Watch Me - Page 78

A muffled scream hits my ears. Shit.

I run to Madison’s door and barrel through her living room to her bedroom. The lights are all off, but she’s thrashing on the bed. My heart pounds in my ears as I search for the threat. Another strangled cry fills the room.

I stare down at her slight form on the huge bed. She’s curled into a tight ball and jerks every now and then.

Nightmares. It’s to be expected, given her recent trauma. She’s been cheerful during the day, but the four of us occupy a lot of space. I sit on the edge of the bed and touch her foot.

She bolts upright. Her eyes lock on mine, and her mouth opens in a scream, but nothing comes out. I crawl up next to her on the bed and pull her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her.

“Hey, now,” I whisper against her hair. “I’ve got you. We’ve got you, tiger.”

It takes her a moment for recognition to set in, but her body relaxes against me. “Blake?”

I brush her hair out of her face and tip her chin up so her eyes can find mine in the moonlight. “Yeah. I’m here.”

She shudders in my arms but rests her head against my chest. “I was back there, but you didn’t come.” A warm drop of water touches my chest as she rests her head against me.

Tears. Fuck, I’m not the right one to handle tears, but I’m the only one here.

“Maybe it will help if you talk it out,” I suggest as my hands stroke over her back.

“They were in my apartment. Talking about using me. Wanting money from me I didn’t have. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t run. And then Hunter came in, and Valerie laughed as he pushed me up against the wall. I couldn’t fight back.” More tears flow and she sniffles.

“That’s not what happened.” I keep my tone rational, trying to ease her out of it. I still had my doubts on her and Hunter’s past, but the fact he was in this nightmare speaks volumes. “I got there before they could do more than bruise you. I got there and brought you to safety. No one can get to you here. You’re safe with us.”

She clings to me and tips her head up. Her eyes are dark and watery in the dim light the moon casts. “Will you stay with me?”

“Of course.” Fuck Seth. I wasn’t sleeping, anyway.

I arrange us under the covers. When I lie on my back, she drapes herself over me. She lets out an exhausted sigh. How long was she fighting that nightmare before I came in?

The doors are still open, but that’s fine. Her breathing evens out quickly, and I’m sure she’s asleep. I’m not hiding the fact I’m in here from the others. Though I wish I’d brought my phone to tell them. It’s my last thought before I fall asleep.

* * *

An alarm plays softly somewhere in the room. It isn’t my alarm. It isn’t my room. Madison lifts her head from my chest and doesn’t even open her eyes.

“Morning.” Her face crashes down on my chest and she falls back asleep. The alarm keeps playing, but a dark shadow moves through the room. My arm tightens over Madison.

“Fuck off, Blake,” Coop says as he stops her alarm. “I’m not here to run off with the girl.”

I relax into the bed. “She had a nightmare last night. I heard her screaming.”

Coop sits on the edge of the bed and runs a hand through his loose, dark hair. “That’s fucked up.”

His eyes flow over Madison. Her cheek presses against my chest. Her arm and a leg are around me. She has on her top and bottom, and I’m wearing boxers. If we’d had sex, we would be naked.

“Is she okay?” When he brushes her hair off her cheek, she blows out a breath.

“She will be.” They didn’t break her. I got to her before they completely broke her. “I don’t think the sleeping alone thing is going to work for a while.”

Coop nods thoughtfully. “Maybe we can trade off. Each take a night.”

“That makes sense.” It would keep things equal without anyone’s panties getting in a twist. Seth is all about equality, after all. All or nothing. “I’ll talk to Seth about it.”

Coop strokes his hand down Madison’s back, his gaze thoughtful. He shakes his head. “I know what we’re asking isn’t normal, but she doesn’t feel normal, either. Like I’m not usually someone to dwell on a chick after I fuck her, but Madison…”

Yeah, I know all too well what Madison is like. She’s warm and kind and soft and submissive and curious and intelligent. If someone had to handcraft a woman to suit us, Madison would be the result.