Bloody Sunset Gwendolyn Harper (life changing books txt) đ
- Author: Gwendolyn Harper
Book online «Bloody Sunset Gwendolyn Harper (life changing books txt) đ». Author Gwendolyn Harper
And when she opened her eyes again, Seth was nothing but smiles.
âSounds like itâs been one upgrade after the other then,â he said. âAnd speaking of possum⊠I wonder if thatâs the mystery meat in tonightâs stew.â
âSmells like rabbit to me,â Booker said. âBut I could be wrong.â
Caitlin wouldnât bet money on Booker being wrong about game meats.
Pushing himself to his feet, Seth said, âWell, guess Iâm hungry enough to find out.â
As he waved to them, Caitlin narrowed her stare on him, watching Seth leave.
âHey,â Booker murmured, nudging her. âHe bother you?â
âHuh?â
âWent rigid there for a second,â he said. âDidnât know if he said somethinâ orââ
Caitlin shook her head. âNo, no, itâs justâŠâ She inhaled deeply. âNothing.â
To distract herself from the uncertainty, she leaned in and kissed Booker fully.
Brushing the tip of his nose across her cheek, Booker smiled. âHungry?â
âMhm hm.â
He chuckled and she felt it in her chest.
âI meant for supper,â he whispered, kissing the corner of her mouth.
âThat too.â
With a final taste of her lips, Booker pulled back, standing up.
âIâll fetch it for ya. Yâjust keep that other thing on your mind a while longer.â
Propping her chin on the heel of her hand, she grinned.
That wouldnât be a problem.
* * * * * * *
In the dark, Caitlin felt him shake.
Blinking, she tried to orient herself. It couldnât have been later than four in the morning.
The thick arm wrapped tight around her waist twitched, fist grasping at nothing.
Behind her, with his forehead pressed into the crook of her neck, Booker whimpered in his sleep.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned in his hold, facing him.
It was a pattern she was becoming familiar with.
âJack,â she whispered, cupping his stubbled jaw. âJack, wake up.â
Even in the dim light she could see the deep crease in his forehead, brows furrowed together, and jaw clenched.
Stroking his face gently, she tried to rouse him.
âJack, wake up,â she repeated. âItâs okay. Youâre safe.â
âUnder fire⊠Canât make it toâŠâ He mumbled, barely audible through gritted teeth.
Snaking one arm out to rub his shoulder, Caitlin continued talking to him.
âYouâre not there anymore, Jack. You made it home.â She leaned in close, murmuring in his ear. âYouâre safe. Youâre here with me. Wake up, Booker.â
In his sleep, he jerked, and his grip on her tightened. Her ribs ached from the pressure, but she wasnât deterred.
âJack, I need you to wake up,â she said, still holding onto him. âEverythingâs okay. Youâre not there, youâreââ
With a sharp inhale, Bookerâs eyes snapped open.
âWhereâwhere am I? Whatâsââ
âShh, shh, itâs okay,â she assured him, hand gentle on his chest. âYou were having a bad dream. Youâre okay, youâre safe.â
It took him several moments to catch up, and even longer for the worrisome tension to leave his body. His eyes darted around the dark tent, trying to make sense of what was and what had been.
âJesus,â Booker breathed as he started to roll away from her.
Caitlin wouldnât let him go far.
Rubbing soothing loops along his chest, she curled into his side.
âWhat was I sayinâ?â
She bit the inside of her bottom lip, unsure if he really wanted to be reminded.
âI couldnât hear most of it,â she told him finally. âBut you werenât having a good time, I know that much.â
Grunting deep in his throat, Booker ran his palm over his face.
Just as she was about to ask if he wanted to talk about it, he extricated himself from their tangle of limbs and sat up.
âGonna go for a walk,â he muttered. âGive patrol a hand.â
âJackâŠâ
Leaning in, he kissed her, but it felt rote.
ââM alright, songbird,â he said. âGo back to sleep.â
Pulling his boots on, Booker grabbed his shirt and belt and hurried out of the tent.
Caitlin stretched out on their sleeping bag, staring at the blue nylon above her.
Heâd lied.
Booker was anything but alright.
Chapter Three
It was a luxury having more than three shirts to choose from when getting dressed in the morning.
Caitlin had gotten used to her two pairs of jeans and two tee shirts while on her own. The addition of more clothing as theyâd scavenged across Mississippi and Arkansas had been a delight, especially when she found some khaki and denim shorts in her size. They made the humid summer a little easier to bear.
Now she had enough clothing for two weeks, plus a few zip-up hoodies and a thicker jacket with a faux shearling lining perfect for autumn and early winter.
And of course, the green plaid shirt sheâd borrowed from Booker and never gave back.
Sheâd opted not to stitch up the bullet hole, keeping it as a reminder to always stay sharp.
Plus, as Nicole had told her, it gave her a Sarah Connor vibe and what wasnât to love about that?
Bent over her duffle bag, Caitlin continued picking through her shirts, trying to decide what would be best for the cooler morning that would burn into a hot midday.
The tent flap behind her shifted and unzipped, but she wasnât concerned.
Either it was Nicole or Booker, and both of them had seen her in less than the bra and pair of jeans she wore, so her modesty was the last thing to worry about.
Scott had taken to saying âknock, knockâ before entering their shared living space, as he was still getting used to being right on top of everyone.
âWell, good morninâ to me then,â Booker said, grinning as he entered.
Caitlin smirked. âYouâre late. I was in just my underwear three minutes ago.â
âDonât wound me like that, Meadows.â
Deciding
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