She nodded curtly. “Just a bad dream.”
“You’re shaking.”
“I’m all right.”
He rubbed her on the back, which soothed her like a child. “Tell me about it.”
She bit back the tears. “I can’t.”
“Sure you can.” He leaned against the headboard and opened his arms. “Come here – tell me what happened.”
She shuffled back and snuggled against his comforting chest. “It was my ex. He was there. I was scared...”
His voice was sincere. “I won’t let him hurt you, Astrid. No matter what happens now, I’ll always be there to protect you. That’s a promise.”
“How can you be? This is no-strings…”
He was silent for a beat, then… “It might not be.”
“You told me you’re not the guy I’m looking for.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, there you go. And it’ll take me time before I can trust men again after what Simon did to me.”
Jake’s muscles tensed. “Tell me about what he did.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “He was so possessive. He wouldn’t let me see my friends. He was manipulative – he would tell me no one else would want me, so I should stay with him. He thought he owned me. I wanted to leave him for so long, then two months ago, after he… well, I knew I couldn’t stay, and this job came up so I left in a hurry.”
“After he what?”
“He tried to… he put his hands around my throat and squeezed. I though
t he was going to throttle me.”
The atmosphere in the room was rigid now. Astrid sensed Jake wasn’t taking this well. “He lives in your hometown?”
She sighed. “Yeah – so I’ll have to see him at some point when I visit my parents. But at the moment, he won’t take no for an answer. He’s always calling me, you know.”
“If I ever see him, I’ll fucking kill him.”
She sat up and wiped away her tear. “Then you’re no better than him.”
He studied her with his big brown eyes. “Astrid, I don’t know what kind of guy you think I am, but I would never hurt a woman. Never. My old man used to rough up my mom, and... It’s just something I couldn’t do.”
“Sorry, Jake – I know you’re nothing like Simon.”
He eased her back into his arms and held her close. They listened to the sounds of the city outside for a moment. Astrid had no idea what the time was, but this really was the city that never slept.
Jake broke the silence. “You’re still being haunted by what he did in more than just in your dreams, right?”
She rested her cheek on his pec, relishing the softness of his skin over the rock-hard muscle. “Yeah. Since he tried to strangle me…” she swallowed the tears prickling her throat… “I feel smothered and claustrophobic. That’s why I walk everywhere and stay away from the crowded streets – I get panicky in enclosed spaces so the subway’s out. Crowds are terrifying. It’s so stupid…”
“You’re okay in the car though?”
“Yeah, because I can get out of a car anytime. The panic comes when I feel there’s no escape, you know? A car can be pulled over. But I can’t ask the subway driver to let me off. It happens when I feel trapped.”
“What happens?”