The car careens on the wet road and I see the tree coming up to meet my side. I know what’s coming. This moment changes my life forever.

 

Screams fill the room and I panic, kicking at the covers on me. No, I’m not in hospital again! No!

Hazel eyes come into view as arms hold me down gently. “Shhh, Valerie, it’s me, Cooper. It’s okay. You’re okay,” he soothes. My heart still races and the night before slowly comes back.

It was just a nightmare.

Cooper watches as I calm myself and tries to move away but I grip him by the shirt. “Don’t go,” I beg. I need to not be alone right now. To fall into the pit of despair again would ruin everything.

He nods, reaching up and removing my hands gently. “Okay, Val, I’ll stay,” he says, and pulls off his cargo pants to reveal boxers with little lightning bolts on them. He keeps his shirt on and climbs into my bed with me.

I don’t even remember coming to bed. That’s when I notice I’m still in the same clothes from last night. “Did you bring me to bed?” I ask, confused. Maybe I sleepwalked.

He adjusts himself, using the spare pillow to prop up his head and meet my eyes. “Yeah. You fell asleep but you must have had a nightmare, because the moment I let go of you, you started screaming.”

“Oh, sorry. I was dreaming I was back in the car. I saw it all happening in slow motion, the moment my body jolted from the impact, the blood pouring from my stomach where the tree pierced the door.”

“Shit! You remember all that?” he asks, concerned.

I shrug, rolling to look at the blank roof. “It’s not that I remember it. After they told me what happened I started having nightmares of the accident. I don’t know if it went down like that, but I imagine it’s close enough.”

I fling the cover off me and walk over to dig through the bag on the floor, still unable to unpack my stuff into the dresser. “I’m just going to get changed out of these clothes,” I tell him, walking into my adjoining bathroom and stripping down quickly.

Maybe with Cooper sleeping over, I can get sleep. It seemed to work with the girls. If one of them slept over I would have a dreamless sleep. Here’s hoping.

I walk out in my pajamas and Cooper chuckles. “Ah, what are those?” he asks, a massive grin on his face.

I look down at the short shorts and tank top. They’re a matching pale blue with little dogs. Well, three headed dogs. Natalie knew I had a fascination with the mythological dog Cerberus. She had these specially made for me and ordered seven sets — one for every day of the week. They aren’t all blue. She was smart enough to order them in a variety of colors. I love them. It helps that they are unbelievably comfy.

“They were a gift from my best friend. Have a problem with that?” I ask, a challenge in my voice. He drops the subject with a shake of his head, but the grin on his face stays in place as I climb under the covers.

Cooper reaches over and turns off the lamp on his side of the bed, plunging the room into darkness. A little moonlight leaks in through the window. It’s barely enough to see anything other than an outline of Cooper.

I get comfortable, my hand reaching under my pillow where it brushes against Cooper’s. He runs his finger over the palm of my hand and I relax. I thought for sure we’d be awkward in bed together. I’ve never slept in the same bed with a guy unless we’d had sex. “Thank you for staying.”

I feel him shift closer and his lips press against my cheek. “You’re welcome, Valerie. Get some sleep,” he whispers, and I close my eyes, calmer than I was at the start of the night. I still don’t know what to do about Justin. I don’t like that he changed so much with just a few drinks. What will that mean for future outings?

I close my eyes, shutting off all thoughts of Justin and focusing on Cooper’s touch. I roll over and wiggle back. He takes the hint, wrapping an arm around my waist, his hand caressing my breast as he gets comfortable. My heartbeat speeds up before gradually returning to normal as I drift off to sleep.

 

***

 

I blink my eyes a few times, trying to wake up, but my body is exhausted. I try to roll over onto my back only to have an arm hold me in place. That’s when the events of last night trickle in. Cooper stayed with me to stop the nightmares. That’s probably why my body wants to sleep. It had its first uninterrupted sleep in over six months.

“Cooper?” I whisper, unsure if he’s awake.

“Hmmm?” he murmurs, pulling me firmly against him. I debate what to do when he lets me go and lifts himself up over me to look down with a smile. “I take it you slept well?” he asks.

I push him away and he laughs. I roll over to see his hazel eyes filled with laughter. “You are awake. I thought you were still asleep. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

He smiles at me, reaching out a hand to caress my cheek. “You don’t have to worry about waking me. I’m grateful you trusted me enough to help you get a good night’s rest.”

His touch sends sparks through me. Something I shouldn’t be feeling. “Thank you for staying with me,” I tell him, quickly rolling out of bed. I need space before I do something I will regret. I walk around the bed towards the bathroom, hoping to splash some water on my face to help wake me up, when I feel Cooper grab my hand and tug. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed and his tug pulls me straight into his lap. His eyes meet mine and my heart skips a beat at how close we are — I could count each of the golden flecks in his eyes.

He reaches his hand up, wrapping my loose hair in his hand, and pulls me closer. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you.”

I’m about to ask but I don’t get a chance before his lips meet mine. His kiss sends all thoughts out the window and I kiss him back, pushing him down on the bed, his hand still wrapped in my hair. He uses it to maneuvre me where he wants. He breaks the kiss to move his lips along my jaw and slowly down my neck. My body heats up with need and I know I will give him whatever he wants in this moment.

A banging registers in my mind before I hear voices and I clamber off Cooper’s lap mere seconds before Jaxson walks in the door. He looks at me all frazzled and I bolt into the bathroom, slamming the door and sinking to the floor.

Holy shit. That did not just happen! What is wrong with me? I let Zane kiss me, and now Cooper? Fuck! I’m screwing everything up!

I’ve kissed two of my stepbrothers. Well, technically they kissed me, but how the hell did I let it happen? When they got close it was like my brain refused to think things through logically.

A knock on the door has me wishing the floor would just swallow me up. Jaxson calls through the door. “Valerie? Justin is outside asking to speak to you.”

I sigh and let my head hit the door with a resounding thump. “Ugh, okay. I’ll be out in a second.”

I get to my feet, running my hands through my hair and hoping to make it appear more ‘I just woke up’ than ‘someone was kissing me as if I was the only person in the world.'

The sound of conversation comes from outside the bedroom and voices rise. I know I have to go out there but I’d much rather stay hidden away. Adjusting my pajamas as best I can, I hold my head high, acting as if I did nothing wrong. When I walk out to the main area of the pool house, Justin is standing outside the door but is denied entry by Cooper, who is still wearing only his t-shirt and boxers. Great. So they all know he slept in here with me now. Things aren’t looking up.

I touch Cooper’s arm and move him out of the way. He looks at me, his eyes softening before he glares at Justin. “You better behave or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

He leans over and kisses me on the cheek before going back into my bedroom, hopefully to put some clothes on. Justin looks after him, his gray eyes sparking with anger. I push Justin out of the doorway and into the courtyard surprised to find the sun higher than usual for morning. Shit, it must be closer to noon than I expected. That’s why everyone is at the pool house. I thought they were early, but Cooper and I slept in.

We walk alongside the pool fence, the sun glinting off the bright blue water, and I wait for Justin to speak. He remains silent.

His eyes are rimmed with dark circles, as if he hasn’t slept, and I feel a small amount of guilt. Wait a minute — it should be him feeling guilty, not me.

Finally, I’ve had enough of the silence and face him. “What do you want, Justin?”

He keeps his gaze fixed on the ground as he responds. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I had a few too many and got a little out of hand. I didn’t mean to,” he apologizes and looks at me, contrite. “It’s just that I like you and I guess I needed the alcohol to give me a little courage.”

I frown and look away from him, organizing my words before I respond. “Look, I don’t know if I gave you the wrong impression, but I’m not looking to date anyone. So much has happened lately that I doubt I’d be able to function in a relationship without becoming clingy. That’s not what I want. I want a deep, meaningful relationship when I’m ready. You pushed yourself on me and you almost didn’t let me up. What does that say to you?”

“I know, I know.” He reaches out and grips my hand. “Please give me a chance. Even if you just want to remain friends. You are an awesome person and I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

His eyes beg for sympathy and I figure, what’s the harm? He gave me a chance at friendship when I came here. It’s only fair I let him have another chance.

“Okay, fine. One more chance, but if you do that again, I won’t hesitate to drop you from my life. I don’t want people who pretend to be someone they’re not. But you need to be aware that nothing romantic will evolve from our friendship.”

He nods sadly. “Yes, that’s more than understandable. I, uh, better leave. Your stepbrothers are not exactly happy about me being here.”

I walk Justin out to his car and he gets in, his face still dejected. “I’ll see you Monday after class?”

“Yeah, of course.”

He starts the car and drives off as I watch. I hope that he lets it go. I have enough to deal with right now.