Word Count: 689...been doing not so good the last few chapters...
How he fell asleep, he would never know. He woke up when something touched his shoulder.
When Renee touched his shoulder. With her forehead, turning over in her sleep.
He eased away from her, not comfortable to sharing his bed with anyone. Not even Felicia, no matter she was a supermodel.
Renee stirred suddenly. “Colton?” she asked softly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just thought I heard something.” She yawned. “Sorry, I’m hogging the bed.” She scooted away.
“Its okay,” he said, mentally berating himself for lying.
She lay silent again, but Colton knew she wasn’t asleep. Her breathing was different.
“What’s wrong, Renee?”
She sighed, a low hissing sound. “Its hard to sleep, after…”
He nodded to himself. He kept having nightmares, jerking awake with his heart in his mouth, breathless. “Me, too.” He stared up at the ceiling in the dark.
“Renee?”
“Hmmmm?”
“What were you thinking?”
“When?”
“When you…”
“Kamakazied that terrorist?” she asked, her voice rippling with suppressed laughter.
“Seriously,” he scolded. “What made you do it?”
She rolled over. Her arm was touching his as they lay side by side.
She took a deep breath. “I thought that I had to stop him. And if I couldn’t stop him, I could block the blast, the shrapnel, and protect as many people as I could. I figured, standing that close, I was going to die anyway. So I’d better do what I could to save everyone else.”
He slid his hand across the sheets until he could clasp hers. “Thank you, Renee.”
He felt her shrug. “I had to.”
“No, you didn’t.” He countered. “You saved my life. You want anything from me, just say and its yours.”
“Anything?”
He wished she be less flippant. “Renee!” he scolded.
“What?”
“I’m serious.”
“Me, too.” She said, her voice suddenly flat. “I don’t want anything from you, Colton. I want to go home. I want to see my parents and go back to my life and my friends and my country.”
He nodded. “As soon as we can, I’ll send you home.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand, her fingers small in his.
“And your parents. When they’re back from their vacation, I’ll fly them over here.”
She snorted. “You may regret that!”
“Why?”
“You haven’t met my parents.” He could tell she was grinning again, her dark mood vanished as quickly as it had come. “They want grandkids just as much as yours.”
He groaned, rubbing his face.
She chuckled and drew her hand out of his, turning away from him. “Go to sleep, Colton.”
“You can call me Colt.” He offered suddenly.
“No,” she said after a moment.
“Why not?”
“She calls you Colt.”
“Who…? You can’t be jealous of Felicia!” he exclaimed, flabbergasted.
She grumbled something under her breath.
“Renee.” He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him in the dark. Her face was a lighter blur in the faint light that seeped under the blinds. “Don’t be jealous of Felicia.”
“I’m not jealous,” she snapped, her voice thick with scorn. “Who would be jealous of Felicia? Why would I be jealous of a skinny, brown skinned, smoky-eyed waif who gets paid to sit around and pout at a camera? I’m not jealous!”
“Renee?” Colton was shaking the bed from trying not to laugh out loud.
“If she ever comes back here, I’m going to scratch her eyes out.” Renee warned. “Just saying.”
“Don’t be jealous of Felicia.” He repeated. “She and I are over. We’re married and I keep my promises, no matter how…unusual.”
Renee only ‘humphed,’ trying to wiggle free of his grip. “Let me go.”
“Besides, you probably did me a favor. She wasn’t exactly the easiest woman to deal with.”
“Easy in what way?”
He scowled. “You know what I mean.”
She laughed then, low and evil. He scowled some more, knowing she had been trying to rile him.
“Neither are you,” he spat, pushing her away. “Go to sleep.”
“Yes, Colton.” She said meekly. It was ruined by her stifled giggles that escaped at odd moments.
He sighed and rolled over and shut his eyes determinedly.
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