Safe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #5)(7)

I rise from the couch and work my way around the inside of the house, for the third time tonight, making a sweep to make sure that everything is as it should be. Both the front and back doors are locked tight, along with all of the windows. The house is still, aside from the occasional creek or groan of normal house settling noises.

A single lamp is burning low in the living room, next to the couch. A red blanket and white sheet are folded neatly on one end, where Brynna left them earlier.

Satisfied that the house is safe for the night, I pull my shirt over my head and stuff it in my bag, unfasten the top button of my jeans and pull the 9 mm pistol from the waistband at the small of my back and set it on the table beside the couch.

Just as I reach for a clean tee and basketball shorts, someone lets out a soft cry upstairs.

Grabbing the pistol, I move quickly to the stairs, climb them swiftly, my back against the wall, and head for the girl’s room, assuming the soft noise came from either Maddie or Josie, but as I cross by Brynna’s bedroom, she lets out a louder, more urgent cry of distress.

I’ll f*cking kill who ever is hurting her.

Her door is partially ajar. I push it open carefully, my eyes quickly adjust to the dark, and I make a hasty sweep of the room, trying not to focus on the beautiful woman tossing and turning on the bed.

The room is empty.

“Don’t you touch her!” Brynna cries out and flops onto her stomach.

I shove my pistol into the drawer of her bedside table and immediately climb onto the bed, leaning over her. I pull her damp, sweat-soaked hair off her forehead and cheek as she tosses herself onto her back once more and my heart stutters at the look of absolute anguish on her gorgeous face.

“Bryn,” I call out to her softly, not wanting to scare the shit out of her.

“I won’t let you get them,” she shakes her head back and forth and tears leak out of the sides of her eyes and disappear into her hairline.

“Sweetheart, you’re dreaming.” I continue to caress her face gently. “Brynna, wake up.”

Her eyes open wide and her gaze immediately finds mine. “Oh, my god.”

She tries to pull away, but I ease her into my arms and pull her against me, tucking her sweet-smelling head under my chin and rock her back and forth as she softly cries.

“You’re okay,” I whisper and glide my hands up and down her back. I can feel her warmth through the light material of her little white tank top, and I want to rip it off her luscious body and feel her smooth skin. Her heart is hammering against my chest.

“I f*cking hate nightmares,” she whispers against my chest, her breath tickling my skin.

“You and me both,” I agree. So much so that I don’t even sleep anymore. “Wanna talk about it?”

“I haven’t had it in a while,” she murmurs and sniffles. The tears have stopped, thank God, because seeing Brynna cry is like having my heart ripped from my chest. I can’t stand it.

“What is it about?” I ask and brush my fingers through her long, dark hair. The strands are soft and straight and fall all the way to the small of her back. I love it when she wears it down, whether she leaves it straight or puts those wavy curls in it, it doesn’t matter.

“My girls,” she whispers and buries her face in my chest once more and holds onto my sides with both hands as though the thought of what was tormenting her moments ago is too much to bear. “They were trying to hurt my girls.”

“Baby,” I whisper and tilt her head back until she’s looking me in the face. “No one will ever hurt the girls. Ever.”

Tears well in her big brown eyes again and it’s my undoing.

“Don’t cry, Bryn.” I brush my thumbs over her cheeks, wiping the tears away. “You’re all safe.”

“I’m so tired of being scared, Caleb.”

“Hey,” I whisper and run my knuckles down her smooth cheeks. “No need to be scared, baby. I’ve got you.”

Her eyes fall to my lips, the same way they did earlier on her couch and my gut clenches just as my cock springs to life.

Get the f*ck out of here, Montgomery.

“Caleb?” She asks softly.

“Yeah.”

“Why won’t you kiss me?”

I can’t answer her. The truth f*cking sucks, and I won’t lie to her. Ever. Instead I brush my thumb over her lower lip, loving the way it feels against the pad of my thumb and wish with all my heart that things were different.

As my thumb reaches the center of that pouty lower lip, the tip of her tongue peeks out and brushes my skin and I lose it.

I cradle her cheek in my hand and sweep my lips over hers and then sink into her as she moans in happiness, wrapping those strong arms around me and pulling me closer to her.

Her mouth is pure f*cking bliss. My other hand glides up her side, over the outside of her breast and up to cradle the other side of her face and I hold her to me as I feast on her mouth.

I’ve f*cking wanted to taste her for months, and here she is, finally in my arms. Her light, exotic scent surrounds me, intoxicates me.

She sighs deeply as I slowly back away, kissing her nose and cheeks and finally pull all the way back, watching her carefully.

Her eyes are still closed as she pushes those amazing hands of hers up my chest, where she rests them, swallows hard, and opens her incredible dark eyes.