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There’s a hint of anger in her groggy voice but mostly there’s distress and I know what this must seem like. No woman would be happy, waking up and locking eyes with someone like me in the middle of the night.
“You had a nightmare,” I say in a low voice, walking over to her and I sit on the edge of her bed. “I just wanted to see if you were okay. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She hesitates for a moment, before leaning back on her scrunched up pillow. “That’s...that’s,” she swallows, “kind of you.”
I nod, smiling a little and I feel warmth spread in my chest because yes...in some ways I am kind. “I’ll be out of your way, just let me fluff up these pillows for you...,” I reach behind her head when she lifts it and shake up the cushions a couple of times. “There,” I add, pulling away when she clasps my wrist.
“You could stay,” she blurts and lets out a trembling breath. “In case I have another nightmare.”
“Are you sure?” I ask but my heart thrashes in my chest, until I nearly blackout.
Something sparks in her eyes. “You don’t bite, do you?”
“Only if you ask nicely,” I rasp and she snickers a little, scooching over but she doesn’t pull up the cover for me. I’m a little disappointed but know I should count my blessings and lay down next to her.
We lie still for a while, until I put my arm out and Charlotte responds by resting her head on it, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. I can barely breathe but her breaths are calm and I want to follow this girl even where sleep takes her, and I don’t think I’ve had a single thought ever since I saw Charlotte that hasn’t been about her.
I’m losing it, but I don’t care.
What’s happening to me can’t be controlled and I’d only end up torturing myself if I tried.
Being around Charlotte excites me, makes me feel like anything’s possible and like I can do everything. I feel like a damn superhero whenever she looks at me, and as if what happened in the past is forgiven. There can be a new Troy Braidwood, one who would be fit for Charlotte.
“Hey?” Charlotte whispers and I turn to her. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Because I’m too busy thinking about how to make her mine.
“I sleep with my eyes open.”
She sniggers. “Okay, well I don’t. I’m so freaking tired that...,” she doesn’t even finish her sentence and she’s flat out cold. I take her in, finally able to look at her closely without her getting squeamish about it. I inch closer to her face, sliding my fingers over her brow bone, then her jawline, her throat.
When she remains emotionless, I slip a hand under her nightie, cupping one plump breast then flick the tip with my thumb before giving it a little twist.
A moan escapes Charlotte and she stirs but doesn’t wake up. Grinding my jaw, I slide the same hand down her flat belly before dropping into her panties. My head swims when I touch the fine fuzz and she lets out a pant. I’m dangerously tempted to dip a finger inside, stroke her until she wakes up.
Just until those eyes flare open. But they don’t and I let out a low groan, taking my hand back.
I grit my teeth, when frustration boils up in me. It’s been simmering the whole time and around Charlotte, I feel like a hissing cobra. One wrong poke, one wrong move and I’ll snap.
Making her mine better run smoothly, and so far so good. I’m already in her bed, even though I’m just here for comfort but next time she will be demanding more. I stroke her hair out of her eyes, trembling a little when she shifts and I badly want her to wake up.
Like this she seems too far away and in her sleep, she’s in a place where I can’t reach her. And I always have to reach her. To ease myself I wrap my other arm around her and something cracks in my chest when she inches nearer, seeking my closeness.
A smile crosses my face when I look at her trembling lids. Is she dreaming about me? Maybe she’s not so far away, after all.
Four
Charlotte
The next morning, I’m a little disappointed that Troy is already out of the bed. I shower before heading downstairs and when I see what he’s been up to, the disappointment instantly fades.
“Wow, you fixed the window,” I blurt with wide eyes. “You’re amazing.”
Troy grins at me, wiggling the door back and forth and he seems pretty pleased with himself. “You can’t even tell those little brats broke it.”
“You sure can’t,” I grin, taking a sip of my tea then glance at the clock. “Shoot, I need to be going or my boss will kill me. Think I was late three times the past week.” I let out a snort, dropping the mug and grab my keys when Troy blocks me.
Um...okay...
