I give her a gentle push toward the edge of the bed and make my way to the opposite end. As soon as I lie down, I see this is going to be the longest night of my life. Her body is inches from mine instead of feet. With an arm flung above my head, I sense she's watching me.

"Want to talk about it?" I ask.

"Not really."

"Might help. Sometimes you have to get stuff out of your head to prove it's not real."

I roll onto my side and she does, too. The light's still on in the sitting area and I can see all her beautiful features. Her dark lashes. A tiny scar beside her eye. The perfect shell of her ear that she uncovers by tucking her hair back.

My hands long to cup her face between them and bring her mouth to mine. But I don't move. Because if I move, I won't stop at a kiss.

Instead, I give her a grin. "Tell me a bedtime story, prin..." I remember just in time that she doesn't want me to call her that. "Mal. Tell me what scares a badass girl like you."

Her lashes lower and open slowly like she might be falling asleep as we talk.

"I have a dream about the bombing. I'm back there, trapped."

"I figured that was it. But that won't happen again. You survived."

"Yeah. I know. I think I know." Her eyes close. "It's only when I'm asleep that I'm not sure. Does that make sense?"

"Absolutely. That's when you can't control things."

"I know, right?" She scoots closer and I resist the urge to move.

Would I move away or toward her? I'm not sure. "What happens when you're trapped? In your dream?"

Hair falls across her eyes and I sweep it away. There's footsteps and talking in the hallway and we both stop talking to listen.

My steady breathing matches hers and there's this intensity like we're linked in thought. I nod for her to continue.

"Well ... I'm trapped under the concrete and it's dark. It's dark forever. And then there's noise. So much noise, I think I might die from the force of it." Her voice strains with each word.

"You don't have to tell me..." I don't want her to fall apart. I was wrong to ask her to talk. Her dream is vivid and I can see how much she remembers.

"And then I open my eyes and there's a woman's face."

"Someone's looking at you in your dream?"

"No." Her brows lower. "No. Her head's smashed in and she's dead."

"It's only a dream." I run my hand over her shoulder.

"It was real." She licks her lips and her eyes dart back and forth nervously. "That's what happened after the bomb. I opened my eyes and there was a dead woman a few inches from me in the rocks. I could see her face."

A giant fist pulverizes my gut and I can't move. This happened to her?

Malerie swallows. "Actually, I can still see her eyes. She had such pretty eyes. Green with a little bit of brown around the pupil. And every time I go to sleep I see her all over again."

Huge tears fill Malerie's eyes. I can't stand the feeling of utter helplessness.

"I'm an asshole. I didn't know. Shh. Come here."

I pull her over to rest her head on my chest and she's not fighting me, but she's unresponsive. I've pushed her too far. Her cheek is wet against my shirt and I sweep the hair away from her face.

"Everything's going to be okay," I murmur and pull her in even tighter.

I stroke her hair and the rhythm seems to calm her. She's pressed against me and her hand moves up to touch the open V of my shirt. It's like she needs to touch skin.

Her body is shaking with silent sobs. "So-so-rry."

"Shh... Stop apologizing. I'm real, baby. I'm here. You'll be fine." I want all this to be true.

"I'm so sorry. I'm such a mess. I can't even go spend the night somewhere without totally freaking out. And to think JT wanted me to go off to college. This would go over well in a dorm room."

Malerie moves back and tries to cover her face with her hands. She gives a little laugh like she's embarrassed or something. I kiss the top of her head and pull her back to me.

"Hottest coed in the dorm. You'd have guys lining up to comfort you."

"You have all the best lines." She sniffs and lifts her head. Her eyelashes are spiked into wet points from her tears.

"No line, sweetheart. JT had no idea of the risk he'd be taking by sending a hot girl like you into the wolf's college den."

One minute she's staring into my eyes and the next she's moving closer and I'm holding my breath.

Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't.

Her soft lips meet mine tentatively. She kisses only my bottom lip and the heat I feel from that one feather-light touch floors me. I can't move. I won't move because I want to take this places I shouldn't.

"Mal-" I manage to say before she scoots half her body onto mine. Her breasts push against me and I feel how turned on she is by one little half-kiss. Her mouth meets mine again but this time it's so much bolder, searching. My lips part and when her tongue darts into my mouth, I lose control.

I slide my hands over her bare shoulders and her soft-as-sin skin. I skim my hands down her back and to the edge of her top. Her shoulder blades bunch together under my touch. I move to the bottom of her cotton sleep camisole and run light fingers along the bottom of her shorts.

She moans and my lips crash against hers, my tongue invites hers. She draws back quickly.

"Take your shirt off," she says. "Please." She reaches down and tugs it up. I half-sit to pull the T-shirt over my head.

The feel of her lips on my neck makes me crazy. I thread my hands into her thick hair that falls around us and bring her head back up to meet mine.

Our foreheads touch and I'm falling into the dark desire in her eyes.

She's pushing her body against mine and I grab her hips to still them.

"Slow down." I try to think. She's got to be a virgin, right? That's the only thing that would make sense for a girl who never leaves her house.

Her breaths come out in little pants. "Don't stop. I do want this. I'm sure."

I want her and that's more than evident by the raging hard-on she's pressing against. I'm a second away from stripping the rest of our clothes off. I roll her on the bed and place my elbows on both sides of her shoulders. She stares up at me with so much trust that it sends a shaft of guilt straight into my chest.

Her eyes search mine. "I need you," she whispers.

Need. I've vowed to spend the rest of my life making sure people don't need me.

If we have sex, this turns into something much different. I won't be able to walk away from her in the morning. I'm being paid to make sure she's safe. Not to take advantage of her.

And that's exactly what I'd be doing.

I slowly lift myself off her and lie on my back, looking at the ceiling-at nothing-for a full minute. My body wants to revolt against my decision.

"Let's get some sleep," I mutter. No explanation. No apologies. No more talking.

She rolls away from me in bed and I resist the craving to pull her back.

"Ace?"

"Yeah."

"Goodnight."

I don't answer, but wait for her steady breathing before I let my mind drift.

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