Guardian Cougar (Finding Fatherhood Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

her anxiety, and she sagged against him. At some point, she had turned in his arms again, and her back was pressed to his chest. As her breathing returned to normal, she realized he was holding her, but not tightly. It was more of a protective embrace, as though he’d been trying to keep her from hurting herself.
    She winced when she saw the deep gouges in his arms, left there by her fingernails. “I’m sorry,” she said in a raspy voice.
    His arms gently left her, as though he was reassured she was now in control and didn’t need to be regulated to keep from hurting herself. “It’s all right. You can’t help how you react. I was just afraid you were going to wound yourself.”
    She nodded, feeling miserable. “I couldn’t control it. I just needed to escape.” Slowly, she turned around again to look up at him, biting her lip. “My brain knows you won’t hurt me, but it was just instinct that overpowered everything. I don’t know why I freaked out.”
    His expression was grim for a moment, but then it cleared. “It’s all right. You’ve been through a lot, and I just wanted to make sure you’re safe.”
    With regret, she brushed her finger near one of the scratches on his arm. “Instead, I hurt you. I’ll leave if you want me to. I don’t think I’m safe to be around.”
    He shook his head, putting a bracing hand on her shoulder that felt oddly impersonal, and she was bereft at the loss of the connection she’d had with him just a few minutes before. “You’re not going to hurt me. I heal quickly, and I can handle a few scratches. If there’s somewhere you’d rather be, I’ll take you, but please don’t leave just because of this and to protect me. I can take care of myself.”
    Tears flooded her eyes, and she collapsed against his chest. “I wish I could say the same,” she said in a thick voice, damp with tears. She hated feeling so helpless and lost, and as she leaned against him, his arm carefully around her in a loose fashion as he rubbed her back, she decided she wouldn’t try to pursue more memories. Whatever her brain had locked away, it was probably better not to remember. She just needed to start over, as though she had been born yesterday when he had pulled her from the ocean. Sometimes, some things were better left forgotten.
    ***
    Later that night, Jackson lay in bed. It was after eleven, and he should have been asleep, but his mind was constantly worrying at the day’s events. After her anxiety attack, she had seemed calmer, spending the day relaxing and watching mindless television, with a surprising air of serenity. She clearly needed more help than he could provide, so he made a mental note to arrange a meeting with Tina Gordon tomorrow after her obstetric appointment.
    Tina was the therapist they contracted with to provide victim support and advocacy for some of their clients who had been harmed in a violent way. After the way she had reacted to his kiss, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind Hannah had been through something violent, and each time she tried to remember it, or got a flash of it, she was at risk of another attack, where she might hurt herself. He hoped Tina would have some strategies to help her manage the process.
    His body stiffened when he heard a faint whimper coming from the guestroom, followed by a louder sound of distress. He slid from his bed, taking a moment to slip on pajama pants before leaving the bedroom and moving down the hall to where his guest slept. She didn’t sound as if she was doing much sleeping now, and he didn’t need his acute sense of hearing to know that. His cat was fully at attention, pacing restlessly as it responded to the reek of fear and misery pouring from the room, tainting her pheromone signature.
    He should have knocked, but he was anxious to reach her, so he just opened the door and slipped inside, not bothering with the light, because he had keen eyesight thanks to his shifter side. He identified her immediately, and she