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If—when—he found out who’d done it, they were going to be in a world of pain of his making, and he would make fucking sure the scars they bore were displayed where everyone could see them.
The mattress shifted as Caera’s legs moved, and he waited patiently for her to assess the next step of her plan. As expected, she sat up and swung her legs out of bed, pausing to see if she’d disturbed him.
“If I want coffee, I’ll have a damn coffee,” she whispered.
Quick as a whip, Saul rolled onto his side, lashing out and hooking his arm around her waist, ignoring her startled yelp as he hauled her back against him. “Naughty, naughty baby bunny.”
She whimpered and pushed at his arm. “I want coffee!”
“Tough shit, Caera. I’m not here to stand by and watch you self-destruct.” He was incredibly grateful for his briefs as he settled her into him, her ass pressed firmly against his cock, which perked right up at the most inappropriate time. He heard her gasp when she realized he was aroused. “Make yourself comfortable, close your damn eyes, and trust me to take care of you while you sleep.”
She was rigid from head to toe. He could have bounced a quarter off her shoulders, they were so tight, and he suspected she’d stopped breathing. “There’s something poking me.”
He laughed and arranged his free arm under her head for support. “If you don’t wiggle, it will go away. Just relax and forget about it, it won’t bother you.”
“It’s motion-activated?” The horror in her voice tickled him.
Fucking adorable, he thought again.
“My cock is not a T-Rex, Caera. It doesn’t have teeth, it doesn’t chase people through dinosaur parks, and it won’t eat you.” Saul slipped his arm from around her waist, resting his hand on her hip. With slow strokes, he ran it up her side to her ribs, back down to her thigh. “Have you watched Jurassic Park?”
Her nod was jerky. “I didn’t like the part where the goat got eaten.”
“Pretty sure no goats were harmed during filming.” He continued to stroke her side, not venturing anywhere else between the two points he set. “Are you a movie buff?”
“Not really. Books and movies are all the company I have.”
Well, he was going to change that. When she was ready, he would take her to Avalon to meet his friends, and extend her social circle. The Avalon subs were a friendly group, and he knew for a fact that Archie would tuck her under her wing before Connie had a chance to do the same. They were loyal, protective, and they took care of their own.
“An avid reader, huh? What do you like to read?”
Simple conversation that didn’t revolve around her issues seemed to settle her. Under the caress of his hand, she lost some of the stiffness, but he heard the embarrassment in her voice when she said, “I used to like reading romance but…”
“But?”
She twitched. “Kinda hard to read about happy-ever-afters when you know you’ll never find your own. People falling in love, having sex, being normal…it’s depressing when you have no one.”
Was it his imagination, or was she slurring her words? “There’s no reason you can’t have a happy-ever-after, little rabbit. There’s someone for everyone.”
“Not for me.” Her legs shifted restlessly, rubbing her ass against his cock.
Definitely slurring. Saul slowed his strokes, gentling them so his palm kissed her skin. If she was falling asleep, he wanted to guide her there. Rather than arguing with her and saying something that disturbed the lull that came before sleep, he just tsked softly. “Even for you, sweetheart. I promise.”
Caera almost killed him when she shuffled herself into a different position, giving him a serious case of blue balls. His cock throbbed with a plea to be released, one he couldn’t approve. As she curled into herself, he changed his stroking from her side to her back.
Just like that, she was gone. A soft, ridiculously cute snuffle was confirmation she’d dropped off, and Saul exhaled slowly, knowing it was only a waiting game now until she lost herself in the night terror.
Part of him was vehemently cursing Connie for putting him in this position—and she would get an earful when he saw her again. Well-intentioned or not, she’d put him in a situation he hadn’t been prepared for, and definitely wouldn’t have accepted without a hell of a lot more information beforehand.
On the other hand, he would be eternally grateful to her for gifting him with Caera. They hadn’t spent a full twenty-four hours together yet, and already, the dissatisfied rift inside him was healing, closing off the deep chasm of loneliness he tried to ignore.
Tomorrow was a different day, and Saul was looking forward to exploring it with her. While he didn’t think she was up for hiking around a national treasure, maybe he could convince her to go for a walk with him. Conserving her energy, keeping what weight she had on her bones from melting away and trying to add more, didn’t mean giving her cabin fever in the process.
Fresh air and light exercise, a full belly, and keeping her clever mind busy would tire her. He intended to encourage her to nap, to rejuvenate her stamina and break the curse of her broken sleep patterns.
Of course, to get to tomorrow, he had to survive the night with a woman who was so susceptible to her subconscious, she couldn’t stop herself from blurring the lines between reality and dreams, her past and the present.
Saul couldn’t deny his heart gave a swift lurch when her hand fisted in the sheets. Body contorting, shoulders bowing, she gave a wrenching cry that would haunt him for a long time to come.
