In one lunge, I land on the bed beside her, pulling her to me to steady her uncontrollable shakes. She’s ice cold, gurgling on her own saliva, and barely breathing.
I lean back to jerk my shirt over my head, and then I rip hers off as well, bringing my body back to hers to warm her. Calming spells fall out of my mouth fluently and rapidly, trying to cou
nteract the waves.
“Come on, Kimber. Breathe, baby,” I say in a soothing mantra.
She doesn’t respond, but her violent jerks slowly start settling down. Her body is still cold to the touch, so I press her to me while casting heating spells.
It’s not until she’s breathing evenly that I finally allow myself to relax. My grip loosens until I’m cradling her instead of holding her tightly. It’s only then that I notice the fact she’s not wearing a bra.
Fuck me.
Groaning, I force my eyes away, but I keep her against me, tucking her head under my chin as her body grows warmer. I’m surprised by how good it feels to have her against me.
Despite the chill of her body, a warm feeling spreads throughout my veins. Her sigh of content sounds peaceful instead of labored, and I brush her hair from her cheek as I study her high cheekbones, delicate nose, and beautiful long lashes.
When my eyes start growing heavy, I find myself surprised again. It usually takes me hours before I can go to sleep, and it feels perfectly right and all wrong at the same time.
Chapter 8
KIMBER
A loud groan startles me awake, and I sit up in a bed to a foreign room I’ve never seen before. An arm is under my head, and a hard body is pressed up against mine, drawing my eyes over.
Numerous tattoos litter the chest next to me. They slither down a set of rippled abs, stopping only when the waistband of a pair of jeans interrupt the view. Groggily, I lift my aching head to see the face of the magnificent body I’m against, and my breath catches in my throat.
Gage.
His black hair is ruffled from his sleep, his eyebrow studs have sharp points, and his lip rings look more tempting than ever, given our intimate position.
Why am I in Gage’s bed? Why the hell am I missing my shirt?
Gage stirs lightly when I start shifting away from him, peeling my skin away from his, even though it feels so damn good. That’s when I notice his breathing. His jaw ticks as his breaths come out harsh and heavy, and his eyes flutter underneath his closed lids.
Deciding it’s not a good dream he’s having, I start trying to nudge him awake. I’d really like to know why my damn shirt is missing.
“Gage,” I whisper-yell while clutching the sheet to my chest.
Just as I put my hand on his chest to shake him awake again, everything goes blurry. In a blink, I’m on my back, a growl emanates from the dark user, and I’m gasping for air as his hand chokes my neck.
As my eyes settle, I see Gage’s eyes alive with fire, his teeth clenched, and I know damn well he’s lost inside of whatever dream he’s having. A choked garble escapes me instead of his name, and his eyes lose their fire, slowly shading back to blue seconds before his hand falls away from my neck.
“Kimber?” he asks weakly, and then realization and guilt spread across his face in unison, and he blurs off me, moving to the window and grabbing his head. “I’m so sorry.”
I don’t want him to see how shaken I am, so I sit up, still clutching the sheet to my chest.
“You honestly think that scared me?” I scoff, ignoring the way my hands are trying to tremble. “I was raised by Drackus. He has a Mr. Hyde half, remember?”
Forcing a smile, I lean back against the headboard.
“I should… I need a drink,” he says, but I’m not letting him out of here that easily.
“I have questions, Gage. A lot of them. Come back to bed.”
A hot flush crawls up my neck when I realize how that sounded. His lips barely twitch before he nods and moves back into the bed beside me—as far away as he can get.
“It was a dream. Sorry. But advice for the future…” His voice trails off, and he clears his throat. “Not that I see us in the same bed again, but if I’m ever dreaming, don’t wake me up.”