I wake up to the heat of someoneâs palm against my shoulder. Twisting around, my hand moves faster than my brain, and I snatch it off me.
âJesse, itâs me, Bell,â she rushes out before I can take it any further.
âFuck.â I release my grip on her arm and sit up, forcing myself back to the here and now.
âDid I hurt you?â I reach for her searching for any sign of a mark left by me.
âItâs fine. You barely touched me.â She holds her arm out letting me inspect it. I check it over one more time before releasing her and relaxing.
âYou wanna talk about it?â I study her face, eyes calm, soft mouth. Sheâs not freaking out.
âJust some shit that visits my dreams sometimes, nothing that needs to touch you,â I reply, shocked Iâm not retreating.
âI donât mind, Jesse,â she pushes, and I almost cave. Almost.
âThe last thing I want to do is talk about this shit, Bell.â She doesnât argue or press, and Iâm grateful for it. I donât think Iâd be able to keep my cool if she did.
âCome back to sleep.â She lies back down and I follow her. She doesnât ask me any more questions, or make me feel like I need to tell her everything.
âThat ever happens again, donât wake me,â I warn. A menacing thought strikes through me picturing what could have happened if I didnât wake in time. Sheâs lucky I didnât hurt her, like the last time a woman touched me while I had a nightmare.
âYou donât always have to be so brave, Jesse.â Her hand moves to my dog tags. I donât stop her. Iâm starting to like the feeling of her hands touching them.
âNever tried to be, Bell. But talking doesnât help me. Never has.â I think back to the time when I did try and it forced me out of control. Talking about those triggers only amplified my insecurities. When death sits afar, mocking you in the dangerous confines of your surroundings, it fucks with your head; nothing was going to change it.
Besides, my issues werenât what I had done. They were what I had survived. My conscience wasnât clear and my honor wasnât clean.
âPromise me you wonât touch me.â I keep my tone even, controlled.
âI promise.â I take her hand in mine and bring it to my lips. Maybe one day I will let someone in. Let her in.
Today isnât that day.
But today, I didnât push her away.
That has to count for something.
I was provided a copy of the book by the Author for an honest review.
HOLY SMOKE I just finish reading this book, and I love it, I have read the other two books in the series, and I love them and the characters, but I have to say that I love this one even more, I am gone keep this short since I don't want to give anything away.
If you read the first two books, than you all ready have met Jesse and Bell, this is their story.
Bell is the nurse that Jesse flirt with when Holly was in the hospital. she had met Jesse few months ago and she knew what type of man he is, when she decided to go out one night with her friends, she was not expecting to see Jesse their at the club she when to, that was the night that her friend told her to ask Jesse for help on finding her sister that's being missing for the last fie years. The girls put the plan to work, when Bell show up in the clubhouse, after a night of Jesse not remembering what had happen, Holly told him who walk out of his room, he couldn't believe it that it was Bell, that's when he show up at her job, she told him the truth and Jesse decided to help her out, but he told her on one condition she ask what, he ask for one date, but what they both where not expecting was for their life to be turn up side down.
I love the way How Bell and Jesse are with each other, love it how Jesse claim her every chance he gets, love it how protective he gets of her, I love it how Bell don't put up with his attitude, and how she always is honest with him, and what cant I say about the Sex Scene they are Hot.
I really love and enjoy reading this book, Author River Savage THANK YOU for introducing me to this awesome series and this amazing characters love them cant wait to read the next book in the series.