leave. She wanted to break up with him and not have this conversation. He was going to make that difficult because he cared.
“Will you come over here and sit with me?” he asked.
She was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom. “I’d rather stay here.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Damn, he looked good. He had on khaki shorts today and a white T-shirt. His usual Vans. She wanted to climb onto his lap and pretend she was someone else. “We need to break up. I can’t date you anymore.”
He swallowed and then drew in a breath. “I disagree.”
She looked down at her feet, remembering what she was wearing and then crossing her arms over her chest. Jesus, he could see her nipples through this shirt. And why should she care? He’d had his mouth around them two nights ago.
“Look, I get that you’ve experienced something traumatic, but please don’t shut me out. I’m here. I really like you, Rebekah. A lot. Let me help. Let me listen.”
She met his gaze. He pulled at her heartstrings. If there was anyone alive she would ever consider opening up to, it would be him. No one had ever shown her this much kindness knowing what he now knew. What very little he knew.
He seemed to realize that her trauma did not come from three weeks ago, and though she couldn’t recall what all she’d said to him the other night, she did know she’d at least mentioned Jenny in her crazed state of mind.
“Please come over here, baby.” His voice was so gentle and sweet, and he made her body take notice when he called her baby.
“I can’t think when you touch me,” she admitted in a whisper.
He smiled. “Maybe you’d like to avoid thinking altogether for a while. Looks like you could use some sleep.” He patted the bed next to him. “How about if you lie down? I’ll hold you, and you can get some rest.”
She shook her head. “That’s the entire problem, Bracken. I don’t want to sleep around you. I don’t want you to see what happens to me. I don’t want to share about my past.”
He nodded. “Okay. I get that. But I’ve already seen what happens when you have a bad dream, so the cat’s out of the bag, right?”
She closed her eyes and dipped her head down. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically.
“You don’t have to talk about it. Just come lie down. Let me catch you if you fall. I suspect no one has ever been there for you, have they?”
She sighed. He was extremely astute. Dammit.
Bracken kicked off his shoes, scooted to the other side of her bed, and patted the spot next to him yet again. He was persistent. And she wanted to go to him so badly. She wanted to feel his touch. She wanted to experience what he’d given her the other night again. His hands roaming over her body. His lips following. Jesus.
That’s not what he was offering her today, but it was what popped into her mind at the thought of lying next to him. “I don’t sleep with people,” she murmured, trying desperately to hold her ground. If she gave in, she would never have the spine to take a step back again.
“I understand. You have PTSD. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, Rebekah. It’s common in my line of work. I’ve seen grown men wake up in a cold sweat just like you did. I’ve seen them mumble about things that made no sense to me. I’ve seen them jerk out of it and glance around with the same embarrassment you had. You’re not alone, baby. When people experience trauma, it’s hard to let it go. It can haunt you.”
A tear came to her eye, and the damn thing broke loose and slid down her cheek, forcing her to swipe at it. He got it. He did. There was no reason to try and pretend otherwise. The problem was that he was going to want her to share, and that was never going to happen.
His voice was softer when he spoke again. “You’re hurting. You don’t have to hurt alone.”
She sucked in a sob. Damn him for being so nice. “I’m not going to talk about it, Bracken.”
“Okay. You don’t have to.”
“Ever,” she emphasized.
“Okay.” His voice was gentle again. “The only thing I want you to do right now is sleep.”
Her heart was pounding. His offer was so tempting. She was tired. Exhausted. Desperate. Lonely. Isolated. So many things. They