“But I don’t want you involved any more than you already are. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

“Why do you assume I’m in danger from him? He’s much more likely to be in danger from me.” His voice had taken on a certain chill, but there was no way he could hide it.

She swallowed so hard he could see it. “Caleb, please.”

“I’m serious, Kelly. I know people. I have resources. I could make a call and have the whole thing taken care of.”

She didn’t answer, but he felt her trembling in the bed beside him.

“It’s true.”

“I know it’s true,” she whispered.

“Does that scare you?”

“A little.”

He felt something painful clamp down on his heart. “Does that scare you away?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

He let out a breath, amazed that someone could know him so well, so deeply, and stay by his side in spite of that. He reached out to pull her against him, holding her close since it was the only way he had at the moment for expressing his feelings.

He wanted to do so much more, but that wasn’t yet being offered.

—

It was still dark when Caleb woke up.

Blinking, he adjusted to the darkened room and glanced over at the bedside clock. 4:15. He usually woke up naturally at dawn, so he wondered what had woken him up now.

Then he heard it.

Kelly moaned beside him.

Rolling over quickly, he peered at her, his senses immediately alert. She was lying on her back, her hair a tousled mess around her. She was still sleeping, but the covers had slipped down to her waist.

The shirt had come unbuttoned and was revealing a lot of her neck and one shoulder, and one of her arms was draped over her belly.

As he watched, she moaned again, her features tightening for a moment with the sound.

Caleb couldn’t tell if it was a nightmare or an erotic dream, but his body reacted to the low, throaty sound of her groan.

She gave a little grunt and her body shifted on the bed. When his eyes slid lower, he could faintly see that her nipples were tight and were poking out wantonly through the cotton.

Smothering a groan of his own, Caleb felt his cock start to harden.

“Eh,” Kelly huffed in her sleep, her head tossing gently on the pillow.

Caleb’s body was suddenly way too hot, so he pushed the covers down impatiently.

Kelly’s arm flew up, from her belly to the pillow above her head, and she gasped in vague response before she grunted softly again.

Caleb was almost fully erect now, and he was hard-pressed not to reach down to his own cock. Kelly must be having an erotic dream. She must. She made those kinds of noises when she was close to orgasm.

He was considering waking her up when her body jerked again. “No, no, no,” she mumbled, still in her dream.

Caleb’s spine stiffened, and his heart lurched painfully. It must not be a good dream after all.

Reaching over, he gently shook Kelly by the shoulder. “Kelly. Kelly, wake up.”

“No,” Kelly gasped, flailing in response to his touch. “No! Murderer.”

He flinched at the word. “Kelly!” he said sharply, needing her to wake up because he couldn’t stand to hear her sound so helpless.

Her eyes flew open on a frantic huff, and she gaped at him.

“You were dreaming,” he explained thickly, torn between concern and hot arousal.

“Oh,” she panted, staring at him blindly. After a moment, she whimpered a little and burrowed into him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. “Was it bad?” he asked.

She was shaking and gasping against him, but he could swear that she was aroused. Her body just felt aroused as she squirmed against him.

Or maybe it was merely wishful thinking.

He tried not to let himself hope, since she’d clearly just had a bad dream. But his body was hoping, was throbbing, anyway.

“It was”—she began shakily—“it was intense.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

It took Kelly a minute to get herself together enough to explain. “You know I’ve had issues with men in the past.”

Caleb tensed up involuntarily.

She went on, although she must have felt his response. “So, sometimes what should just be a nice sexy dream turns into—something else.”

She sounded so small and broken that he dropped any hope of having sex right now. Instead, he rocked her against him. He felt too much to try to say anything, since all of this was so painfully new to him.

It seemed like he didn’t have to say anything. Kelly whispered, “Thanks, Caleb. I was so relieved to wake up and remember where I am now.”

It soothed something in his chest, despite his damned aching cock. He kept holding her against him, until her shuddering angst had eased up.

And then, before he knew to expect it, her hand started fumbling down between them. Slid under the waistband of his loose pajama pants and closed on his erection.

“Kelly,” he rasped as he felt her cool fingers against his hot flesh.

She pressed against him, until his cock was trapped between the pressure of her hand and his lower belly. He sucked in a breath and tried not to buck his hips against her touch.

“I’m sorry I’m so fucked up, Caleb,” she whispered, her palm rubbing firmly up and down his length.

Caleb couldn’t restrain a guttural exclamation of pleasure as his breathing hitched and accelerated. “Kelly,” he forced out. “It’s fine. I’m fucked up enough myself. If you don’t want to—” He had to bite his lip hard as her fingers gently fondled the head of his shaft.

“See,” Kelly began hoarsely. “That’s the thing.”

She released his cock, which made Caleb grunt in disappointment. But then she found one of his hands, and guided it down between her legs, after slipping it under the waistband of her underwear.

Caleb grunted again when he realized that she was hot and wet. Feeling a new urgency to the pressure of arousal inside him, he moved his fingers, sliding them against the slick warmth of her pussy.

Kelly sucked in her breath and squirmed insistently against his hand.

“Kelly?” he asked. He had no idea what was going on, and he was almost afraid to hope.

“I’m scared, Caleb,” Kelly whispered.

Caleb’s hand grew still between her legs, but he couldn’t bring himself to move it away. “What are you scared of?”

He didn’t understand. If only he knew what was scaring her, he could start to make it better.

She reached up to hold on to his shoulders, as if she needed to cling to something. “It’s going to sound stupid.”

He stroked her again, before he could stop himself, making her gasp sharply in pleasure. She was so wet for him—from her dream or from his touch now—that his fingers were coated with her moisture. He didn’t slide a finger inside her, but he rubbed the length of his fingers between the folds of her flesh. She winced in response, grinding her arousal against his hand in naked need.

It felt like ages since he’d pleased her this way.

“Tell me anyway,” he insisted huskily.

Her face twisted reluctantly as her frenzied motion against his hand grew still. She explained in a self-conscious mumble, “It was so intense last time. So real. I’m afraid it’s going to be just as real this time.”

Caleb inhaled at the sudden clench in his heart. He felt an intense surge of understanding, desire, tenderness, pride.

“It—it just scares me.”

He made a rough sound in his throat and pulled her against him with his free arm, his other hand still in between her legs, touching her intimately. “Kelly, blossom, it was real. It will be real. But you don’t have to be scared. This is the only time it’s ever been real for me too.”

A little shudder ran through her, and she didn’t say anything.

“We can wait as long as you need,” he murmured, not sure of what else to say.

But she must have made her decision. “I don’t want to wait anymore.” Kelly rolled over onto her back, pulling him over her as she did.