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They sprang open, and he grabbed her wrist, gripping it hard. His other hand drew back into a fist.
“Ford! It’s me, Autumn.”
She saw when reality returned because he let her go. Opening his hands, he looked at them, then swung his legs to the side of the bed. She took a step back and he rose.
“Do you want me to sleep in here with you? You were having a nightmare. I could do that and still hear if Ritchie wakes.”
He walked away from her and picked up a bottle of water that was on a low table. Opening the cap, he drank deeply. He lowered the bottle to the table and turned.
Moonlight and her eyes adjusting to the dark showed Autumn the raw, open expression on his face.
“Ford, let me help you.” She started toward him.
He took a step back out of her reach and held up a hand. “You need to leave, Autumn.” His voice was thick with sleep.
“Let’s get on the bed and lie down. We can talk if you want. If not, I’ll just lie there with you.”
“No. Just go. You need to leave now.” His words were cold and hard now. “This, you and me, it’s wrong.
“What? Why?” She actually shook her head.
“It just is. Now go. I don’t need your help.”
“You’re pushing me away because you had a nightmare? That doesn’t make sense. Let me help you.”
“It doesn’t need to make sense,” he growled. “It’s what’s going to happen. I could have hurt you.”
“You would never hurt me.” She felt a knot of tension balling in her belly when his expression never changed. “Let me help you, Ford. You need to deal with this.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. You need to leave now. I don’t need you. I don’t want us.”
She flinched at his tone. She’d never seen this side of him before. “You know that doesn’t make sense. It’s not a weakness to have nightmares. Let me help you like you’ve helped me.”
He stood a few feet from her. Hair mussed, his face looking like it had been carved in granite. Hard and cold.
“I don’t need your help. What I need is for you to get out of my room.”
“You would never hurt me, Ford. You can’t live your life like this.”
“I can live my life how the fuck I please. Now leave.” He turned away from her and looked out the window. “This—you and me—was wrong. I thought it could work out, but tonight made me realize it can’t.”
She gave him a final look before turning and walking out the door. She heard him close it softly behind her, and the key turned in the lock.
“Autumn?” Nash was coming down the hall. “I heard a shout. Is everything okay?”
“Your brother was having a nightmare. I woke him.”
“Okay, what else happened?” He looked rumpled, a crease line down his cheek, and he’d pulled his clothes on inside out.
“Nothing.” She wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t give in to what was inside her. “Go see if he’s okay.”
He touched her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, opened the door to her room, and entered. After closing it behind her, she climbed into bed beside her boy. Resting her hand over his, she lay there and waited for dawn to come.
Autumn managed a few hours’sleep and woke with scratchy eyes. Her sadness was now tinged with anger. He’d sent her away because he wanted to deal with his demons alone, yet he’d pushed her to confide in him about the possibility of her father being here in Lyntacky.
Why hadn’t he let her help him?
