Page 17 of Desperate Temptations

H er shoulders drooped . Her exhaustion was making any decision difficult. She nodded and went to her bedroom, too tired to argue with him. She looked longingly at her bed. She knew if she sat down, she wouldn’t be getting up again that night.

She sighed, then she went into her closet and gathered an old soft t-shirt and sweatpants. Going to her drawers, she took out socks and panties. A fast, cool shower would wake her up for a bit. She needed to be able to understand what Cain had to say.

As the water cascaded down her body, Jessa hoped he had answers for her, because she was afraid that was the only thing that would let her finally get some restful sleep.

When she got to the kitchen, Cain was setting plates down on the table.

They ate in silence until both plates were cleaned.

Cain stood and grabbed the dishes, taking them to the sink and rinsing them.

He came back to find her still sitting, staring at her hands on the table.

He bent to grasp her hand and helped her to her feet.

Cain pulled her behind him into the living room, sat down on the sofa, and pulled her down beside him.

Jessa leaned her head back on the cushion and silently looked at him.

He was such a big, dark man. Everything about him shouted danger.

From the top of his dark hair, down to his big boots, and every muscle in between.

There was nothing soft about this man. Her eyes followed all the ridges and valleys of his body.

She probably should be more afraid of him, but something inside of her told her he would never hurt her.

She swallowed. He did make her nervous, though, but not with fear.

“Thank you for bringing me home and making me dinner.”

Cain put his arm around her, pulled her into the shelter of his bulk, and shushed her when she tried to move away.

“I like taking care of you.” Cain shook his head when she continued to sit rigidly beside him. “Just relax, Jessa. Nothing’s going to happen right now. Let’s get comfortable so we can talk.”

She relaxed and tucked her head against his strong shoulder, feeling the muscle bunch as he tightened his arm around her.

“First, I want to know why you’re not taking care of yourself, why you’re so tired?” he asked when she finally relaxed.

He nudged her when she didn’t reply right away, keeping her eyes on her lap.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Cain.”

“Start with why you’re so tired?”

Jessa took a big shuddering breath. “I’m having bad dreams again.” She sighed. “After I have one, I wake up crying, and I can’t go back to sleep.”

“What are you dreaming about, and how often does this happen?”

She lowered her head.

“Every night,” she murmured softly. “It’s harder, I think, because I haven’t had them for a long time.”

His body tightened.

“Goddammit. Why now?” he asked sharply.

Jessa flinched.

“I’m not sure. I think part of it is the stress of meeting you, and maybe because I don’t have anything to concentrate on. I’m not doing anything to help with the investigation or going to the warehouse...”