Page 99 of Whispers and Wildfire
She nodded again. “I have nightmares.”
“I can’t believe they didn’t find him.”
“I know. It was awful. It’s also kind of why I moved in with Jared, my ex. We hadn’t been dating very long, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“So you could say you got married under duress.”
Her smile grew. “You could say that, yes.”
I hugged her against me again. Mostly because I wanted to comfort her—make everything better somehow. But also because she felt so good, I couldn’t resist.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Thanks. I’ve had a lot of therapy to deal with it, but nothing has ever helped with the nightmares. I don’t have them every night or anything, but when I do, it’s over. No more sleep.”
“That’s so shitty. It’s bad enough you had to go through something like that. But to have to keep living with it.”
“Definitely zero stars. Do not recommend.”
I rested my cheek on the top of her head. We sat there for a while, just breathing.
“Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you bring dinner?”
That made me laugh. The woman had just opened up to me, and the next thing she wanted was food. “Yes, I brought dinner. I put it in the fridge.”
“Don’t get up. I’ll get it. But how did I not notice it in there?”
“I don’t know. Your fridge is almost empty.”
She eased herself off me and stood. “Don’t judge me for being broke. My boss is a cheapskate.”
I shook my head while she went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “So, how mad is Hank that you bid on me instead of him at the auction?”
She turned toward me, her eyes flashing.
I was definitely getting too close to the fire.
“Not mad in the least, I suppose, considering he dumped me after our second date. However, I’d like to state for the record that I was going to dump him, he just said it first. It was a mutual dumping.”
I couldn’t help the slow grin that crept over my face. Not with Hank? That was interesting information.
“How mad is Jenna that I won instead of her?”
“Why would she be mad?”
“Maybe because you’re dating,” she said, like I’d just asked a stupid question.
“We’re not dating.”
Her voice went low and sultry. “Do not lie to me, Luke Haven.”
“I’m not.”
“Excuse me,” she said, returning to her natural voice as she took the to-go boxes out of the fridge and set them on the counter. “I saw you on a date with her.”
