Page 70 of Little Nightmare

All that mattered was keeping them safe.

They could doubt me all they wanted, but my whole life was in that car. I wasn’t a plant.

I never could be.

I knew my own mind.

My actions were my own.

And what was left of my heart wasn’t bought or manipulated—it was my own.

I was glad she was sleeping by the time we pulled up into campus and to the townhome. The lights were on outside the house and the cameras were blinking. I checked behind us and made sure the safety was off my gun when I got out of the car and walked over to her side to let her out.

The sound of gravel crunching had me whipping around only to see a bird fly away. We needed to get inside. “Come on.” Ilifted her out of her seat and carried her to the house. I typed in the code and let us in and paused when I looked down.

A set of muddy footprints were right in front of the door on the concrete. Fresh. He was there. Watching. Waiting.

Good.

I kissed her on the forehead. “Wake up.”

She wrapped her arms around me. “Everything okay?”

I looked out into the grassy campus. “Perfect.”

“Sorry I fell asleep.”

I shut the door behind us. “You didn’t miss much. Trust me.”

“I do.”

At least that was one person in the family who did. At least I had her. The sad part, I was caught in the middle, between duty and death, want and rejection. I didn’t belong, did I? I was a husband in name only, a father in name only, a bodyguard replacing a fallen one, and everyone suspected me.

Maybe she should too.

The thought haunted me, keeping me from sleeping. I walked into her room and watched her sleep. She’d kicked off the comforter and was hugging her pillow. With a sigh I padded over to the bed and tucked her back in.

Her eyes snapped open.

“Shit!” I stumbled away.

Slowly, she sat up. “Sorry, I must look terrifying to make the great Ace nearly stub a toe in an effort to flee by falling out the window.”

She was beautiful; her hair was a mess around her face, her eyes were swollen from sleeping so hard. I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “Yes, that was my next sentence, you look like shit.”

Her eyes narrowed, she weakly reached for a pillow. “Too much effort.”

I found myself smiling. “Go back to sleep.”

I turned around then felt small arms wrap around me from behind. I looked down at her clasped hands against my stomach. What was this feeling? Belonging? Want? Blood roared in my ears; I could count my heartbeat as it picked up slamming against my chest.

“Stay.” Her body was warm against my back. “Please.”

My exhale was anything but calm and collected. “Just don’t.” I licked my lips. “Don’t make it harder than it already is, Raven, please?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I’m not him. Maybe when you close your eyes you’ll dream of his face while sleeping next to the waking nightmare.”

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