The Hour of Dreams Read Online Free

cracking the shower door open. He leaned in for a quick kiss, which caused his shirt to get splashed, before closing the door. “Why are you showering so early?”
    “I got wet in the rain while talking with Dawn. I figured I’d get it over with before putting on dry clothes.”
    “Oh…can I come in?”
    “Sure,” I answered, feeling a little panicked.
    In one motion, he pulled his shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes and bottoms, and slid in with me. “Is that who’s in the other shower?”
    “Yes.” I laughed, nervously realizing that he might find that odd. “She got soaked too.”
    He smiled, dipping his broad shoulders in the second showerhead before titling his head back under the water.
    “So is everything okay?”
    “Yeah, why do you ask?”
    “You seem a little on edge.”
    I held the washcloth behind my back, doing some final squeezes. “What’s that smell?” he asked, looking around.
    “What smell?”
    “Blood,” he answered, still looking. This time his gaze traveled to the ceiling and then to the floor. “Wait a minute, what’s in your hand?”
    “Nothing. Just my washcloth.”
    He leaned in closer, inspecting me. “Is that blood on your face?”
    Putting his hands on my cheeks, he tilted my head back. “Sophie, your nose is bleeding.”
    I shrugged it off as no big deal, and he might have believed me if I hadn’t been hiding the evidence of it behind my back.
    “How bad was it? Let me see.” He pulled the washcloth from my hands. Unfortunately for me, it had been bright white, and now the whole thing was splotched with pink stains.
    “Whoa,” he said. He wrung it out and dabbed my nose again, pulling it back to reveal a few more fresh drops.
    “It’s fine,” I said, taking the cloth.
    “It’s not fine.”
    “Yes, it is. I was running around in the cold rain with Dawn, and I think I just jostled my sinuses. It’s fine. I used to get them all the time,” I lied, feeling instantly horrible about it.
    “Sophie, I’ve never seen you get one of these before. I’m going to call Dr. Carter.”
    “No! Please just forget it. It’s fine, really. I don’t get them very often—”
    He shifted his weight. “What’s very often?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What’s very often?” he repeated, leaning closer.
    “I don’t know. Only a few times.”
    “A few? When? How long ago?”
    “Um…I don’t know. Maybe once a month?”
    He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it, staring into my eyes silently. He studied me for a moment longer, his jaws tensed. “I’m calling Dr. Carter,” he said flatly, stepping out of the shower.
    Dang it
, I thought. This was not going to go well. I finished rinsing my hair, shut the water off, and slipped out behind him. I had just started to dry off when he left the bathroom, wearing only a towel and a frown.
    This
really
wasn’t going to go well.
    I quickly slid into sweats to follow him, but hesitated. I knew Wes well enough to know there was no talking to him during a worry-fest. He needed to settle down, so I brushed out my hair and took my time.
    When I came out, he was sitting on the bed, still in his towel, talking on the phone.
    “I don’t know. She’s not being specific.” He cast me an evil glare before turning his attention back to the phone. “It doesn’t really matter at this point. I just want you to take a look at her. Okay. That should work. Thanks. See you then.” He hung up and went over to his closet without stealing a second glance at me.
    I was contemplating a good defense for my secretiveness, but then, watching him dress in complete silence, I became angry.
    “That’s not fair.” I stated—or, more so, pouted.
    “Really?” he said, putting on his last sock without glancing up.
    “Really,” I repeated, approaching him firmly. He smelled amazing, and his Henley was fitted in a way that made my knees wobble. I didn’t want to fight with him. He was the one person who could hold me and make me feel