Anna's door crashed open, rocking on its hinges.
"Bastian!" Her cry was one of terror and panic.
He was beside her in an instant, sweeping her into
his arms, his touch a blissful slice of heaven in the midst of hellish
despair. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here."
"I keep seeing it," she said, crying uncontrollably.
Hysteria edged ever closer, and she didn't know how much longer she could
hold it at bay. "The accident. It keeps replaying over and over. I can't get
it out of my head. Please! Make it go away. Make it stop!"
His arms tightened. "Listen to me, Anna. The
accident's in the past. It can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now. I'm with
you and you're safe."
He reached out and turned on the bedside lamp. Light
bathed them in a warm, reassuring glow. He held her for a long time, talking
nonsense while she wept. Gradually she gained control, the tears coming to a
slow end.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping her cheeks. "I
didn't mean to disturb you."
"It's the storm, isn't it?" he asked. "It's brought
back memories of the accident."
She burrowed deeper into his arms, refusing to look
at him. "The storm only makes the dreams worse."
"Worse?" He tilted up her head, brushing the hair
from her eyes, a tiny frown creasing his brow. "How often are you having
these nightmares?"
She didn't have the energy to lie. "They come every
night," she confessed.
He stiffened. "Every night?"
"Ever since that first incident." She shrugged
awkwardly. "You know. With you, in the car."
"Even on the boat?" He searched her face. "All that
time you've been having these dreams?"
"I didn't sleep much at night during the trip here,"
she admitted. "I...I was afraid. So I slept during the day, on deck."
"No wonder you're looking so fragile." His mouth
compressed. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
She couldn't meet his eyes. "You weren't there."
"And tonight? When I asked you about the storm?"
"I lied about it not bothering me." She could sense
his tension, his disbelief. "I...I didn't want you to find out the truth,"
she tried to explain.
"Why?"
"You know why," she told him in a low voice.
It didn't take him long to grasp her meaning. "If
you'd told me about the nightmares, I'd have insisted you sleep with me, is
that it?"
She nodded. "And I couldn't handle that."
The muscles in his jaw clenched. "In other words,
you were willing to put yourself through all this suffering rather than
sleep in my bed."
"It wasn't the sleeping I was worried about," she
lashed out at him.
"That tears it."
Before she realized what he intended, he stood,
lifting her high in his arms. "What are you doing?" she demanded in alarm.
"Where are you taking me?"
He headed across the room. "You're so clever. You
figure it out."
There was nothing to figure. She knew precisely
where he planned to go. "No!" She fought for release, but he didn't even
break stride. "I won't sleep with you."
He shouldered past her door. "As you pointed out,
sleeping isn't the issue, is it?"
She caught her breath. "You can't mean it,
Sebastian. You promised!"
"I promised to give you time. Well, guess what?" His
face was dark and stern and totally unrelenting. "Your time's up."
"But... You agreed I could have my own room."
"Then I guess we both lied. So sue me."
A great boom of thunder reverberated through the
house, the echo bouncing off the mountains and rolling away across the
ocean. Lightning slashed the darkness, white and bitterly intense. Anna
shuddered, the fight leached from her. She buried her face in Sebastian's
shoulder. Dear heaven, but the storm frightened her, dredging up a hidden
terror she couldn't bring herself to face.
Sebastian pushed open the door to his room and
crossed to the bed, dropping her onto the mattress. He must have left in a
hurry. One pillow lay on the floor, another across the room. And the covers
had been kicked into a heap, dangling half-on and half-off the bed. He saw
her eyeing the mess, and a wry smile tugged at his lips.
"Your scream caught me by surprise," he admitted,
straightening the bedding.
Rain hammered at the windows and lightning lit the
room again. For an instant he stood in bold relief, every detail
illuminated. She'd known he had a muscular build, but the sight of him
wearing so few clothes hit with stunning impact. He was beautifully shaped,
every muscle and sinew sculpted as though by a master. Dark hair covered his
chest, darting downward to disappear into low-slung boxers.
She swallowed. "I thought you slept nude."
"I do."
"But you didn't tonight?" Why was she pursuing this?
Had she completely lost her mind?
He inclined his head. "I didn't tonight," he agreed.
"Why?" The question was a mere whisper between them.
She could only see his silhouette now, his expression buried in the dark.
But his posture tensed.
"Because I thought you might need me. And if you
did..." He shrugged, weariness underlining his words. "The situation between
us is strained enough without my scaring the hell out of you."
Considering how upset she'd been by the storm, she
doubted she'd have noticed his nudity. But she didn't dare admit as much to
him. Not when he showed such consideration. "It would seem you've won, after
all," she told him. "You have me where you originally wanted. So, what do
you intend to do now?"
He laughed in genuine amusement, the sound soft and
intimate. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
Anna released a silent groan. She hadn't planned for
her question to sound as provocative as it did. "I meant--"
"I know what you meant." He approached. "And what I
intend is to put you to bed. And then I intend to join you there."
Her pulse quickened. "And if I refuse?"
He picked up the pillow at his feet and tossed it at
her. "Lie down."
"Wh-what?"
"You heard me. Lie down."
Her eyes widened in alarm. "Bastian...please!"
His footsteps faltered. "Say that again," he
ordered.
She stared at him in bewilderment. "Say what?"
"My name. Say my name again."
She licked her lips, stirring uneasily. "Sebastian,"
she repeated.
"No. That's not what you said. You called me Bastian."
He tilted his head to one side. "You're not even aware of it, are you?"
"No," she conceded in clipped tones.
"You used to shorten my name...before. You were the
only one who ever did. And now, when you're frightened, or upset...or
aroused, you call to me. You call to me like you used to." He knelt on the
bed beside her. "Lie down, Anna."
She shook her head frantically. "No! Please, Basti--"
Her breath caught in her throat and she stared up at him, wide-eyed.
Triumph flashed in his eyes. "You do remember. The
memories are there, fighting for release. Let me in, my love. Let me help."
Thunder boomed again, and with a smothered cry of
alarm, she covered her ears. He had her in his arms before the echo even
died away. His heart beat beneath her ear, steady and strong and she relaxed
automatically into his embrace.
"It's all right, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm
here."
"Will it end soon?" It was a foolish question. A
question a child would ask. But right then, she didn't care. She just wanted
the storm to finally be over.
"They don't last long. They're full of flash and
fury, but they blow past in short order." He reached down and snagged the
sheet, pulling it up to cover them. Repositioning the pillows, he lay back,
tucking her close. "Try and sleep. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I can't," she protested. "Not with the storm."
But her eyes drifted closed even as she spoke. And
for the first time in weeks she slept. Truly slept, safe and secure within
Sebastian's arms, knowing that he would protect her.
