Page 168 of His Reckoning

He shrugs. “Bad dreams.”

I push the blankets back and sit up. “Bad dreams don’t make someone fight the sheets like they’re in a war.”

He turns toward me slowly while his eyes narrow slightly. “You analyzing me now?”

“No.”

I hold his gaze. “I’m worried about you.”

That seems to catch him off guard. Just enough that his armor slips for half a second before it snaps back into place.

“I’ve handled it for this long.”

Something in his voice makes my chest ache.

The quiet resignation, mixed with the belief that this is just something he has to survive. Alone.

I slide off the bed and step closer to him. “You don’t have to handle it alone anymore.”

His eyes flick down to mine. “And what exactly do you think you’re going to do about it?”

I shrug softly. “Nothing.”

That clearly isn’t the answer he expected.

“I’m not here to fix you,” I continue. “I just don’t want you thinking you have to carry whatever happened to you by yourself.”

Silence fills the space between us. Sawyer looks away first as he runs a hand through his hair. For the first time since I’ve known him, he actually looks … unsure.

“I don’t talk about it,” he says finally.

“I figured.” Another quiet moment passes. I add softly, “But you could.”

His shoulders rise slightly with a slow breath. He stares out the window for a long moment, and then he turns back toward me. “You’re not going to like what you hear.”

I shake my head. “That’s not your decision to make.”

Another pause … longer this time. Finally, Sawyer exhales and drags a hand across the back of his neck.

“Tonight,” he says quietly.

My heart skips.

“Tonight?” I repeat.

He nods once. “After work.”

There’s something heavy in his voice, like he’s already regretting the promise, but he doesn’t take it back.

And for the first time since last night … I feel like maybe I’m starting to see the real man behind the armor.

Chapter Thirty

Sawyer

The elevator doors slide open, and I already know something is different.

The apartment is too quiet. Not empty quiet … waiting quiet. The kind that warns you something important is about to happen.