Page 160 of Savage Hearts

If it made me a terrible daughter, a terrible person, I didn’t fucking care anymore.

He took another step toward me, and another, and another, until finally, he stood before me.

I opened my mouth to scream?—

And that was when I woke up. I was hot and sweatyandcold at the same time. I looked around the room and realized I must have kicked the covers off during the nightmare. I pulled them back over me and tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. I kept seeing Dad’s face every time I closed my eyes.

Without another thought, I threw the blanket off me and was out of the room before I even took in another breath.

I didn’t think Silas was home. Something about dealing with the aftermath of the blowout. And Killian wasn’t really who I wanted to be vulnerable with, especially not after our time in the kitchen, so that left Maverick.

I didn’t know if it was a good idea to even go to him, to any of them, but the alternative was to lie awake in my room for the rest of the night, fearing my dead father might come and get me.

I went to his room. The lights were off. He was already asleep. What if…

What if I sneaked into his bed and stayed there?

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t crossed so many of my personal boundaries before.

I opened the door before I lost my nerve and walked into the dark room. The outside lamp didn’t really reach his windows fully, so his room was much darker than mine.

I closed the door softly behind me and moved toward the bed, climbing in on the other side.

The bedsheets smelled like him, and I shouldn’t, but I took comfort in that. I lay on my side, my back to him, and tried to chase sleep, even if it didn’t feel possible.

His side of the bed moved, and I felt arms go around me. I barely held in the scream when I felt his hot breath on the skin of my neck.

“What are you doing in here, little monster?”

I tensed, but it didn’t seem like he was angry.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” I asked.

“I got a bad case of insomnia, baby,” he answered, his voice soft.

“Oh.”

He pressed a small kiss on the back of my neck, making my skin tingle. In fact, my entire back was tingling from where we’d touched. I could tell he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I didn’t know if he was wearing any underwear, and ahugepart of me wanted to find out. I didn’t ask him. Or reach behind me.

“Were you hoping I’d be?”

“Yes,” I said.

He laughed. “Yeah?”

“Yes, you’re easier to kill that way.”

He squeezed me tightly to him, and the fabric of his boxers brushed the skin on my legs. I was stupidly disappointed at that. Ignoring my thoughts, I smiled a little when his hands moved over my belly, rubbing it. I hadn’t thought my mood could feel so… light.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” he asked.

“I had a nightmare,” I confessed softly. I gazed out the window, focusing on the shadow of a nearby tree branch.

He didn’t say anything right away. Then, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

I felt his lips on my cheek and I snuggled closer to the pillow. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” I asked.

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