Chapter 7 Bad Dream

• The room was deathly still, same with the two occupants on the bed. Calvin had not moved an inch since he switched off the lights, and Angel rolled off to the other side. It was past midnight, and the rain had only worsened. He couldn’t sleep.
• How could he with an angel in his bed?
• Angel was stiff, but her light snores told him she was asleep. Calvin wanted to hug and kiss her. Even in her sleep, she wasn’t completely relaxed. What could she have experienced that made her so standoffish?
• Was it the incident with those bastards?
• That alone was enough to make anyone wary, but he suspected there was more to Angel’s behaviour. She was guarded. And he wanted to be let in. To take away her pain, and that alone made him worry for himself. He wasn’t the type to get attached to anyone. His sister would tease the hell out of him if she knew he had a crush.
• Diane Ross wasn’t permanent. A fuck buddy who had forced her way into a less temporary position. Sometimes, he would refer to her as his girlfriend when the conversation about settling down arose, but they both knew it was only temporary. She was always the first one he called when he didn’t want to get down with a stranger, the one who followed him on dates and dinners to avoid people. And maybe he should go speak to her now to rid himself of this silly infatuation he was developing for Angel.
• Kyle got off the bed to return Diane’s calls. While he was worrying about someone else, he forgot about his friend. No, they weren’t friends. Friends were close. She didn’t know shit about him beyond what he revealed on the surface. Still, he had to call her to know why she ditched him. She might have had a genuine reason. When she called earlier, he didn’t want to pick up because Angel was watching. He would have had to leave the room, and he already promised his angel he would stay with her.
• The calls went straight to voicemail like they did when Angel found him. At least he could thank Diane for that. He paced to the cabinet to get a bottle of scotch. He needed something strong to put these crazy thoughts out of his mind. Angel was not his. He would do right by her. Get her home safe and move on with his life. And moving on included booking a room with Diane to fuck all thoughts of the blue-eyed vixen out of his mind.
• A cry stopped Calvin in his track. Angel. His heart pounded in its cage. He ignored the scotch and raced to the bed to meet a struggling Angel. Her eyes were clenched shut as she fought her invisible enemies. Scratching her wrists, she kicked the air. His heart clenched. His angel was crying, and he didn’t know what to do. Hoping it was the right move, he held her wrists to stop her from injuring herself in her sleep.
• “I’m here, darling,” he said. Her sobs came to a halt, and he continued in a soothing voice, “You are safe here with me. It’s Kyle.”
• Kyle was not a name people knew him by. It was his middle name, and no one addressed him with it except his parents and siblings when they wanted to reprimand him.
• Calvin Kyle McKenna.
• Angel’s eyelids fluttered. He switched on the lamp, and her sad blue eyes yanked at his heartstrings. He didn’t realise when he lowered his head to brush a kiss on her mouth.
• “I’m here. Are you okay?”
• “Yes.” She tried to move away, but he held her in his arms. He needed to reassure himself she was okay. “Just a bad dream. I’m alright, Kyle.”
• Calvin peered down at her. The fear in her eyes hadn’t dissipated. “Do you want to talk about it?”
• “No,” she replied with a shake of her head. Her hair flowed down her shoulders, and he tucked a strand behind her ear. “Thank you.”
• For what? he nearly yelled. He did nothing. She was still scared. Calvin saw the fear in her eyes. Knowing she wouldn’t appreciate him raising his voice, he allowed Angel to get off him and pull the cover over herself like the dream didn’t happen. He ran a hand through his hair, at a loss for what to do. He wished he knew how to handle a woman’s emotions as he did her body.
• “Should I switch off the lights?” he asked.
• Panic flashed across her face, but she covered it with a fake smile that annoyed him. What else did Angel want? He had already proved he would take care of her. She should be more comfortable with him.
• “Do you want to?” she murmured.
• Her bottom lip was stuck between her teeth, and it was distracting him. Try as he did, he couldn’t stop thinking of her in other positions. One part of his brain was focused on taking care of her. The other was putting lewd images of his angel in his head, reminding him of her supple skin and how she reacted when he helped with her zip.
• For Angel’s sake, Calvin replied, “No.” But he preferred sleeping with the lights off. Now that the light arrangement was fixed, he didn’t know his next move. They stared at each other, and he grew conscious. “Do you want me to join you? On the bed.”
• She blushed. “If you don’t mind.”
• Kyle didn’t. He joined her under the comforter. They stared at the ceiling, but he wasn’t content with that position. Without thought, he inched closer to her and draped an arm around her waist from behind to spoon her. She was stiff but relaxed immediately. When he tried to move away, she held onto his arm. Calvin stared down at his guest. Her cheek was flushed, but she didn’t give him a glance. She was adorable.
• His chest rumbled with happiness. He dared to relocate his hand to her lower belly, and Angel’s back pressed harder to his chest. Calvin hadn’t cuddled with a woman in his life. As a ‘fuck and move on’ kind of man, this feeling was different.
• Warm and welcoming.
• Calvin buried his head in the crook of Angel’s neck, her palm covered his resting on her belly, and he had the feeling she was enjoying this as much as he was. It would be disappointing when she had to leave. But for now, he would enjoy the moment.
• “My mum, she is not the easiest woman to deal with,” Angel whispered. Calvin smiled into her neck, a bit giddy she was opening up to him. “She’s better than my dad, but yeah, she’s my mum. She believes a woman was born to serve a man. I don’t really have a problem with that if it’s what she believes in. It’s only a problem when it no longer affects her. It affects me too.”
• Pain coated Angel’s voice. He hated to hear it. She deserved happiness. As gently as he could, he turned her in his arms. Tears stood in her eyes, and a stubborn tear rolled down her cheek. His thumb brushed it away, lingering on her cheek to catch any that would fall.
• “I’m so sorry,” he offered. Her head bobbed, but nothing else escaped her. She was locking him out again. He had to do something. “What about your dad?” Angel flinched at his question, and he gave himself a mental slap. “Forget I asked.”
• “I sure will,” she said. Her reply stung. He was trying to help. She tugged the cover up to her chest, pushing his hand away from her face. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
• “We could kiss instead,” he joked.
• The tension ebbed. She laughed. “We could.”