Page 52 of Never the Same

“I—I don’t know. If they threatened people I cared about . . . ?”

“Maybe now’s not the best time to make guesses.” He let go as if just realizing he was holding on to me. “You’re scared and overtired.”

He was right. I’d had a good cry and a welcoming hug. Sleep was needed, and with any luck, tomorrow would be the day answers would come.

“Get some rest. I’m going to check in with my team, then do another perimeter sweep. You know, make sure your brothers see me from those satellites they’ve probably hacked so they know I’m not dropping the ball.”

I couldn’t believe it, but he had me cracking a smile.

He surprised me when he leaned in and slanted his mouth over my ear. “I gotta keep my heart in my chest.” He paused for a moment as I recalled Gideon’s words to him. Then he pulled back to find my eyes and added in a husky voice, “I can’t risk having it cut out . . . now, can I?”

Chapter Eighteen

Hollis

I startled awake, bolting upright. I slammed a hand over my chest, trying to catch my breath as Ranger crooned in response.

“It’s okay, boy. Not a nightmare.” I reached around in the dark room for his head. “The same dream. Always the same.” But why? “Same bed and . . .” My words faded as something dawned on me.

I threw my legs over the side and stood. Ranger flew off the bed on alert.

“No bad guy, sorry. But we gotta wake up your dad.” I nearly tripped over him on my way to the door.

Out in the hall, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, then slid my hand along the wall to get to Reed’s room. I didn’t bother knocking and tested the handle.

Running on adrenaline with the fog of sleep now lifted, I flung open the door with a little too much excitement and flipped on the light switch.

“What the—” Reed cut off his curse the second he realized it was me, not an intruder. Though I probably deserved a gun pulled on me for waking him like this. He sat upright and threw the covers aside. “You okay?”

“Nope. Yup. Don’t know,” I said in a daze, taking in the sight of him. I shouldn’t have checked out his near nakedness in only his light-gray boxer briefs, but it was a challenge not to notice his hard body and his hard-on. Wow, okay. Damn. I really had to stop staring. Why am I here, again?

“Shut your eyes,” he ordered while standing, cutting off my dirty thoughts, “or turn around, will ya? Give me a second to put something on.”

“Right, yes. Sorry.” I slapped both hands over my face.

“You’re good,” he said about thirty seconds later. I lowered my hands but kept my eyes squeezed shut. “It’s okay,” he added, his voice drawing closer.

I hesitantly parted my eyelids, slightly disappointed to see him in a gray shirt and black loose-fitting shorts since he’d been naked in my dream, and I’d guiltily enjoyed him that way.

“So, what’s going on?” He whistled to Ranger, and he hopped off his bed.

“Your bed,” I blurted out. “I know it.”

His face scrunched in confusion. “What?”

I pointed at the crumpled bedding as if that’d clarify things. “Even the bedspread. Same one.”

He lifted his hands up, palms facing out. “Walk me through this like I’m someone who was just woken up from the dead so I can meet you halfway here.”

I rested my hand on my chest, still needing to dial down my pulse. “I keep having the same dream.”

“Where you’re not a good cook?” he asked in a low voice, still utterly lost.

I’d forgotten I’d mentioned that part to him last night, and only that part. “No. I mean yes.”

He pushed his hands into his pockets, jaw set as he stared at me with weary eyes.

Poor guy. “I’ve been having a dream, and it’s always the same. Your bed is in it.” I clutched the hem of the shirt as if that might help ground and steady me, but when his eyes shot to my thighs and he walked back a step, I realized I was showing too much skin.