Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Sorry.”
“What did you think of?” he asked in that same stern tone.
“I wondered why you were wasting time with me.”
“A, because you need help and I’m here with the skills to represent you. B, because I’ve known you all of six hours and I care about you. C, because…”
“You care about me?” she interrupted, lifting Bullyboo over her mouth to hide her trembling lips. She’d heard the other words, but that phrase captured her attention and wiped everything else away.
“I do. It astounds me, too.”
“I don’t want to go to jail. Could I just hide here with you?” she blurted.
“You can’t keep running away.”
“I know.” She glanced down automatically and didn’t know where to look again. “You don’t wear many clothes to bed.”
“I put on pants before coming in to check on you,” he informed her with a wink that made her face heat again.
“Am I making you feel uncomfortable?” Dirk asked. “I can go away if you’re ready to go back to sleep.”
“No!” burst from her lips. “The shadowy stuff will come back. Could you… Could you sleep here with me? We can put all those pillows you took off the bed between us. I won’t touch you—promise!”
“I’m not worried about you touching me, Little girl.” He rubbed her back to remind her that she was sitting on his lap.
“Oh! I should move.” When she scooted toward her feet, Dirk lifted her easily to stand next to the bed. “Ooh!”
“Go potty and get a drink. Then come back and I’ll tuck you back in bed.”
He’s not going to stay. She looked at her feet as she walked to the adjoining bathroom. Quickly, she followed his instructions and returned to his side. When she started to crawl into bed, he stopped her with an arm around her shoulders.
“Were you too hot? Is that what started the dreams?” he asked, looking at her big T-shirt and sweatpants.
“Maybe, but I want all the covers on me. I always think of each layer as protection from the bad things around me,” Cynthia admitted, not wanting him to take the quilt away.
“Then let’s take off your sweatpants and you can just wear the shirt. That will be more comfortable,” he suggested.
“I’m not wearing any underwear,” she whispered.
“I promise I won’t look. You hop under the covers, and I’ll tuck you in,” Dirk said, turning around.
Cynthia stifled a moan. The view of the back of his body was almost as good as the front. His expansive back was toned and sculpted down to a trim waist. His buns…
“Are you moving, Little girl?”
“Sorry!” She tore her gaze from the view before she unrolled the waistband, pushing the sweatpants over her hips and stepping clear of the material. Cynthia threw the pants onto the covers and scrambled into bed, holding the long T-shirt down her thighs.
“Okay. I’m in bed,” she announced.
“Good girl.” Dirk turned around and scooped up the pants, draping them over his shoulder. He tucked her feet under the covers and pulled them up over her body. “There you go. Ready to enjoy sweet dreams.”
She watched him fold the pants and lay them on the dresser before turning off the light. Cynthia bit her lower lip to avoid begging him not to leave her alone as he drew near to the door, and exhaled a sigh of relief when he flipped off the light and closed the door partially from the inside to block some of the soft light from the hallway.
His soft footsteps whispered on the carpet as he rounded the bed. She tried not to roll his way as the mattress dipped under his weight when he sat down. A few seconds later, he was stretched out on top of the covers next to her. She froze in place, trying not to move so she wouldn’t bother him. Cynthia jumped slightly when his hand smoothed over her tummy.
“Go to sleep, Little girl.”
She nodded into the darkness and then realized he couldn’t see her. “Okay. Night.”
“Good night. Sweet dreams.”
Cynthia knew she’d never be able to sleep with him lying next to her. She closed her eyes to pretend and tried to breathe normally. Just the thought that she needed to regulate her inhales and exhales made her breath all wacky. Finally, she tried to make hers match his, breathing in slowly when Dirk did and out softly as he did. The rhythmic pattern relaxed her, and she wiggled more comfortably into the pillow. His scent alone seemed to drive away any negative thoughts. With Bullyboo cuddled under her chin, she drifted to sleep, feeling safe and protected for the first time in a very long time.
CHAPTER 4
“Mmm.” Cynthia wiggled against the warmth she rested against. The feel of bristles against her forehead made her wrinkle her nose. “Almost perfect.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Little girl.”