Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Millie dozed, but she never found any kind of restful sleep. She tossed and turned. And whimpered continually when she did manage to doze off. Girl had some shit going on. None of his business, but Shadow couldn’t help when his protective instincts reached out to her. She was so small but had so much fire in her. Just watching her was fascinating. She was just so fucking fierce most of the time! Seeing her like this? Well. He wasn’t going to be able to sit by while her past haunted her.
She moaned, then turned over, whimpering quietly. Thankfully, the rest of the guys were out doing their own thing, giving the three of them quiet and privacy while they rested up for the mission to come. Shadow glanced at his watch. They still had two-and-a-half hours. If she was going to be reliable, she had to get some real sleep. Even if it was only an hour.
With a sigh, he sat up on the bunk, then rose and walked to Millie. She was curled on her side, trembling. Sweat drenched her. Her face was wet with it, but he was also sure there were tears there. Another small whimper and Shadow couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Hey, baby,” he said, his voice low. “Need you to wake up for me. Can you do that?” Very carefully, he stroked her hair away from her face, pulling at the damp strands until her eyes snapped open. She sucked in a breath and turned her head so she met his gaze.
“Is it time to get up already?”
“No, sugar. You’ve still got a couple of hours.”
There was an adorably confused look on her face, and Shadow couldn’t help but smile. “Then why…”
“You’re having a bad dream,” he said, still stroking her hair gently.
She closed her eyes and sighed before wiping her forearm over her face. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Ain’t been asleep.”
She stiffened. “I’ll move to other side of tent.”
“You’ll stay right here,” Shadow said, holding her gently by the shoulder when she would have risen. “Do you trust me?”
“I… what?”
“Wasn’t a trick question, sugar. Do you trust me or not?”
“I suppose. You’ve been more than patient dealing with me and Venus. We can be handful sometimes.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. You can.” He lay down on the tiny cot beside her. Millie stiffened, trying to get up again, but Shadow pulled her against him, her back to his chest. She pillowed her head on his arm, and his other big arm draped loosely over her waist. “There,” he rumbled next to her ear. “I’ll watch over you and keep you safe. No one gets to you without going through me.”
“Shadow…” she whispered.
“Shh, sugar. I’ve got you. Just close your eyes. You’re running on adrenaline and caffeine. You need rest.”
“Guess you do, too.”
“Not nearly as much as you, baby. Now. You good?”
Millie nodded her head. “Yeah,” she said, the word more a soft sigh. Fuck. She sounded like they’d just spent the afternoon making love and she was sated and sleepy. Shadow’s arms tightened around her slightly.
“Good. Now close your eyes and sleep for me.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. In fact, her breathing was already evening out, and there was a soft snore coming from her. Shadow chuckled softly, then settled in, resolving himself to ignore the hard-on he now sported.
There had only ever been one time in his life when he’d wanted to be this close to a woman, and he hadn’t wanted it nearly this bad. That time had gotten him nothing but heartache and pain. Had very nearly landed him in trouble with the law. Had it not been for Stunner, a childhood friend and fellow member of Bones in Kentucky, there was a very real possibility he’d have ended up in prison instead of the military.
Millie -- Lyudmila -- however, was a world away from Carrianne. Millie was real. She said what she thought, and fuck anyone if they didn’t like it. She wasn’t playing some elaborate game for her own benefit. In fact, she was throwing all in to help her family. Carrianne had proven over and over she wasn’t about family. Hell, even her own parents saw that now, for all the good it did. Carrianne would always be out for what was best for her. For what could get her the most money or power. Or both. Millie just wanted to live her life. If that meant she and Venus teamed up to save their sister, she’d do it, even if she and Venus didn’t get along. Shadow was the same way. Whatever it took to help his brothers and sisters -- both biological and of the heart -- he’d do it. No matter the cost to him.
For thirty minutes, he held Millie. She didn’t move a muscle. But she slept soundly. Her heart rate settled, and she stopped sweating. The fucking bunk was cramped as shit, but Shadow didn’t mind. Hell, he’d suffer this every fucking night for the rest of his life if it meant she slept this soundly. She was hell on wheels, but there was a great vulnerability in her he doubted she even acknowledged. That vulnerability called to every protective instinct he possessed.