Truth Is Found (19 page)

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  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

Same Hotel

Different Room

Since she woke up, they barely moved.

Nyx was afraid to leave Beau’s side. It had been so long since she’d had this kind of silence. If he didn't mind staying there, she was okay with it too.

Screw being shy or embarrassed.

At that moment, she could think, and that was one hell of a precious gift.

Besides, being in bed with him wasn’t a bad thing. Covertly, she was checking out his body. There was no doubt in her mind that he had been a soldier. His tattoos were indicative of someone who had fought for his country.

There were patriotic ones.

Gun ones.

Plus, the skull and crossbones wearing the Army Ranger beret was a dead giveaway.

And his is physique?

It was something she could stare at for hours. Being next to him was both cathartic and making her crazy all at the same time.

Maybe it had something to do with the lingering scent of his aftershave on the shirt she was wearing. Then again, it could have something to do with the fact that he’d stripped her and redressed her too.

She should probably be embarrassed, but she wasn’t. Beau Christensen was calming.

He definitely had a gift.

The way he was watching her, Nyx knew it was only a matter of time before he started hitting her with the tough questions.

She should probably get it over with, and soon.

“Go ahead and ask. I can hear you thinking. The room is humming.”

Beau brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, and the intimacy of that simple motion struck him hard. His heart flipped the second his fingers touched her petal soft flesh.

He did have questions.

Lots of them.

For the last hour, he’d wanted to say something, but his tongue was tied in knots. He didn't have a lot of experience with women, and he was trying to do this right.

She was obviously hurting, and he didn't want to damage her further.

“Okay, why did you do it? Is it so bad that you can’t stand life?”

There was no judgment in his voice, and since he’d dove in after her and pulled her back from the brink of death, he deserved a reason.

“He’s in my head. Your brother won’t leave me alone. The screaming all day long is draining. I just wanted it to stop.”

“Is he hurting you?” Beau asked, his voice now full of concern.

“Yes. Trey is relentless. When I go to bed, he starts. When I’m trying to eat, he’s there. He’s persistent. I’ve never had a spirit this angry, or this hell bent on my full attention.”

“You delivered the message. He should stop.”

Nyx laughed. “Yeah, they don’t have morals on the other side, Mr. Christensen.”

“Beau. I saw you naked, so it’s only fair.”

“Yeah, about that,” she began.

“In my defense, you did just try to off yourself, and I promise that I tried to keep my eyes closed the whole time. If anything, I’m a gentleman.”

Yes, he certainly was. They were in bed together, and not once did he try to take advantage of that.

That trust wasn’t easy to find in the opposite sex, and Nyx knew it.

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

She swallowed, and then noticed he was grinning at her. The easiness of his smile helped her relax.

“Okay, Beau. I believe you. I don’t know why, since we don’t even know each other, but I do.”

“Thank you for that, Nyx. How about you tell me what he’s doing to you? Maybe I can help.”

“He’s angry, and he’s getting stronger. I’m helpless to him. I can block out the voices most of the time, but not him. I can’t stop Trey. He’s pretty stubborn.”

“Okay, tell me what to do.”

She stared at him.

“What?” he asked, noticing the look she was giving him.

“Why would you want to do that, Beau? I’m a complete stranger. You owe me nothing,” she stated. “I can’t figure why you risked your life and jumped into that water after me. That’s crazy.”

He laughed. “It’s not crazy. I needed to save you.”

When she wouldn’t look at him, Beau lifted her chin so they were staring into each other’s eyes.

“You’re not a stranger, Nyx.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Beau sighed before rolling to his back. He was careful to make sure their bodies were still in contact.

Just in case…

“I feel like I know you. It’s deeper than me saving you. You’re channeling my big brother, and for that I have a debt to repay.”

“So that’s really what this is? I’m a debt?”

He glanced over at her.

This was tricky ground and he knew it. If he was completely honest, she’d be freaked out. How did you tell someone that you knew they were meant to be yours the second you saw them?

In this day and age, that was insanity.

It bordered on stalker.

“It’s so much more than that. I can look into those aqua eyes of yours, and I can see you’re hurting. That touches me. Maybe it’s because I was a soldier and I’ve seen so much anguish, or maybe it’s because I don’t want to see that look on your face anymore. Either way, I want to help. If you tell me the truth, promise not to hide anything, and play it straight with me, I’ll give you all I can. I’m a man of my word.”

She couldn’t believe any of this. In her life, she didn't fall into happiness. There was always hurt, anger, and pain. Now he wanted her to believe she’d found peace?

“Sure thing, Sir Galahad.”

“I’m being honest with you. My last breath is yours, if that’s what it takes. If you want to joke about me, so be it. I’m giving you what I’ve asked for in return. I won’t lie, I won’t yank your chain, and I’ll make sure you always know what I’m thinking.”

“I just don’t know why, Beau. Why do you give a shit about what I’m going through?”

He stared into her tear-filled eyes. “Someone has to, so why can’t it be me? Is that so improbable that you crossed paths with someone who was meant to care? You brought us here, and maybe fate wanted that for a reason.”

A big wet tear slid down her cheek, and he wiped it away with the rough pad of his finger.

She had a choice to make.

Nyx could trust him or walk away and suffer until she did take her life. There were really only two sides to this coin. All she had to do was decide.

So, Nyx went with her heart.

Truth it was.

“When you touch me, the voices get more manageable. When you’re next to me, Trey backs off, and it gives me some room to breathe. That’s the absolute truth.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “It’s never happened before. You learn to build walls to protect yourself. I put up boundaries, and the spirits generally listen, but he won’t. He’s stubborn.”

“I hate that he’s hurting you.”

She believed him.

“Okay, so problem solved. I stick close until he leaves you alone.”

Nyx stared at him and then started to laugh. “This is insane.”

“Is it? I don’t think it is. I certainly don’t find it funny. You’re hurting. That’s not something to trivialize.”

She stopped laughing.

“Do you think that it’s crazy that my dead brother found you, led you right to us, and I happen to be the only person--on this ball we call Earth--to give you peace? You really believe that’s a coincidence? No one is that naïve.”

She didn't answer him.

“Personally, I know it has to be fate with a side of miracle, and I’m willing to see what happens.”

“But you don’t know me,” she stated again. “I’m a stranger.”

He pointed at them lying in bed. “Strangers meet, have sex, and then move on. We haven’t done any of that, so this is more of two people getting to know each other.”

“This is crazy. You’re insane.”

“It doesn’t matter if I am or not. I’ve seen fate intervene, and I’ve seen more miracles than I can explain.”

“Really?” she asked, wanting to believe.

“Yes. Need an example?”

She nodded.

“Okay, let me tell you about one day in the Middle East. I was out scouting a location. I wasn’t supposed to have a dog with me that day, but I did. He was new to the unit and untested. So, as I was getting geared up, the sarge came in with a favor to ask.”

She listened.

“He never did that. When Sarge gave you your orders, that was the end of it. We had rules, regulations, and protocols. Him even coming to me was odd. As I was going out, he stopped me, handed me a leash, and gave me this untested furball.”

“What happened?”

“I was irritated. This was supposed to be a quick patrol, and we didn't need to babysit a barking child, but I took him. Jethro needed a test run, and he was going to get it.”

She listened.

“We headed to the same place we’d gone a million times. Only this time it was booby-trapped. Here’s where the miracle comes into play, Nyx. If I didn't have that dog with me, I would be with Trey, trying to talk to my sister.”

She looked surprised.

“He saved our lives. I wasn’t meant to die that day, and I believe you’re why. I’m meant to be right where I am. I found my sister, rebuilt that bond, and joined her business. That led me here and to this moment in time. We don’t need understand the why, Nyx. Things happen for a reason.”

He had a point.

“I know you think it’s insane, but let’s do the unthinkable,” he stated.

“Which is?”

“Let’s follow this path and see what happens.”

She hesitated.

“What do you have to lose? You wanted to die. Am I really that horrible an option that you’d choose death over a few days stuck with me?”

Nyx began chewing on her bottom lip. Beau had a very valid point. “You’re right.”

“Finally, a woman says that to me. I can die a happy man,” Beau teased. Then he went serious. “We all have a gift. Maybe when you were given yours, it was incomplete. What if it needs me in order for you to survive? What if you were just waiting for me to survive the Middle East?”

Did he realize what he was saying?

Nyx had to be dreaming.

Things like this didn't happen to her. Sexy soldiers didn't fall into her lap to rescue her. There was no Galahad, and there certainly was never a hero. She was alone in the world and didn't get him.

At all
.

Beau laughed. “Don’t look so freaked out. I swear I’m not some killer stalking you. You’re not my prisoner. There’s the door if you want to escape.”

His words stole her breath.

She actually flinched, and he didn't know why.

Another tear fell as he lifted her chin. “I was kidding. I’m sorry, Nyx. Whatever that just did to you, I’m so sorry.”

What astounded her the most was his ability to be so damn astute. He definitely had a gift. He felt what she was living in the moment.

Neither spoke.

Beau knew the next step had to be hers. Despite what he thought, or felt, it was all up to Nyx.

“Okay, we’ll try. You’re right. Maybe your gift will calm mine down. If not, maybe you can just tell your brother off.”

He grinned. “Was that a joke?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so. Want to go get something to eat? I didn't eat dinner last night, and I could probably take down the better half of a cow.”

She started to panic. There was no way she’d get through a meal. When Beau moved away from her, she was in searing pain.

“Shhhhhhh, it’s okay.”

“I don’t know if I can…”

He did the only thing he could. Beau kissed her. His lips crashed across hers, and immediately, he pulled her back into his arms. She didn't fight him, and that made his heart pound.

She tasted like heaven.

She felt like a dream.

There was nothing like that moment in his entire life. Nyx was definitely supposed to be there with him for that journey. Beau believed in fate and liked to let it lead the adventure. It saved his ass in the military, it found him his sister, and now it just handed him a woman who couldn’t survive without him.

Yeah, he wanted to grab Fate and kiss her next.

Pulling away, her eyes were huge, she looked shocked, but she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Damn him and his calming touch. Here was her proof. Yes, Nyx’s heart was pounding, but not because she was afraid.

Neither spoke, but he looked supremely satisfied.