“Help me, Gunner.”
My hand reached for hers, but she was being pulled back into the dark shadows.
“No! Wait. Please wait!”
“Drew . . . I need you.”
Just as I was about to touch her hand, she vanished.
I stood there, staring at the fog in front of me, my heart pounding in my chest.
With a long sigh, I closed my eyes and whispered her name.
“Ellie.”
I shot up out of bed and nearly busted my ass. Standing in the middle of my bedroom, I placed my hands on my knees, and I dragged in a few deep breaths.
Holy fuck. I’ve been dreaming about Ellie this whole time?
“No. No. No. No. Nooo!” I shouted.
I cannot be dreaming about Ellie. Not Jeff’s sister. Not the one he has been keeping away from us for this very reason.
My hands pushed through my hair, where I grabbed tightly. What in the hell was wrong with me? Why was I dreaming about Ellie?
“You need to get laid, or it was the other night. It’s the forbidden shit. It’s . . . it’s . . . it’s so fucked up.”
The knock at my bedroom door had me screaming out like a girl.
“Dude, you got someone in there with you?” Jeff asked.
Rushing to the door, I jerked it open. “No! I’m not dreaming about anyone.”
Jeff’s brows pulled tightly together, and he jerked his head back. “I didn’t ask that. You screamed out like a pansy-ass. I was simply seeing if you wanted to go for a run with me.”
My eyes darted over to the clock. Six in the morning. “It’s so early.”
“Um, since when? You get up every morning and run.”
My heart was still racing, an
d I knew if I closed my eyes, I would see Ellie’s. I needed to be away from Jeff. Not running next to him as I thought about how I had dreamed about his sister last night.
Or maybe a run was what I needed.
“Yes! I need to run. I’ve some shit I need to work out of my head.”
He smiled. “Nothing like pounding the pavement to get it out.”
My hand brushed down my face. “Give me ten minutes to get ready.”
“You have five,” he stated while walking to the living room.
Rushing to the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water, brushed my teeth, took a piss, and then hightailed it back to my room. A pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt would work fine. A late spring cold front had moved through, and the weather was supposed to be on the chilly side.
“Ready,” I called out as I walked into the kitchen.
Jeff handed me a water and a protein bar.