Faster than the Night

Chapter 18

Hi everyone and welcome back! I hope you all are having a blessed day! So many new things going on right now in Faster than the Night! What will happen with Brooks and Elaine?! Will that kiss create a relationship, or make matters worse? Keep reading to find out! Also, please comment on what you think of the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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"Not right now we're not." I heard behind a ray of chuckling. I couldn't get out of his grasp. "Let me go!" I yelled. I knew Reese was going to put me in his truck and do whatever he felt like with me, even kill me.

I felt arms around me shaking me to wake up, Brooks arms.

"Elaine it's just a dream, it's just a dream." He said taking me in his arms. I hadn't realized I screamed and had broken out in sweats. All I could do was grab onto Brooks and sob into his chest.

"He was going to take me." I eventually got out while crying.

"I've got you." he said pressing his hand on the small of my back, bringing me closer into his embrace. He picked me up off the bed, laying down himself, and setting me on his lap, taking me back in his arms as he soothed me back to sleep.

I was woken up by the sound of birds chirping outside my window. I had almost forgotten my nightmare from the night before until I realized I was still laying in Brooks' arms. I shifted just a bit to give him some room, and accidentally woke him up. I had forgotten how light of sleepers firefighters were. I for one, had gotten my horrible sleep from my father.

"Sleep better?" Brooks asked looking down into my eyes.

"A bit better yea." I said looking back up at him. "What's your first name?" I asked him laughing a bit.

"Hunter." He told me, and I repeated it.

I went to look down to keep from blushing, and I noticed I was lying on his bare chest. He had abs for days and muscles just as big, but not as much to where it looked like he was on steroids. I hadn't realized I was tracing along his abs with my fingers until he grabbed them with his hands giving me a confused, flirtatious look.

"Sorry." I said and went to get off of him when he pulled me back, brushing his lips against mine. I could tell he wanted to go further, but gave me one single instead. We were interrupted when I heard Layla and Bella in the room. They both had a key to the apartment and I must not have heard them come in.

"We brought donuts..." Layla said laughing as Hunter helped me get off of him and out of bed.

"This is Hunter." I told them. They looked confused for some reason. I had told them about him on several occasions. "Oh I mean Brooks. This is Brooks." I fixed my mistake.

"You didn't tell us Brooks was hot Elaine!" Layla said making us all laugh except Hunter. Hunter just looked uncomfortable.

"I'm going to go sit in the living room..." he said walking out giving the girls a slight smile before exiting the room.

"Elaine! What the..." Before Layla could say anything else I stopped her.

"Things, things are different now." I said looking down at my feet.

"Oh we can tell things are different now." Bella said laughing.

"Elaine we do not date misogynists." Layla said sternly.

"Oh he's not really like that. He was just trying to get my attention." I told them and they looked confused.

"Well I suppose if he's not really like that then you can date him..." Layla said.

"Oh we haven't really discussed any of that..." I said honestly. Things really only changed less than 24 hours ago.

"How are you though?" Bella asked me.

"I'm fine, really guys you didn't have to come down here." I laughed.

"Elaine. You were almost kidnapped you're not fine." Layla said. After knowing someone since birth, you can tell when they're lying. We called that telepathy.

"Guys I'm fine, really. I'm safe now and that's all that matters. Plus I can't do anything anyway. No TV for me for a long time." I told them trying to sound honest but clearly failing. "Plus it hurts to move a lot so I'm basically a couch potato for a while. Technically... I'm on bed rest for three days but who follows that?" I said and we all laughed.

"Well we're gonna stay at the hotel down the street for two nights then since you and mr hot stuff are obviously shaking up." Layla said making us all laugh as I rolled my eyes.

"Can we get you anything now though?" Bella asked.

"Could you guys help me get ready for the day? I've been wearing this since yesterday." I said.

"No shit there's blood all over it." Layla said as I looked down at my blood stained clothes.

This only made me feel worse but I gave a small smile and asked them to get a pair of shorts and tank top from the dresser. The shorts were my black spandex, and the tank top was plain white and spaghetti strapped. I put on some deodorant while I was at it. Layla put my hair in a messy bun and Bella redid my makeup for the day, being extra gentle with my bruises and cut on the chin. I remembered my Jeep was still at the Coke Factory and needed that to be picked up so no one stole it.

"Could y'all go pick up my truck from the Coke factory?" I asked quietly.

"Yea of course." they said simultaneously.

"Want us to get you lunch too on the way back?" Bella asked. It was times like these I was lucky to have my girls.

"That'd be great actually. Chick fil a?" I asked.

"You got it." Bella said as they walked out of the apartment. I didn't need to tell them my order. Bella and I had been getting the same order since freshman year.

"Oh yea byeee Hunter!" Layla yelled while laughing going out the door. I shook my head laughing too.

I realized they left me sitting on the end of the bed, and I would have to try and move to lay down myself.

"Whoa." Hunter gasped. He must have come in while they were leaving. He was standing in the doorway with a new pair of clothes on. Black jeans, and a dry fit Atlanta Fire Department shirt that hugged every ab and muscle on his torso was all he must have needed. I looked back at him wondering what he was staring at.

"What?" I asked as he cleared his throat.

"Nothing." he said. "Come on let's get you lying down." he added trying to get the conversation off of him.

He helped me get back in bed, pulling the sheets over me so I wasn't cold. There was that damn stare again. Honestly, what was he looking at? I looked beat the hell up, and in shitty clothes.

"What are you looking at?" I asked him seriously as he shook his head, bending down to take my face in his hands, softly pressing his lips on mine. I grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer to me. It was obvious he wanted more, but had to remember I was injured and on bed rest for the next two days. He pulled back from the kiss and pressed another kiss on my forehead, smiling down at me. It didn't seem like he was going anywhere, even with the girls in town. How was that possibly going to work? I still knew nothing about him, but I wanted to. Was this... situation... going to help with that? Or would it make things worse? I decided to contemplate it after kissing him one more time. One more time wouldn't hurt. Right?