In her sleep, she heaved a deep sigh.
Chapter Ten
Holly forced herself to wake up. It wasn’t always this way with her. But after everything that had happened, she swore she could have slept for days.
She heard the shower shut off. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. She wasn’t sure Rez had seen it. She’d painted a starry night sky streaked with wispy clouds over the whole then added smooth, dark wood beams.
She never tired of looking at the mural during the day. But when the shutters rose, she’d go outside and enjoy the real thing. She had a wood lounge chair on the gravel in the yard for just that purpose. She often spent her early morning hours before dawn, bundled up with a soft blanket, a glass of wine in her hand, her gaze fixed to the night sky.
Maybe the mural eased the vampire in her, the less dominant half of her realm nature.
Thoughts of her vampire-self made her touch her gums once more. They’d healed through the night. She recalled taking Rez’s blood. Without warning, her body shivered and shuddered and her sex tightened erotically.
She was so surprised by the strong visceral reaction, she cried out, “Oh.”
A moment later, Rez called back, “You okay in there?” She realized the shower had stopped running.
“I’m fine.” She clamped a hand over her mouth.
He appeared in the doorway near the bank of windows and her hand eased away. Sometimes life served up a whole series of shocks, however, because seeing him gave her another serious jolt. He was working a towel through his hair and wore only a second towel wrapped low on his hips.
His body.
His warrior body.
He was built on powerful lines. His six-five frame with so many well-defined muscles made her heart skip a beat.
“You sure you’re okay? Last night was, well, full of a lot of new and difficult situations.”
She leaned up on her elbows, though she kept the sheet pulled over her breasts. “As it was for you.”
“But I’m used to battle.” He settled the loose towel around his neck then sat down on the side of the bed.
He covered her hand. “You must be exhausted.” He looked concerned.
“Actually, now that I’m more awake I think I feel pretty great. I slept well. Although for a moment there, when I first opened my eyes, I swore I could have slept for a year.” When his brows rose, she added, “What?”
He chuckled. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“Remember what? Last night? Of course, I do.”
When he shook his head, she asked again. “Okay. What don’t I remember?”
“You woke me up thrashing. You even punched me in the face. Later, you were talking in your sleep.”
“Oh, no.” Holly put a hand to her cheek. The covers had slipped a bit so she tugged them back up. “I’m so sorry I hit you. But what did I say?”
He appeared to debate telling her. “Not sure. You mumbled something about your brother. That much I know.”
“Oh, right. He’s been on my mind lately. Maybe because of battling the Invictus last night.” She looked away from him and drew a deep breath. “But I really am okay. Have you given much thought to the night’s plan?”
He let go of her hand and rose to his feet. “I have a few ideas. But coffee first?”
“Sweet Goddess, yes!”
He laughed again. “Coming up.” He grabbed his gear and returned to the bathroom.
She was surprised to learn she’d been thrashing since she felt so well-rested.