She tosses suddenly, a hand smacking into my chest. The sting almost cures me of my erection and then I see her expression and I couldn’t be less turned on. It’s pained, agonized. Brows furrowed, lips twisted. Even with her eyes shut, I know something terrible is going on in there.
Thought of the letter fly. What do I do? Are you meant to wake someone who has nightmares? Or is that sleepwalkers? I have no idea. Her movements increase, becoming frantic and I’ve got to do something. I snatch an arm as it flies toward me and try to shake her awake but it’s no good, she’s lost in her world of pain.
Sitting, I go for her other arm. If I can’t wake her then I need to stop her from hurting herself at least. Jess writhes and sweat glistens on her forehead.
“Jess, wake up.” Another moan, another frantic movement. “Jess, princess, wake up.”
I use my chest to pin her down now. She’s that close to flinging herself off the bed and tearing out of my hold.
“No,” she cries and my heart feels like it cracks a little.
“Jess,” I say, quietly this time. “It’s just a dream. I’m here. No one can hurt you. Wake up. I’m here.”
I’m barely sure what I’m saying or why that would soothe her but it feels right. Her movements slow and I continue murmuring her name until her eyelids flutter open. I see those green eyes gain focus and shock registers. I force myself to ignore the breasts crushed against my chest and the brush of silky legs.
“What the he—Hunter, what…?” Her voice is reedy and weak as she tries to push me off.
“You were having a nightmare.” I roll off her, instantly missing the feel of her body under mine.
She swipes a hand across her forehead, reaches for the bedding and tugs it over her body. Disappointment makes my gut clench but the way her gaze trails over my torso appeases my male pride a little.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she says weakly.
“Neither did I.”
We stare at each other for a few breaths. Jess twines the corner of the duvet in her hands while I rub my increasing facial hair. It strikes me I’ve never been in a bed with a woman I haven’t fucked. I’m not sure what to do.
I fracture the silence. “You want to talk about it?”
“What?” Her eyes go wide.
“Your nightmare?”
“No.”
“Sure.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Right… well, I’m just going to…” I climb off the bed and hunt for my top. I need to escape. I spy it in the laundry basket. Snatching it up, I avoid looking at her and head to the bathroom.
Real smooth, Hunter. Problem is, if I look at her, I want to fuck her. Especially in those delicious panties. I’ve never had issues like this with women—never felt vaguely unsure of myself. Jess is crawling under my skin, playing with my mind and twisting herself around my heart. It’s scaring the hell out of me. I can’t afford to be so consumed by her when I’ve got bills hanging over my head and a pissed off client who wants results. And I sure as hell don’t want to be involved with a criminal.
I consider using her shower, but don’t know if I should get the bandage wet so decide to wait until I get home. I wash briefly at the sink, drag on my T-shirt and my side pangs. Thankfully it’s just bruising. It could have been worse. My gut bunches. It could have been Jess.
Using a finger, I dab a bit of toothpaste on and scrub my teeth before rinsing my mouth. I hadn’t exactly planned on staying over. In fact, I’m not sure what I planned by meeting her at work. I was concerned for her. She’d been a wreck yesterday—so vulnerable. The thought of her working late into the night had played through my mind and I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest easy until I knew she was okay.
And I want more info, I remind myself. Remember the job. Why is it so hard to remember she’s a thief?
Yeah, the damned job. I’m seriously regretting taking it on. But without it, I stand to lose everything. My mother lost everything when Dad left and I am not being that man. She worked so hard to buy the house I now own after we moved from Ireland and to help me through my courses so I could set up my own business. All the years I put into building O’Reilly Investigations from the ground up and for what? It’s all going to end up in the hands of the bank.
But it won’t—if I can complete this job. The final payment will cover a few months on Mam’s house and if I play things carefully, I can invest the rest in gaining some new clients.
By the time I’m finished in the bathroom, she’s in the kitchenette and is wearing a robe. Damn.
Jess offers me a weak smile and motions to the cup on the countertop. “I made you some coffee. I didn’t know how you took it but there’s sugar on the side.”
I eye the cup and grin. “Black. Perfect.”
She makes a face. “Yuck.”
My grin expands. I love seeing her all make-up less and cute. I imagine I’m probably staring as she fidgets and places down her coffee.
“I’ll just go and…” She motions to the bathroom. “I don’t really have anything for breakfast.”