12. Frankie
12
FRANKIE
S omething woke me.
I froze. I wasn’t sure where I was. The bed was comfy, but the room wasn’t familiar.
As I sat up, everything came back to me. I was at Reath’s.
Someone had trashed my lab and attacked me. God .
A low, tortured groaning sound caught my ear. It raised goosebumps on my skin.
I slipped out of bed. My feet were bare, and the wood floor was cool. I was conscious that I’d hand washed my panties, and they were currently hanging in the bathroom. All I was wearing was the large, soft T-shirt that Reath had given me.
Tugging on the hem, I headed quietly down the hall. Another raw sound filled with horrible pain echoed off the walls.
It was coming from Reath’s bedroom.
I hovered in front of the door, biting my bottom lip. When I heard another pained sound, resolve filled me. I pushed open the door. The bedroom was shadowed, but a faint glow came from the bathroom.
In the large bed, Reath was tossing and turning.
I moved closer. He was clearly having a nightmare. A terrible one.
His chest was bare. Yep, I was right. All hard muscles, and his abs…
I bit my lip.
He let out another low groan and sympathy filled me. What had he suffered through? What nightmare was he trapped in?
Clearing my throat, I reached over and touched his shoulder. I kept my voice a low whisper. “Reath.”
He reacted in an instant.
The barest touch of warm skin, and then a strong hand closed around my wrist and yanked me onto the bed.
He pinned me under his body, and another hand circled my throat.
Adrenaline shot through me. He wasn’t awake and I could tell he was acting on instinct.
“ Reath .” I could barely get the word out. He was so strong.
My instincts took over. I’d trained in judo in high school.
His body wasn’t fully on mine. I reached over and gripped the waistband of his boxer shorts, then planted my feet and lifted my hips. I dislodged him and quickly rolled free. Then, I launched back toward him, got his arm in a hold, and rolled.
I ended up half on top of him, with his arm in a painful position.
His face was inches from mine, and I saw awareness fill his eyes.
A frown creased his brow. “Frankie?”
“You were having a nightmare.”
Something rippled over his face. “Shit. Did I hurt you?”
“Do I seem hurt?”
“No.” He paused. “You going to let go of my arm before you break it?”
I released him and sat up.
He did too, rubbing his shoulder. “What are you trained in?”
“Judo. Brown belt.”
His brows rose. “You’re just full of surprises.”
“Are you okay?”
He sighed. “I think I need a drink.”