*A/N: This chapter(the end of it, I mean) might seem a bit confusing but it'll make sense later. Have faith in me and my questionable writing skills.
Chapter Thirty Six
C A R O L I N E
I woke with a start from the nightmare, immediately sitting up and looking around. I knew it was just a dream, but being able to ground myself and see that I was safe always soothed me much quicker than laying in the dark. So I flicked on the bedside table lamp and glanced over at Dominic, who stirred slightly with the additional light. But he didn't quite wake.
Surprisingly, he wasn't spooning me or even cuddling me. Instead, his head was turned away as one of his arms was thrown over his head and the other dangled over the side of the mattress, his legs loose but laying straight. Even in deep sleep, he was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. He snored lightly too, but I didn't find it obnoxious or funny. It was borderline endearing.
It was difficult to not think that his efforts were causing me to have the nightmares again. They usually happened every once in a while, but they had become more frequent in the times that Dominic actually forced me to think about what happened. It wasn't his fault. As much as I wished I could put the blame on someone, there were only three people to blame and I couldn't even find them.
I turned off the lamp again and just stared at Dominic for a couple more minutes. Damn him for being so good-looking. The mark tingled as I appraised his shirtless form bathed in subtle moonlight. The heat was coming soon, that much I knew. My feelings towards Dom were already becoming strong, meaning the likelihood of getting out of the heat without sleeping with him was small. He would be able to control himself, but I didn't think I would.
The defiant, stubborn part of me said not to snuggle up to the man. He had done some messed up stuff in our time together, things that still needed to be righted in some way. But the majority of my being knew I had been a brat too, so realistically, we were most likely even.
So that's how I ended up nuzzling into this side, my face tucking into his throat while my hand caught the one over his head and forced it down around me. This action caused him to wake up immediately.
"Sugar?" he mumbled. "You alright, baby?"
I nodded. "Just a bad dream."
Dom's arm tightened around me, holding me so he could kiss the shell of my ear. "A bad dream or a memory?" My silence answered the question. "If this investigation is going to bring back all of these painful memories and disrupt your life, we can call it off."
"I just want it to be over," I murmured. "I want to have full closure and I want the suffering to not be for nothing. If it causes me some emotional pain now if it will help me heal later, I will take it."
The arm that had been dangling off the bed moved to stroke through my hair now, an action that, from Dom, was more and more soothing as time went on. "I understand. But if I decide it is doing more harm than good, I'm cancelling it and we can come back to it later."
"Okay."
Blindly, I fixed the blankets to rest up on my shoulders before relaxing completely into the wolf's embrace. Dominic sponged a few more kisses onto my ear and hair before his body settled back into position. "Caroline?"
Sleep was already taking over me, Dom's touch and care a catalyst for unconsciousness. All I could do was manage a hum in response. "I love you."
