AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No problem. You okay?”
“Yes. Hunter is with me. He’ll protect me.”
He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed in confirmation.
“You still have the address memorized?” Mari asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Have a good night.”
Mari ended the call and, with a shaky hand and a renewed sense of trust in her friend, Vanessa put the phone back in her pocket.
Hunter hugged her again. “Let’s get you to bed. There’s nothing more we can do tonight, and we know that Opal is safe.”
“How can I possibly sleep?”
“I’ll stay up to keep watch. Once you lie down, you’ll realize how exhausted you are.”
# # #
Hunter took her hand and led her to the bedroom.
“I need a moment to change,” she said.
He waited outside the room, checking his gun and making sure he had plenty of ammo. Who knew how many guys Jeremy had. She called him in, and he found her already in bed, covers pulled to her chest.
“I’ll be right here.” He bent down to kiss her goodnight, then switched the lamp on the bedside table out.
She closed her eyes and after a while, she drifted off, as he thought she would. He knew enough about dealing with an adrenaline rush and high-stress situations to know that once you started to come out of it, you crashed hard.
But now that she was asleep, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The covers had shifted some and more of her body was exposed. Her thin nightgown didn’t cover much. He could make out the lines of her round breasts and pointed nipples. He felt himself stiffen looking at her. He could sit and watch her for hours. And for half of the night, he did.
Hours later, she stirred. She twitched suddenly, then sat up. “Opal?” she mumbled.
He moved to her side. “She’s safe.”
She rubbed at her eyes. “Hunter?”
“It’s me. You’re safe. Opal’s safe. Go back to sleep.”
“But, I had a terrible dream.” She sunk back into the bed, but her eyes were wide open. “I dreamed that he had her, and then he was coming for me.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered. “Hunter?”
“Yes?”
“Will you come lie beside me?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t want to feel alone. I feel safe when you’re near me.”
He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his jeans before sliding under the covers beside her. Facing her, he pulled her in close.
She nuzzled into his chest and sighed. “This is much better. I don’t feel so afraid with you this close.”
He stroked her hair and hoped she would relax enough to forget her nightmare and fall back asleep. If she was tired, it would make everything harder for her tomorrow. Who knew what the next 24 hours would bring.
She raised her face to him and kissed him. He didn’t want to stop kissing her. Having her so close and having so little clothing between them was almost more than he could handle. As he kissed her more deeply, he let his fingers trail down to her breasts.
