Read Sleep With Me (Be With Me) for Free Online Page A

I get back home I’m going to tell Candace just that.” She paced by the fire, her hands punctuating each sentence sending shadows scattering across the rocks. David considered stopping her, but sensed the most interesting part was yet to come, so he waited while she continued.
    “I should have known asking her for advice was a bad idea. ‘Don’t be so uptight,' she said. 'Go on vacation, get laid, relax. Then you’ll be able to sleep at night.’ Yeah, right. I haven’t slept a whole night since I left my house, and my nice, routine life. So far I’ve managed to make an idiot of myself several times, about got eaten by sharks, nearly drowned, and now I’m stranded on a damn deserted island. With the one guy on earth who doesn’t want to sleep with me. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll just go throw myself in the ocean now.”
    David couldn’t help it. He laughed, earning a rather mean glare as Kat stalked off into the dark trees. He waited for her to come back, but when she still hadn’t reappeared a couple minutes later, he sighed and got to his feet. She’d gone in the direction of the stream rather than the beach, and he found her leaning against a tree on the bank, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
    He stood just behind her, knowing she wouldn’t welcome his touch just then.
    “Your friend was right about one thing,” he said, noting her muscles tense up at his voice. “You do need to relax, but you don’t need a vacation or a fling to make that happen.”
    She shook her head. “Don’t pretend you know me. You don’t know anything about me.”
    He shrugged, unable to keep from reaching out and stroking her back with one hand. She flinched, but didn’t pull away, and he noted how cold her skin was. She should have taken the blanket.
    “I know you’re feeling out of control right now. And I’m guessing you aren’t a big ‘go with the flow’ type of person, right?”
    She nodded, relaxing just a fraction under his touch. He stepped a little closer, giving her a little more of his heat.
    “So maybe your friend thought getting away would help you let go a little easier. I take it that’s not working?”
    Kat nodded again, with a sniff. “I’ve been trying, but nothing works. I can’t relax, I can’t sleep, and I’m just...so tired...”
    “I’ll tell you what.” David curled his hand around her waist and pulled her into his side. “Come back to the cave and warm up. Whether you sleep or not, at least you can get some rest. Did you know that studies have shown a twenty minute nap can sometimes be more restful than a full night’s sleep? And our normal sleep cycles are an hour and a half each, on the average. So if you can sleep for either twenty minutes, or an hour and a half, you’ll probably feel better.”
    “How do you know all that?” she asked, not resisting when he pulled her back toward the campsite. “I nap a lot.”
    He chuckled. “I hate mornings, and my boss was tired of me being late, and being groggy when I did manage to make it on time. She did the math and started telling me when I should go to bed to get up on time feeling decent. I don’t always follow her suggestions, but I’ll admit I do feel better when I do.”
    They reached the camp and he released her long enough to let her get settled just inside the cave, behind the fire. Picking up one of the warm blankets, he wrapped it around her and then sat beside her, using a small boulder as a backrest and wrapping himself up in the second blanket.
    “Here,” he said, reaching out to put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him to lie on her side. She tensed, but didn’t fight, and laid her head down on his leg as he stroked her arm with his fingers.
    “Now just relax. Close your eyes, and rest. It doesn’t matter if you sleep or not, just focus on the warm fire, the crackle of the flames, and how peaceful it is here.”
    Kat nodded, adjusting her head and shoulders until she seemed