“Please don’t,” she begged the person trying to hurt her in her mind. “Jason!”
He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stand here and watch her relive the trauma she’d endured. Not when she was calling for him to save her.
Fuck it.
Setting the weapon on his nightstand, Jason rested a knee on his mattress and reached for her. Careful not to touch the bandaged area on her arm, he gave her shoulder a gentle shake.
“Sophie?”
She moaned and turned her head, but her eyes remained closed.
“Wake up, Soph. You’re dreaming.”
“Please, don’t.” Her plea was a low mumble.
“Come on, baby. You need to wake up.”
With another shake, Jason was about to try raising his voice when Sophie’s eyes flew open as she gasped. Jerking back, she scrambled to get away from what she believed to be a dangerous threat.
He held both hands up to show her he meant her no harm. “You’re okay,” he assured her. “It’s just me.”
“Jason?” Her disoriented gaze moved around the room. She looked down at the gun and then back to him. “What happened? Is something wrong?”
“You were dreaming.” He released a breath. “From the way you were screaming, I’m guessing it wasn’t a good one.”
Clearly mortified, Sophie said, “Iscreamed?”
“You, uh...” He rubbed the muscles at the back of his neck. “You called out for me.”
“I did?” Though the room was only lit by the moonlight in the distance, her apology was clear in her chestnut eyes. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Nothing to apologize for, sweetheart.”
A few seconds passed between them, the fear and confusion in her gaze becoming heated as it lowered with the dips and ridges of his bare chest and abs.
Until that moment, he’d forgotten he wasn’t wearing anything more than his boxer briefs.
Although, from the look on her face, Sophie didn’t exactly seem to mind.
“What, uh...what time is it?” She brushed some hair from her face and brought her gaping stare back up to his.
Her voice was raspy with sleep, the sound reminding him of passion and sex.
Reaching out, he turned the clock located on the bedside table, next to where his gun was. “Three thirty-five.”
With a moan that made him almost swallow his own tongue, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked back at him. “Did you even get any sleep?”
“A little.” He dipped his head toward her bandage. “How’s the arm?”
“It’s throbbing a little.”
“And your head?”
Sophie reached back, wincing when her fingers hit the sensitive spot. “Sore, but manageable.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Not giving her a chance to argue, Jason went back downstairs and got the pain meds. Grabbing a bottled water from his refrigerator, he carried them both up to his room where Sophie was still sitting up in the same spot where he’d left her.