Straight From The Hip

“You’ve said that before. You need some new material. Maybe you can take your act on the road. The pity Izzy show. Not that you’ll sell many tickets. You’re okay to look at but once you break the skin, there’s nothing inside. To really be funny you have to be smart and have a world-view. You need to be likeable. None of those are your strengths. Still, you’re a Titan. You have money. You’ll survive. Maybe they’ll get you a nice room with a view. Not that you’ll see it.”

She wanted to throw something at him. She’d nearly finished the drink so she hurled the glass in his direction. It crashed into the door.

“Plastic,” he said, sounding pleased. “It didn’t break. See, Izzy. You can’t hurt me.”

And then he was gone.

IZZY HADN’T EXPECTED to sleep. She’d been so angry, so filled with rage, she’d spent the evening pacing in her room. When Aaron showed up with a sandwich, she’d eaten it because she wanted to be strong. She was going to leave this place, work out with some martial arts master, then break every bone in Nick’s body.

Maybe it was the pacing that exhausted her, or the hot energy of fury or the food in her belly. But sometime in the middle of the night she fell asleep. She only knew because she could suddenly see again.

She was back on the rig, walking down the hallway. There hadn’t been any warning. That’s what she remembered. The absence of a whisper of what was to come. One second she was heading to the mess for breakfast, the next she was in the middle of an explosion, flying through fire.

The brightness of it battled with the sound. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, could only be tossed around like a kite in the wind. Fire was everywhere. It licked at her skin. She felt sick and terrified and tried to scream, only she couldn’t and then-

“Shh. It’s all right.”

The voice called her back, as did strong arms pulling her upright. She sucked in a breath, then opened her eyes.

“It was just a dream,” Nick told her. “Make that a nightmare. You’re safe.”

Her whole body shook. She was covered in cold sweat and thought she might lose the sandwich she’d eaten earlier. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Her heart raced around in her chest until she wondered if she was having a heart attack.

The lights were on, but she still couldn’t see enough. She tried to get free, but he didn’t let her go.

“I know you’re scared. I know it’s real. It was the explosion, right? It’s a bitch to relive that. But you’re safe. You’re here on the ranch. I’m right here.”

Words that shouldn’t have comforted her, she thought, confused. Words he shouldn’t be saying. Still, his body was warm and solid and his arms felt secure enough to keep her from falling.

Gradually her breathing slowed, as did her heart rate.

He sat on her bed, holding her against him. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, as if anchoring her in place. With his free hand, he stroked her head, the side of her face and her arm, rubbing her like a cat. The contact should have been annoying, but it wasn’t. It made her feel safe.

She could feel the warmth of his chest against her cheek, the softness of his T-shirt. His heartbeat was steady and seemed to influence her own.

He drew back a little. “Lie down.”

Not knowing what else to do, she rolled away from him and stretched out under the covers. He moved behind her, pressing his body against hers, her back to his front, his arm around her waist. He found her hand and took it in his.

An intimate position, she thought. It should have been uncomfortable. It should have felt awkward. But all she could think was that he would protect her, no matter what.

“The dreams never go away,” he said, his voice rumbling in her ear. “They fade. You’ll go months without one, but then they’re back. Anything can trigger them.”

“Not comforting news.”

“It’s a fact, Izzy. They exist. They’ll always shake you. It’s not how you handle what comes in the night that’s important. It’s what you do the next morning. And the morning after that.”

“You read that somewhere?”

“I have some personal experience with nightmares.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise her. “Want to talk about them?”

“No.”

“Typical guy.”

“That’s me.”

Her mouth curved into a smile. Then she remembered that he’d been a complete bastard and that she hated him so much that she was planning to learn how to beat the crap out of him. They shouldn’t be getting along.

But right now, with the heat from his body relaxing her and his arm around her like a shield, she couldn’t find it in herself to be angry anymore.

“How did you know I was having the dream?” she asked quietly. “Was I screaming?”

“Nothing that dramatic. I was checking the house before going to bed. You were restless.”

“You came into my room?”

“Yeah. Just like a stalker.”

“What about my right to privacy?”

“What about the pain you give me in my ass?”

That startled a laugh out of her. “I bug you?”

“I can’t describe how much.”

“Good.”

“Yeah. It’s good. Now go to sleep. I’ll stay right here.”

“The lights are on.”

“They won’t bother me.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes and the fear returned. “It was the explosion. I was walking down an inside hallway. There wasn’t any warning. In the dream, I know it’s coming and I’m still caught off guard. Then I’m flying through the air. It’s so bright and loud. I can’t control what’s happening, I can’t scream or stop it. Then I’m falling into the fire and I wake up on fire.”

“No. You wake up safe. There’s no fire, Izzy.”

She turned toward him and stared intently at his face. Not that she could bring him into focus. “It feels like there’s fire.”

“I know.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. “If Aaron catches us like this, we’re going to have some explaining to do.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “He’ll just be bitter because I got there first. He wants you.”

Nick winced. “Please don’t say that.”

“Can’t handle the pressure?”

“It’s late. Aren’t you getting tired? Don’t you want to close your eyes and go to sleep?”

It was late. “You can go. I don’t need you to stay.” The second he left, she would sit by the window because that would feel safer.

“Me? I’m not moving. I’m too comfortable.”

“Liar.”

“Not me. I always tell the truth. Ask anyone.”

She waited, but he didn’t move. Eventually, she put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her. She was aware of his long, hard body next to hers, but that didn’t matter. Being safe was a whole lot more important than anything else.

“Go to sleep, Izzy. I’ll be right here. You won’t have any more bad dreams tonight.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. I promise.”

IZZY WOKE to sunlight flooding her room. She stretched and rolled over, only to realize she was alone. Nick had left sometime in the night. Or maybe he’d waited until morning. Either way, he’d stayed with her until she’d relaxed enough to let go of the nightmare.

She got out of bed and crossed to the window. She was going home today. Back to live with Lexi, she