Beautiful Life: The Carpino Series by Brynne Asher Read Free Book Online Page B

face.  “Sweetheart, you were dreaming.  You’re okay.”
    “I’m sorry,” she whimpers through labored breaths.  Her emerald eyes come to mine and with realization she gives her head a little shake, asking, “What are you doing here?”
    “I didn’t want you to be by yourself, I slept on the sofa,” I inch toward her a little.  “Are you okay?”
    “You heard me?” she asks frowning.
    “Gem, you were almost crying in your sleep.  Yeah, I heard you.”
    “Shit,” she mutters. 
    “What?” I ask.
    “Nothing,” she says.  Looking up at me she asks again, “Why did you stay?”
    Taking a chance since I can tell she’s getting a handle on it, I move even closer where our hips are touching and put my hands up to cup her face.  Ignoring her question, I ask softly, “What were you dreaming about?”
    She jerks slightly then closes her eyes at my touch.  Shaking her head a bit she lies, “Nothing.”
    Raising my voice to a normal level I respond, “That was not nothing.”
    Looking up at me, she lies again, “I don’t even remember.”
    I narrow my eyes at her, “You should talk about it.”
    “I want to go back to sleep.”
    I sigh, wanting to push her but don’t know what’s safe at this point.  I try pushing another way, “Do you want me to stay with you?  I’ll sit here until you go to sleep.”
    “What?  No!” she lets out quickly.  “Sometimes I…well…it can take a while to go back to sleep.  You should go back to the sofa.  Really you should go home, I’m fine.”
    “Sweetheart, I’m not going home.  Lay down, I’ll sit here until you go back to sleep.”
    “No.  I’m fine.”
    Mia is still jumping around the bed. I work with what I have and say with finality, “Leigh.  You’re freaking the dog out.  Lay down.”
    Leigh frowns at me through the dim light from the hallway, but then, as if she realizes I’m here for the first time she drags her eyes over my bare chest and down to my jeans.  Then slowly, her gaze comes back up to my face but not my eyes, more like she’s just taking me in. 
    Well, fuck me.  That’s going to try my patience. 
    “Gem, lay down and go back to sleep,” my voice comes out rougher this time.
    As if she’s snapping out of a daze, she gives her head a little shake again and immediately scoots down in the bed turning her back to me. The dog finally settles in, I take what I can, pressing my hip up to her back and lean down to kiss her soft hair.  I feel her whole body tense but keep on and whisper against her hair, “Sleep.” 
    I don’t move away, but start to pull my fingers through her hair, finding myself mesmerized by its weight and softness.  After a few minutes of this, I feel her relax into me but also hear a very audible sigh.  I smile as I keep at her hair.  This takes a while, but I finally feel her body relax even more and hear her breathing even out.  I take myself back to the sofa because if I don’t, I know I’ll crawl in bed behind her.  Throwing myself down on the sofa, I bring the palms of my hands up to rub my eyes. 
    She’s having nightmares.  I don’t even know what to do with that.  Pulling my hands through my hair, I look into the darkness toward the ceiling and mutter, “Fucking hell.”
    *****
    I open the door for the second night in a row, allowing the hall light to invade her room.  Again she’s curled into herself.  Again she’s whimpering.  And again the dog is going crazy.  I go straight to her and this time put my hands to her shoulders and lean in to say, “Gem.  Wake up.”
    She startles awake, although she doesn’t seem as surprised to see me tonight.  After another four episodes of Sex in the City, which is about to drive me fucking mad, I kissed her forehead, told her I was staying and pushed her off to bed after she tried to argue with me and I denied her the argument.  I even brought sleep pants so I didn’t have to sleep in jeans and I wasn’t naked if I needed to