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I rest my head on the seat. Protecting her was supposed to be my job. But my feelings for her are far from professional. She’s become a liability to me. A danger. In so many ways.
I sit up and push open the door. I walk around to her side and open the door quietly. Then gently ease her into my arms.
“Caleb?” Her sleepy eyes flutter open. “Are you carrying me to my room like a real-life prince?”
“Unless you’d prefer to walk?”
She leans her head into my chest. “No, I’m happy here.”
Me too. She’s back asleep before we make it out of the parking garage. I take the stairs to her room to avoid waking her up with the lights and sounds. She’s so tiny in my arms it feels easy. Like this is what I was always meant to do. Hold her. Care for her.
There’s enough light filtering through the windows of her room I can make out the small space in between clothes that has been hollowed out for her body.
I wonder if she usually sleeps with her dogs and if she misses them.
I situate her on the bed, then tuck the blankets around her. She sighs into the pillows and before I can stop myself, I press a kiss to her forehead.
“Goodnight, Amelia.”
She mumbles something in her sleep, then curls into the blankets.
I do a quick sweep of her room, then force myself out the door and back to my own room. But two hours later I still can’t sleep.
I can’t get her off my mind. I don’t know how. And kissing her today made those thoughts outrageously more inevitable.
It’s nearly one in the morning and I haven’t slept a wink. Amelia’s room has been quiet for two hours.
Rolling to my side, I work on slowing my breathing. I’ll sleep for two hours. Check on her. Then two more.
“Ahhh!”
I jump out of my bed, my pulse pounding. The scream comes again and now I’m positive it’s coming from Amelia’s room. I grab the spare key and sprint into the hall as she shrieks again.
“Don’t kill me!” Amelia screams.
“Amelia!”
The door blinks red instead of green and I shove the key across again. Come on.
The door clicks and I kick it open, sprinting into the pitch-black room. Where is she?
There’s movement on the bed and I rush forward. I grab the two arms I see and pull her against me.
“What’s wrong? Where is he?”
Amelia goes still in my arms.
“Caleb?” she whispers.
“Where’d he go?”
“Who?”
“You said someone was trying to kill you.” My voice is high and panicked.
“Oh.” Her body goes limp and I wrap her up tighter. “I think I was having a nightmare. I keep getting them ever since the, uh…well, you know.”
I sink down beside her, my body caving with relief. She’s safe. Except in her dreams apparently.