Chapter 24
CASSIA
I wake with a start when something slams so hard into my jaw that my lips knock against my teeth. As my eyes pop open, it’s to see Knight throw himself off the bed. There’s a loud thud, and I can hear his breathing is way too fast.
Shit!
I dart to his side of the bed, and climbing off, I quickly grab hold of Knight’s shoulder and try to shake him awake.
His arm darts out, and he shoves me so hard I fall backward while he moves onto his knees, and the next instant, he’s on top of me, and his arm swings backward.
“Knight!” I cry in an attempt to pull him out of the nightmare while trying to grab hold of his arm to stop him. “It’s me. It’s Cassia!” His arm freezes mid-swing as soon as I scream, “Lincoln!”
When his eyes open, I take hold of the sides of his neck. “It’s a nightmare.”
He drops onto his back beside me, and when I hear his choppy breaths, I quickly sit up and place my palm on his chest while leaning over him.
He lifts his arms and covers his face with his hands, his chest shuddering with every breath.
I move closer, and pushing my arm beneath his head, I press his face into the crook of my neck and start to stroke my other hand over his hair. “I’m here. Shh. I’m here.”
His arms wrap around my waist, and his body curls around mine. It takes minutes before his breathing starts slowing down.
Seeing him in such a state breaks my heart, and I keep trying to comfort him until he finally lifts his head and pulls a little back so he can sit upright.
He brushes his hand over his chest before he rubs the tip of his middle finger over the cut that’s situated over his heart.
No.
Is that one for Ronnie?
Moving onto my knees, I scoot a little closer as I place my hand on his shoulder. “Lincoln?”
I don’t dare ask if he’s okay because it’s clear as daylight he isn’t.
He clears his throat before he lifts his head. His voice is gruff as he murmurs, “I’m good.”
Shaking my head, I stand up and switch on the overhead light.
Knight climbs to his feet and turns toward me. The moment he looks at me, his already tense features turn deadly. He darts forward, and grabbing hold of my shoulder, he brings his other hand to my face but stops short of touching me.
“Did I do this to you?” he asks, his tone tight with anger.
I don’t know what the damage is to my face, but I’m not about to tell this man he hurt me because then he’ll never sleep in the same bed as me again.
I quickly shake my head. “I knocked my face against the bedside table in my hurry to get to you.”
“Christ, Cassia,” he growls while taking me by the hand and dragging me to the kitchen.
He grips hold of my hips and sets my butt down on the counter. I watch as he opens the freezer and grabs a frozen pack of ground beef, which he wraps in a dishtowel.
I was lying with my head on his shoulder when I fell asleep. I think when he turned and threw himself off the bed, his shoulder connected with my face.
“Does it look bad?” I ask when he presses the makeshift icepack to my jaw.
“There’s a red mark from the corner of your mouth to your chin,” he mutters. His eyes lock with mine. “Please be more careful in the future.” He lifts the icepack to check the mark again before gently pressing it back in place.
I just nod, and wanting to talk about what just happened, I ask, “Do you get nightmares often?”
He shrugs. “It comes and goes. Sometimes, I don’t have any for a while, and other times, I have them every night.” He lifts his other hand and tucks some of my hair behind my ear. “I’ll sleep somewhere else when I go through a bad patch.”
“Like hell you will,” I mutter.
His gaze narrows on me. “You got hurt tonight, Cassia. What if I hurt you while I’m having a nightmare?”
I place my hand over his that’s holding the ice pack and lightly shake my head. “You won’t hurt me.”
“I have no control when I’m out of it.”
“You do,” I argue. “You were going to punch me, but when I called your name, you stopped and woke up.”
His features turn to stone, and his voice is dangerously low as he asks, “I almost punched you?”
Oh shit.
I wave a hand through the air. “I wouldn’t even call it a punch. I think you were just going to shove me away. The point is you woke up when I called your name.”
He takes a step backward and levels me with a look that says he knows I’m lying.
“Tell me what happened,” he demands.
I quickly shake my head. “You’ll overreact.”
Knight’s eyes flick to the blemish on my jaw. “Did I hit you?”
“Jesus, no!” I slip off the counter, and when I move closer to him, he counters my steps by moving backward. “Lincoln, stop.” This time, when I move closer, he keeps still and I’m able to place my hands on his chest while saying. “You didn’t hit me. I swear on my life.”
Relief softens his stony features a little. “What happened?”
I let out a sigh before reluctantly admitting, “Your shoulder knocked into my jaw when you rolled off the bed. I got off, and when I tried to shake you awake, you pulled your arm back, but…,” I hold up my hand to silence Knight when it looks like he’s going to interrupt me, “when I called your name, you woke up and instantly stopped.”
Looking very upset, he shakes his head at me. “I’m never sleeping in the same room as you again.”
I throw my hands in the air. “See, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you.” Leveling him with a glare, I say, “You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”
“Like hell I am,” he snaps at me. “I fucking hurt you, Cassia.”
“It was an accident.” I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to back down. “Hell, it could happen when you turn onto your side. I could knee you while sleeping. It happens.”
Knight only stares at me.
“I’m fine.” Giving him a pleading look, I take his hand in both of mine. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. If you ever end up punching me while having a nightmare, I’ll agree to separate beds.”
“I’d rather avoid hitting you altogether,” he grumbles.
I wrap my arms around his waist and press my body to his while looking up at him. “Deal?”
Lifting his hand, he gently brushes his fingers over my jaw. “We’ll see.”
I press a kiss to the cut over his heart, then ask, “Want to talk about the nightmare?”
He looks at me for a moment, then says, “It was a flashback of that day.”
“Have you ever tried getting therapy?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not going to talk to a stranger about Ronnie.”
I give him a pleading look. “Will you talk to me? It might help.”
He nods, but then says, “Not tonight, though. Another time.”
“Okay.” Letting go of him, I turn around and take the packet of ground beef from the towel. After I place it back in the freezer, I nod toward the doorway. “Let’s go back to bed.”
“I’m going to stay up,” he says. “I’ll tuck you in, though.”
When we walk back to the bedroom, I glance at him and ask, “Will you just lie with me? We don’t have to sleep.”
He nods, and when we lie down, he turns onto his side so he can look at me. Neither of us says anything for a while, and when I can’t stand the gap separating us for a second longer, I move closer until our bodies touch.
I wrap my arms around him again and pull him closer until he rests his head on my chest. I press a kiss to the top of his head before dragging my fingers through his short hair.
“Thank you for understanding me so well,” he whispers.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I reply. “I just want to be there for you the same way you’re there for me.”
“You’re really good at this relationship thing,” he mentions.
“I’ve had a really long time to dream about it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He lifts his head so he can look at me. “What did you dream?”
A smile tugs at my mouth. “So many things.”
“Like what?”
“Taking over from my father and making the organization stronger,” I admit. “Getting married to whichever man my dad would’ve chosen for me.”
“You would’ve had an arranged marriage?” he asks.
I nod. “This year.”
“Well, it’s no longer going to be an arranged one,” he mutters.
A smile curves my lips. “Yeah. I hope the man I marry will understand that I need to be in charge at work, but at home, I need him to be in control.”
His eyes fill with understanding. “You have to show your people you’re the boss, or they’ll kill you.”
“Exactly,” I agree. “But at home, I hope I’ll be able to be vulnerable and share my fears with the one person who will never betray me.”
He nods. “As it should be.”
Will that person be Knight, or will I end up marrying someone else?
I try to imagine my future, and all I see is Knight.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks.
“Who I’ll end up marrying.”
He leans his head on his palm and locks eyes with me. “And?”
I shrug. “Only time will tell.”
“Wrong answer.” His eyes narrow on me. “Time has nothing to do with it, Cassia.” When I frown at him, he says, “I told you you’re mine. The only man you’ll marry one day is me.”
I lift an eyebrow at him. “One day?”
He leans into me, pressing a possessive kiss to my mouth. “Yes. One day. When we’re both ready to take that step.”
“I’m glad you’re leaning in that direction because we didn’t use protection.”
Knight’s eyes widen as he realizes we forgot about using a condom in the heat of the moment. Then he tilts his head, and it looks like he just thought of something that pleases him.
“What?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I’m good with you being pregnant.” He shrugs. “Or not. We’ll deal with whatever happens.”
“Yeah?”
He gives me a quick kiss. “I’m going to be the father of your children. If it’s nine months from now, we just have to make sure the shit with the bratva is dealt with and you’re back on your throne before you give birth.”
“My throne?” I chuckle.
He nods, his mouth curving up in a smile that steals my breath.
“God, you need to smile more,” I say.
“I will now that I have a reason to.”