Page 67 of Just One Silver Fox

It was only sensible to be disappointed in that.

But he wouldn’t dwell on the negative. It wasn’t in his nature. He’d look at the silver lining and be glad that he’d had these two nights with her.

They would keep him warm for the rest of his life.

* * *

Sonia stirred in her sleep,sensing that her old nightmare was beginning.

As usual, she struggled against it.

As usual, it came anyway.

She shook her head and tried to shy away from the dream, but it made no difference. She heard the footsteps drawing closer and knew she was back in her old room. She could smell the floor polish and hear the tree branches that tapped against the window. She could hear the distant whistle of a train and the creak of the house in the wind. Even though there were others in the house, she couldn’t hear or sense them.

There were only the relentless footsteps. One, then silence.

Another, then silence.

Stealthy but steadily coming closer.

As if the ending was inevitable.

There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, no chance of escape. She’d tried to tell about it and hadn’t been believed.

And then it had been worse. Harder, as punishment.

She was trapped.

She curled tighter into a ball, as if she could make herself invisible by will alone. Her heart was pounding so hard that someone had to hear it. Someone had to realize the truth. Someone had to intervene.

But no one ever did.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and felt a tear of helplessness on her cheek.

Another step and silence.

She could tell by the sound, by the creak of the wooden floor, that it would only take two more steps to reach her door. He was stalking her, again. Still. Forever.

It was always horrible, always terrifying, always worse than the last time.

She held her breath.

She shivered in terror.

One more step.

Her heart was going to stop cold. Time stopped. She could feel the weight of a gaze landing upon her. She wanted to scream but she knew it wouldn’t make any difference. She was frozen in fear and her throat was tight, holding back any sound she might have made.

The shadow drew closer and her heart raced as if it would burst from her chest.

Then his hand landed on her shoulder and she froze in terror.

* * *

Sonia woke up with a jolt.

Her eyes flew open. She was almost surprised to see that she was in her apartment in New York, not in the bedroom she’d had as a teenager. Nate was behind her. His breathing was slow and steady, in complete contrast to hers. She could feel his heartbeat against her back, as well as his muscled strength.

---