Divine Phoenix(Divine Creek Ranch 10)(40)

If she was going to die, she wasn’t going to do it begging. That was exactly what JT wanted. He wanted to hear her debase herself, like she had before, only this time he’d actually kill her. He would reason that she’d pushed him too far. Her heartbeat pounded like a drum thundering in a driving cadence. The gun barrel pressed harder, mercilessly, against her ear.

He said one word. “Beg.”

Through gritted teeth she ground out, “No.”

Instead of saying any more, he only pressed the gun to her ear and waited, to draw out the torture. He knew if he waited long enough, she’d break. The waiting would drive her to insanity. She cringed tighter and shook harder with each passing second until—

Boooom!

Lily screamed along with the terrifying sound, and then realized she was still moving, still alive. She looked around in the dark room. She was alone.

Another nightmare.

Light flashed across the windowpanes, making the room as bright as the sunniest day. The crash that followed a fraction of a second later scared her so badly she nearly wet her pants. She dropped to the floor and slid under the bed, looking around. She pressed her face to the pine floorboards as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

Boooom!

She scrabbled out from under the bed, nearly dove into her closet, but instead slipped out of the bedroom door on all fours and crawled down the hall. She froze every time the lightning zipped across the sky, stuffing a fist into her mouth so she wouldn’t scream again.

Without hesitation, she slipped through the wide open door to Clay’s bedroom. She knew her fear was irrational, but she couldn’t be alone right now. It would drive her crazy. Her fear overrode his opinion of her weakness in this moment. Hoping he would understand, she crawled to his bed.

Being as careful and quiet as she could, Lily snuck under the covers and moved as close as she dared without actually touching him. Close enough to feel his body heat that had seeped into the mattress.

Please, help me!

God, please don’t let him think I’m crazy.

Lily pulled the covers over her head. Unable to see the flashes of light, she had no warning for the terrifying peals of thunder. She trembled with fear, powerless to contain it. The bed shifted, and suddenly she felt his warm hands on her back and shoulders.

In a sleepy, gravelly voice, he said, “Come ’ere, Lily.” His tone was comforting as he rolled to his back and pulled her to his side. He pressed his lips against her temple and stroked the hair from her face and her shoulder. His touch was gentle, communicating his understanding.

Thunder blasted and shook the ground and the very air in her lungs, and she broke down in sobs, feeling like she was losing her mind. He turned toward her and made soothing sounds as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He pulled the blanket high so it shielded her from the brightest of the lightning flashes and murmured in her ear.

“Did it scare you?” He didn’t ask as if he were talking to a little girl. “I checked on you earlier and you seemed to be sleeping through it.”

“I–I had a n–n–nightmare. I’m s–sorry I woke you.” Her jaw was clenched so tight it ached. She tried to relax her tense muscles and couldn’t because each new peal of thunder made her tremble even harder.

“Easy, Lily. I’m here. I’m going to keep you safe. I’m not letting you go or making you leave. You’re staying here with me until the storm is over. So, it was another nightmare?” When she nodded affirmatively, he said, “Tell me.”

She felt his intake of breath when she described the horrific dream to him. “Had he ever held a gun to your head like that and made you beg before?”

Her whisper was lost in the sound of the rain lashing against the windowpane. “Yes.”

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered and pressed his lips to her hair again. His body heat seeped into her fingertips, and she realized she was holding on to him for dear life. She relaxed her grip, but he never let go of his fierce hold on her. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Tears leaked from her eyes in a seemingly never-ending flow.

“Lily, storms always frightened you but I don’t recall you being quite this scared when we were little. Did something else happen? You’re terrified, baby.” He squeezed her, reinforcing that he had a hold of her. “Tell me.”

“J–JT discovered my fear of storms and thought I was weak and needed to face my fears.”

Clay let loose with a juicy curse and then apologized. “Sorry. That’s probably not helpful to hear.”

“One storm, about eight years ago, was particularly violent and he realized just how badly they freak me out. I tried to hide my fear but he noticed. We were in the truck on the way home from Christmas at his folks’ house. We…” Her breath left her in a rush, and she swallowed a couple of times before she could speak again. “We were still two miles from our house.”