Page 23 of Salvation

Those words became part of a dream that visited her every night.

Too late for what?

Too late for you and for him,the voice said with a startling note of finality.

She’d wake with a shiver every time. Sometimes, a nightmare followed that dream. She was sprinting through the woods, fleeing some great evil. Then she tripped — every time, she tripped, even though she knew it was coming — and a man grabbed her. She struggled but couldn’t get free, and suddenly came face-to-face with the scarred sneer of Emmett LeBlanc.

You,he cackled, pinning her down.

Sometimes it was even worse. Sometimes, Emmett wrestled her to her feet and forced her to hold a rifle to a bear’s head.

Pull the trigger. Kill it. Kill it before I kill you.His face twisted in fury, and his fingers squeezed hers.

Bang!The rifle cracked through her dream, and she jolted upright with a cry.

She panted like she’d really been running and clutched the sheets.

“Anna?”

Her head snapped toward the shadow in the doorway, and a wave of relief washed over her when she realized it was Todd, checking if she was okay.

I’m okay. Fine. Thanks,she wanted to say, but all she could get out was a squeak.

Todd padded into the room and squatted down beside her. His chest was bare, his sweatpants low on his hips. He tilted his head at her, and his eyes showed the kind of pain only a man who’d experienced terrible things knew.

He sat on the bed and wrapped his thick arms around her. He tucked his chin over her head, enveloping her completely in what felt like a cloak of steel, and rocked her a little, promising nothing would get past him — no evil, real or perceived.

“I’m okay. I’m okay,” she managed a minute or two later, even though she never wanted him to let go.

He didn’t let go, thank goodness. Not for a long, long time, even after her breathing slowed and the sweat dried on her forehead. He kept right on holding her, and she had the distinct impression the comforting feeling wasn’t a one-way thing. Had her nightmares brought back visions of his own? Had she reminded him of something he’d rather have left in the past?

“It’s okay,” she murmured, swaying slowly with him.

A cat screeched somewhere down the back alley, and they both turned then finally edged apart.

“You good?” He cupped her face with one big hand — the one he usually kept clenched at his side, hiding the scars — and stroked her cheek with his thumb. It was the hand that she guessed had been crushed in an accident not too long ago, but it seemed to work pretty well now that it was touching her. Not too hard, not too soft. A strong, reassuring presence, like the rest of him.

“I’m good,” she whispered.

He looked at her a moment longer, then tugged her closer and kissed her on the forehead. A chaste, you’ll-be-okay-now kiss. Given that the good dreams she’d had all featured him kissing her in a totally different way, she ought to have felt frustrated or sad. But somehow, that kiss was just perfect for tonight.

“Goodnight,” he murmured, sliding away.

The only thing she would have changed would be to keep him curled up beside her for a few minutes. Better yet, hours.

“Goodnight,” she echoed, watching him go.

His chest rose and fell in a deep breath that told her leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, and she had to wonder what was developing between them. A profound friendship or something more?

She vacillated between those options for the rest of the night, fantasizing about how good it would feel to have him touch her in so many other places. God, to be wrapped up by that body, not just his arms. To be cherished by the soul that shone so clearly in those incredible blue eyes.

Keep dreaming, Anna,she decided, looking at her disheveled hair in the mirror the next morning. The slanting dawn light highlighted every tangle, every embarrassing clump, and by the time she’d straightened it enough to appear in public, Todd’s footsteps had retreated down the stairs and outside.

“Sleep well?” Sarah asked her when they bumped into each other over the coffee machine in the back room of the café.

She kept her eyes firmly on the wisps of steam rising from her mug. “Sort of. Kind of.”

“Well enough for a hike later today?” Sarah’s eyes sparkled.

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