Playing With Fire (Guarded Hearts) by Alexis Noelle Read Free Book Online Page B

couch while you were in here. I wanted to be in here with you." He kissed the top of my head. "What time should I set my alarm for tomorrow?"
    "Um…I need to put the turkey in the oven at six, but then I figured I'd go back to sleep for a couple of hours."
    "Okay, it's set. Goodnight, Maddy."
    "Good night, Carter."
    I love you.
     
     
    Carter
     
    I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Jesus, it was three in the morning. What the hell was I doing up?
    "No, stop, please!"
    Shit, Maddy was having a nightmare. Somehow, she ended up on the other side of the bed. I pulled her over to me and rubbed her arm. "Hey, Maddy, wake up."
    "No, please, don't hurt him!" Who the hell was she talking about? "Chris, please, just leave him alone!"
    She couldn't even escape that asshole in her sleep. I shook her again. "Maddy, please open your eyes . It's just a dream." Her eyes flew open and she looked around, frantically trying to get her bearings. When she realized where she was, she buried her face in my chest and started crying. I just held her. I knew this was what she needed. She needed someone to care, and she needed to feel safe. When she finally stopped crying, she looked up at me. "Maddy, what was you dream about?"
    "I…uh…I don't remember."
    I knew she was lying, but I also didn't want to push her. "Okay, well, do you want to try and go back to sleep? It's still really early." She nodded her head and then closed her eyes. I held her tight, hoping I could protect her from whatever she didn't want to tell me. I knew it had something to do with Chris. She was scared of him. I needed to make her understand that I could keep her safe. I feel like he was the only thing standing between us right now, and it was driving me crazy.
    When my alarm started ringing, I turned it off and stared down at Maddy. She was still asleep in my arms. I wish I could wake up with her every morning, because it felt fucking fantastic. As much as I didn't want to, I had to wake her up.
    I rubbed her back gently. She stretched and looked up at me. The minute she met my eyes, she smiled and I couldn't help myself. I lowered my head and gave her a kiss. She pulled back right away and covered her mouth. Did I make her sick? She took her hand off her mouth, looked at me and laughed. What was so funny?
    "Morning breath."
    "I don't care what kind of breath you have." I kissed her once more. "Now, come on, we have a turkey to cook."
    I followed her into the kitchen and stood there being useless while she prepped the turkey and put it in the oven. I loved how comfortable she was here. When she was done, she looked up at me and smiled. I got caught staring at her this time.
    "Did you wanna go lie down again?"
    "That's up to you. Either way, I'm fine."
    "What do you mean?"
    I pulled her against me and held her. "Well, if we go back to bed, I get to hold you like this. If we stay up, we can watch TV and I'm pretty sure I'll get to hold you then too. So, you see, I win either way."
    She titled her head up toward me. "Oh really, and what makes you so confident?"
    "I'm not confident, just hopeful." She smiled at me, one of those smiles that made me want to kill everyone who had hurt her and made her cry. She didn't smile nearly enough, but I was going to change that.
    "What if I had a way to give you the best of both worlds? We could go in your room and watch TV. That way, you can hold me and we can still stay up together."
    I scooped her up and started walking to my room. She started to laugh, then covered her mouth. I dropped her off at the bathroom so she could brush her teeth, but once she came out, I picked her up again. I carried her to my room and threw her on the bed. She giggled and looked up at me.
    The sight of her lying across my bed was something I never wanted to forget. "I guess I should follow your lead and go brush my teeth. I'll be right back. Why don't you find something for us to watch ?"
    When I got back in the room, she had found some old re-runs of