Keep a weapon close.
“Eisley!”
I was jerked awake by Kansas shaking me wildly.
Tears made my cheeks itchy, and I sat up and rubbed them vigorously. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of my bedroom. Kansas sat beside me, looking at me with concern, and I broke.I threw myself into his arms and sobbed.
“Are you all right? I came as soon as I realized what the sound was.”
I sniffled and pulled myself up.
Kansas was in only his boxers. Even in the dark, I could see the outline of his toned muscles. But his chest… were those scars?
“Where are your glasses?” I asked, trying to divert the conversation.
“On the nightstand by my bed. Eisley, what were you dreaming about?”
I wiped my cheeks again. “Nothing. Just… old stuff. I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll be fine.”
“Will you, really?”
No, I wouldn’t be fine.
I stared at the thin red lines on his chest. They reminded me of… an autopsy cut.
“Kansas, your chest.” I touched the scars, and he caught my wrist.
“Would you like me to stay with you tonight?” he asked, his expression darkening.
“Are you sure?” I lifted the blankets and patted the space beside me.I was too tired to fight it.
His eyes drifted down my face and to my body. I wore a skimpy, sheer black nightgown. All of my pajamas were like this.Flashes of our kisses, his hands, and his words on the couch ran through my mind, and I quickly pushed them away.
“You’ve missed me, haven’t you, princess?”
“Eisley?”
My nightmare stirred again in my mind.
“I can’t be alone.”
Kansas slid under the covers and pulled me into his arms.I faced away from him, letting my back fall against his warm, hard body. I inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of his cologne and bourbon on his breath. After we’d fought, I went to bed early, and he sat downstairs and drank.
“You’re still having these dreams?”
“Nightmares,” I sighed. “Yeah. You don’t?”
“I try to block out that time in our lives. We’re more than that, you know that, right?”
I sniffled and moved closer to him. “I know.”
He grew hard against my behind.My body tightened, and I shivered.
“Hush…” Kansas whispered in my ear. He kissed my lobe and nipped it gently. “Go to sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed against him, falling asleep in his arms.
* * *
