He didn’t know how long he stayed under the water. He was shivering by the time he stepped out of the shower. He dried his body with rough, brutal strokes.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, Stergios went to the adjoining walk-in closet. He probably had something he would wear to bed. He preferred sleeping in the nude and he was reluctant for anything to touch his skin, but he would do it for Jodie’s sake.
Donning on a pair of dark blue pajama bottoms, Stergios took a deep, cleansing breath before he reentered the bedroom. All he had to do was act calm and convince Jodie that everything was fine.
He swung the door open. Just as he had expected, Jodie was blocking his way. Her arms were crossed and she tapped her bare foot on the floor as if she had been waiting there the entire time.
“Are you okay now?” she asked. “How often do you get nightmares?”
“Haven’t had them in years.” He used to get bad dreams if he had been ill or sleep deprived. During those times, it had been as though his body didn’t have the strength to hold back the nightmares.
“What was your dream about?”
“I don’t remember.” His lie was automatic. He didn’t discuss his nightmares. Stergios knew the dreams said more about him and his fears than about the ordeal he had suffered.
He felt her watchful gaze on him as he returned to bed. Jodie quietly got in on her side. He tensed as she lay down, knowing she wasn’t going to let the matter drop.
Her proximity set him on edge. The mattress was wide but he was extremely aware of her. Her scent, her warmth, and the sound of the silk slip brushing against the cotton sheets. His willpower had been weakened by the nightmares and he knew he would reach out for her without thinking.
“Are you under a great deal of stress?” she asked. “I know about what’s going on in your office. Something about the board of directors losing confidence in your judgment because you accidentally got a woman pregnant. Did I get that right?”
Stergios clenched his jaw. He knew where Jodie got that information. “And you say my mother never talks to you. No, I’m not concerned about what’s going on at the office. Everyone will fall in line and it will be business as usual.”
“Then what triggered the nightmare?”
“I haven’t been keeping track.” Stergios cringed when he recognized his mistake. He sighed and shook his head. There was no stopping Jodie’s inquisition now.
She turned toward him. “So there’s been more than one. When was the first?”
“The night I left you at the hospital,” he answered reluctantly.
Jodie pressed her hand against his hair-roughened chest. “I’m sorry you found out that way. It must have been such a shock.”
“I’m fine.” He didn’t know why he was sticking to that lie when Jodie could feel the rapid thud of his heart.
“Is it the same nightmare?”
“Good night, Jodie. I apologize for waking you up.” He turned off the bedside light and tucked his hands under his head. He was exhausted but he knew he wasn’t going to get any more sleep.
Jodie reached out and caressed his chest. He didn’t turn away. Stergios needed her soothing touch tonight. The short strokes, back and forth, were surprisingly calming.
“It doesn’t matter how I found out about the baby,” he eventually said as he stared at the ceiling. “The nightmares would have happened, anyway.”
“What do you dream about?” Jodie paused as if she didn’t want to encourage more memories. “The kidnappers? The wilderness?”
Exhaustion pulled at his heavy eyelids. “Oxi,” he said in a husky voice. “I dream about the day I was rescued.”
Jodie’s fingers pulled at his curly chest hair. “Why is that a nightmare? Wouldn’t that have been a special occasion?”
“It was at first. I was reunited with my family. But my father wasn’t there. I had only seen a glimpse of him when I arrived at the police station. And that’s when I found out he was the one behind the kidnapping.” His voice trailed off as he remembered the overwhelming sense of betrayal.
She continued to stroke his chest. The pattern was hypnotic and the tension binding his ribs relaxed. He found he could breathe easier.
“He had been arrested and gave up the information as part of a deal,” Stergios said bitterly. “He would not tell them anything unless he got something out of it. If he hadn’t, I don’t know how long I would have been missing.”
“And you keep having that bad dream since you discovered you’re becoming a father,” she murmured. “Have you been dreaming the same thing every night?”