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“With the way you acted, he probably thinks you’re a floozy, that you do that kind of thing all the time—just let random men touch you and bring you to orgasm.” I groan, lying back and pulling my pillow over my face. No man has ever given me what he did; no man has ever turned me on to the point I lost rational thought. No man has brought me to orgasm with a few words and a couple of strokes from their fingers. Then again, none of the men I have been with even came close to being a guy like Cobi. A man who vocalizes what he wants, what he needs, and demands compliance with a simple look. Just thinking about the things he said and did to me makes my body tingle and core tighten. “This is not good, Hadley, so totally not good,” I say while pulling my pillow from my face.
Still feeling the aftermath of my orgasm between my legs, I get up and take a quick shower then change into one of my nightgowns. Knowing Cobi will be back, I put on my robe, tying it tightly around my waist before I get back into bed. I lie there forever, waiting to hear him return. I try to think of what I will say to him when I see him, but before I can come up with some kind of explanation for my sudden sluttiness, I fall asleep.
My feet feel like they’re sinking into concrete as I try to run.
I open my mouth to scream, but no sound escapes.
I fight for breath, listening to the falls of his feet on the forest floor bringing him closer to my hiding spot.
“I can hear you breathing.”
I hold my breath when his voice echoes through the darkness surrounding me.
“I’ll find you, bitch. I will fucking find you and end you.”
An ear-shattering gunshot goes off, echoing through the quiet, and debris from one of the trees surrounding me scrapes against my skin, burning into my flesh.
I gasp for air as I sit up, holding my hand against my chest.
I fumble for the light next to the bed, knocking my lamp over in my haste and hear the delicate glass shatter against the floor as my lungs beg for oxygen. I toss the blankets away from my overheated body then throw my legs over the side of the bed and stand. I don’t acknowledge the shards of glass cutting into my bare feet as I stumble to the bathroom. I flip on the light and turn on the cold water, cupping my hands and tossing it toward my face, wanting to wash away the memories of my dream. When my breathing has evened out and I’ve rid myself of my nightmare, I fall to my knees then lie down and curl into a ball on the floor in my bathroom. As a shiver slides down my spine and cold seeps into my skin from the floor, I pull one of my towels over me like a blanket and hug it to my chest.
“Hadley?” My name is called as tears skim down my cheeks, and I stare at the white tiled shower wall across the room, unblinking. “Hadley?” The bathroom door presses against my back. Then, before I even take my next breath, I’m up off the ground and cocooned in strong arms and settled against Cobi’s hard chest. “Fuck, I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispers against the side of my head, and I close my eyes tightly, feeling safety and warmth slide through every cell in my body. When he settles into my bed with his back against my headboard, my eyes open. I see the room around us cast in blue and hear the soft sound of the ocean coming from my sound machine, making this feel like a dream.
“He was chasing me,” I whisper, tipping my head back to look into a set of worried eyes. “I couldn’t get away or scream.” My eyes slide closed and I bury my face against his chest. “I heard his gun go off and felt it, felt the bark from the trees around me cutting into my skin.”
“You’re safe now, Hadley.”
“I know,” I agree, burrowing deeper into him. “I….” I pull in a shuddering breath. “It felt so real, like I was back there.”
His warm hand roams down my back, and his softly spoken words seep into my skin. “You’re not there. You’re here with me, safe in my arms, right where you’re supposed to be. You’re safe, Hadley.”
Fresh tears fill my eyes and my grip on him tightens. He’s right, but he’s also completely wrong, because as safe as I feel in his arms, I also feel more afraid than I have in my entire life. I pull in a shaky breath, not sure what I’m going to say, but knowing I need to say something to him. But before I can open my mouth, his body goes rigid and his grip on me tightens almost painfully.
