Page 7 of Timber's Girl
“No, I just want to sleep. I'll take the futon," she says wearily.
“You’re taking the bed,” I correct, guiding her toward the simple bedspread after she’s changed and placing an empty trash bin beside the mattress in case she gets sick during the night.
I wouldn't call myself a gentleman, but I won’t let Lindy sleep on the cramped futon. The bed isn't much more comfortable, but at least it has a pillow and a blanket.
“Thanks.” Lindy gingerly lowers herself onto the bed. The club didn’t spring for a bedframe and headboard, so it sits on the floor, and for the first time, I’m embarrassed by the bachelor pad. I wish I had something better to offer.
Once she’s settled, my weary body contorts into an awkward shape on the futon to get some sleep, but my mind keeps circling around the woman who has hijacked my every waking thought for months.
***
A piercing cry wakes me from my light rest. Lindy tosses and turns beneath the thin blanket, every now and then letting out a fearful wail. Rolling to my feet, I hurry to the bed.
"It's just a dream. Wake up." My hand gently shakes her shoulder, trying to bring her back to reality. Instead, she twists to fight me, one of her fists glancing off my shoulder. It hardly makes an impact on my broad frame, but I quickly cover Lindy’s body with mine to prevent her from accidently hurting herself.
I read once how pressure on the body releases some relaxing hormone. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it’s worth a shot. So, though Lindy attempts to buck my weight, I don't let up.
This could be doing more harm than good.
If she’s having a nightmare, it could be about Dean, and having a giant man like me bearing down on her in her sleep could scare the shit out of her.
But what else can I do when she’s flailing around the mattress locked in fear? Her fists knock against the wall behind her head before I capture them and hold them to the mattress.
I'll wait for Lindy to calm down, realize no one is here to harm her, then I’ll let go. That’s my haphazard plan. So while she’s stuck in the throes of a nightmare, I go back to reassuring her.
"You're safe. No one's going to hurt you. I'm with you."
The three sentences become a litany, a promise, as she eventually relaxes under my weight. I'm not sure if it’s the words or sheer exhaustion on her part, but I’ll take it.
Anything is better than hearing the little whimpers emanating from her throat or watching her fight an invisible attacker.
I slowly inch my way off her, but as soon as she’s free, Lindy begins fighting the air and crying out again.
A heavy sigh blows past my lips.
This is going to be a long night.
Returning to my protective post covering Lindy’s body, my head rests next to hers as I repeat the cycle of whispering that she's safe—praying she’ll resume a peaceful sleep while visions of the hundred different ways I could end Dean flash in my mind.
CHAPTER SIX
LINDY
Unbearable heat.
The scent of fresh pine.
What happened last night?
Timber's heavy body rests on top of me. I’m covered head to toe by him. His head between my breasts. One tattooed arm curled up my side to wrap underneath my shoulder. A long, muscular leg trapping mine against the bed.
This man has me completely at his mercy.
A panic attack should be gearing up at his close proximity—especially when I haven’t had a man in my bed since Dean—but Timber has never turned his strength on me.
All that brute power? He's used it to save me from potentially dangerous situations time and again, instead.
He’s been the perfect gentleman. Except for being in this bed right now.