukus had rolled her onto her back and was hovering over her, blanketing her as if he meant to stand between her and anything that dared threaten her. Tiff couldn’t resist reaching up to stroke his stubble-covered face, taking comfort in feeling he was real and not just a figment of her imagination.
My own Prince Charming, intent on coming to my rescue.
His watchful concern was touching and made Tiff’s heart flutter. He was being so protective of her, even against her imaginary demons. Still, she had no intention of discussing her recurring nightmare, at least not tonight, and not with Lukus. There was nothing he could do about it, and the details were just too intimate and embarrassing.
She couldn’t help but question why the dream would resurface tonight, but realized the answer was obvious. It was no coincidence the dream, which had been gratefully dormant for over a year, chose tonight to rear its ugly head. Her face must have portrayed her epiphany.
“What is it? Talk to me.”
Lukus stroked her hair, carefully swiping the sweat-dampened locks away from her face, removing the last small veil she had to hide behind. He didn’t have to say another word. His last command was hanging in the air. She knew he expected answers.
Damn him. He knows it’s important. I don’t know how, but he knows.
Tiff fell back on her first line of defense. She snapped her eyes closed, trying to hide her disorganized emotions from Lukus long enough to formulate a truthful answer which would both appease him and would still protect herself from the pain of delving too deep into her demons. It was bad enough they crept up and impacted her sleep. She’d be damned if she was going to let them start to infiltrate her waking hours as well.
“Open up, Tiff. You can’t just close your eyes every time you don’t want to talk to me.”
Keeping her eyes closed, she replied. “Of course, I can.” She let a playful smile creep to her face, hoping her sassy response would distract him from his original mission.
“I’ll rephrase. Youwon’tclose your eyes every time you don’t want to talk to me. Open.”
Tiff wanted to be angry at his tone… at his expectation he could demand and she would just obey. But now that her protective dam had fallen, she found a welcome, warm burn igniting deep within as she realized that for the first time, she’d met a man who wasn’t going to let her roll right over him. The realization was both frightening and strangely exciting. She finally took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see he’d moved even closer; his handsome face hovering just inches away.
“That’s my girl.” His possessive words mingled with his intensely dominant gaze to make her feel as if she’d just been encased by his protective shield… as if nothing was ever going to hurt her again. It felt damn good.
“Now baby, I think I’ve made my point clear, but just in case you missed it, we’re not going to follow in Markus and Brianna’s footsteps and avoid talking about topics that may feel uncomfortable. Be warned. Just like down on the stage last night, I didn’t try to hide anything from you. I took a chance by telling you the truth, knowing it might hurt you. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I’ve never been one to play games. That means we may end up having to say things to each other that might hurt or feel embarrassing, but I don’t give a shit. I can’t fix things I don’t know about.”
“Lukus, I get it. But truly… there’s nothing for you to fix. It’s just a dream I have sometimes….”
Before Tiff could finish her sentence, he interrupted. “So, you’ve had it before?”
“Yes, but...”
“And is someone hurting you?”
“Yes, but...”
“Sexually?”
Tiff was tired of him cutting her off. She was also aware he was quickly homing in on the root of her nightmare. “Lukus, please. Let it go.”
The standoff had begun. He held, waiting for her response. She refused to answer and had to work hard to keep her eyes open as she watched the emotions flit across Lukus’s face in the dim lighting. She could see his determination. They were suddenly playing a game of chicken. Who would flinch first? The long, silent seconds dragged on like hours.
Damn… he’s good at this.
“Fine. It’s a nightmare I’ve had on and off for the last few years. I honestly haven’t had it in so long I’d hoped it was gone for good. Apparently, I was wrong.”
“Who’s in it? Who’s hurting you?”
She knew the truth was going to set off fireworks, yet he was the one who laid down the rules. Tiff got a small feeling of hollow victory at the thought of answering him truthfully.
