Page 27 of Intangible
“Shit,” he said quietly when he heard the bathroom door close. He didn’t just think she deserved that kind of man; he knew he wanted to be the one to be that for her. How could he not want to spend the rest of his life slaying dragons for her? Problem was, he had no idea how to do that.
So here he stood, trying to figure out what to do next. He knew exactly how Senator Kent had felt when he saw Thayer’s mother across the room because he felt the same way every time he looked at Thayer. Like the wind had been knocked out of him and she was his saving breath.
With a sigh, Memphis walked to the front door, checking the lock to make sure they were secure. When he crossed into the bedroom, Thayer was already curled up in his bed, facing the wall. He slipped quietly into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Finishing quickly, he opened the door, turning off the light before taking a moment to let his eyes grow accustomed to the dark before making his way to the couch in the living room.
“Can you leave the light on please?” Thayer asked from his bed.
“Sure, no problem.” He reached over, turning the light back on. “Do you want me to crack the door some?”
“No, it’s fine. Can you also leave the door between the bedroom and living room open?”
“Are you having problems with nightmares?” Memphis asked, stopping next to the bed. It was a subject he was well acquainted with, having suffered from them for years. They had begun shortly after his mother passed and still showed up from time to time.
“Yeah. The doctors said they will fade eventually. I just don’t like feeling closed in when it’s dark.”
He nodded his head at her, brushing her hair back from her face, cascading it over his pillow.
“They will fade, I promise. It just takes a while.”
“Do you have nightmares? Knox told me you searched for people in the Army,” she whispered at him.
“Sometimes. They’ve kicked up a little more lately, but they’ll slowly fade back to a manageable level again. Did you want to tell me about your nightmares? Sometimes it helps to voice them out loud. It makes them less real somehow.”
He wiped away a tear that slowly rolled out of her eyes. “Jesus, Thayer, I can’t seem to say anything right. Please don’t cry.”
“I think you are the only person who does say everything right. Would you tell me about your nightmares if I tell you about mine?”
Memphis ran a hand through his hair, considering. It had taken him years to gain control of the nightmares that had plagued him since his youth. If he could help her in any way, he knew he had to try.
“Yeah. Hold on, I’ll be right back. Murphy, go do your business.” The dog ran past him, disappearing through the dog door in the bedroom. Memphis walked into the living room, checking the front door once more before turning off the lights.
“Scoot over,” he said when he returned. When Thayer quickly complied, he slid into the bed next to her on his back. “Murphy is really good at waking me up from a nightmare. I’m sure he’ll do the same for you.”
“The worst one always begins with someone putting a hood over my head,” she began.
Memphis rolled onto his side when she began telling him about the nightmares. Not once did he interrupt her as she talked about what had happened in that dark cellar. When she cried, he didn’t try to tell her not to, he just held her in his arms until she stopped.
They talked a little about a few of the tamer nightmares he had, but he wouldn’t share everything he went through.
When Thayer started to slur her words, Memphis knew she needed to get some sleep.
Snuggling into his arms with her back against his chest, he felt her relax. He had said he would head to the couch when they were finished talking, but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb her.
Slowly feeling himself start to drift off, he was suddenly jerked back awake by her wiggling against him. By the third time she did it, he was at full mast.
“You have to quit grinding against me,” he growled into her ear, making her jump. He hated to wake her, but he couldn’t take much more. “I already have a full mental list of ways to fuck you. I don’t need your ass added to it.” He felt a shiver run through her, making his problem worse.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, taking a deep breath, trying to relax. “Am I making you too hot?” Memphis let out a snort of laughter.
“Yeah, you’re making me entirely too hot.” Thayer let out a giggle. “Just lie still.” She settled back against him with a promise to lie still.
* * *
Thayer fell into a restless sleep. She was back in her dorm room again, but instead of men in black balaclavas, it was Memphis who stole into her room. Even though it was dark, she knew it was him when his green eyes glowed in the moonlight seeping through the curtains in her window.
He stalked toward her, those green eyes never leaving hers until he joined her on the bed. She could feel his weight pressing her into the bed as he roamed his lips down her neck. As if by magic, they were suddenly both nude as he worked his way along her body, leaving nothing untouched.
She was woken by a grunt from Memphis before a strong arm clamped around her waist, pulling her tight to him. Had she been grinding her hips against him again? Feeling his hard cock pressing against her cheeks, she couldn’t stop the moan escaping her lips. He hadn’t been the only one who had felt an instant connection in that cellar.
