A Wish For Love (Gates-Cameron 2)
Page 40
Bran leaned over her, his expression grim. “Can you see me?” he asked.
Though she didn’t quite understand why he’d phrased it that way, she nodded, and moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “I was dreaming,” she said. “A nightmare.”
He seemed to relax marginally. “I know. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I—” She cleared her husky voice. “I’m fine. What time is it?”
“Late,” he replied without glancing at a clock.
She was shivering now. “Is it cold in here to you?”
“No.”
She pulled the covers to her chin. “I’m cold.”
“It’s probably a reaction from your bad dream.”
“Probably,” she agreed with a sigh. “Have you gotten any sleep?”
“No.”
“You should get some rest. It really isn’t necessary for you to watch me all night.”
“I’m not tired. And I told you that I intend to stay for as long as I can.”
He’d said that before. “Is there something you have to do?”
“Yes. Later. For now, I’m here, if you want to talk. Or would you like to try to go back to sleep?”
She swallowed. “I’m not sure I can go back to sleep yet. The dream is still too fresh.”
He sat on the bed, again so carefully that she hardly felt him. “Would you like to talk?”
“Mmm. Tell me something about yourself.”
He smiled. “Are you trying to take advantage of my sympathy?”
“Maybe. Is it working?”
“No. But I will tell you that I had nightmares sometimes when I was a boy. My mother used to talk to me afterward until I went back to sleep.”
“What were your nightmares about?” she asked, intrigued by this rare glimpse into his mysterious past.
“Change.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Change?”
He nodded, still smiling faintly, though his eyes were serious. “I was a very conservative child. I didn’t like my comfortable routines disturbed.”
“I would have thought you’d be the adventurous type. Always taking chances and getting into mischief.”
“No. That was Anna. I was the one who tried to keep her from taking chances and then rescued her when she did.”
“Her protector,” Bailey murmured.
He nodded. “I thought it was my responsibility to take care of her and my mother. To keep them safe.”
“What about your father?”