Petr's Mate Read Online Free PDF Page A

bathroom. Petr carried her into what Sam could only guess was a
shower stall. “Two minutes, deep-tissue cycle,” he said.
    She
felt it then, the sonic waves, and bit back a moan. “Oh, ” she said on a long, drawn out sigh.
“So good.” That felt fabulous, the waves over her body. The deep tissue was almost like a massage. At
the end of the two minutes, she felt clean as well as relaxed. How strange. Even the bits of clothing she
had left on her body felt clean. The t-shirt and panties she had been in cryo -stasis in were ratty and likely would fall apart if
she tried to clean them, but the sonic waves had felt wonderful and cleaned her body and clothes. When the cycle was over, he carried her back to the bedroom. He
set her on the bed, then stretched out beside her. She was facing him now, with
their hands joined between them. “I was just thinking it was odd that my heart
was beating the same beat as yours, also thinking of how odd it was that I was trusting you so much after
only meeting you. Do you have women falling over you all the time like that?” His
gaze moved over her face, then his lips kicked up in a slight smile. “Thank you
for your jacket, too, by the way.” She was still wearing it, but he didn’t seem to mind. He fell
silent for a time, studying her.
    Lifting
a hand, he brushed his fingers against her cheek. “Would you like a
change of clothing?” he asked. When she hesitated, he sighed. “You’re nervous
around me, which is understandable, because you don’t know me yet. But don’t
be, Samantha. I already told you that you’re safe here. This is my word, my
vow, my promise to you. We have a lot to discuss, but I think you need to rest
first. What I have to tell you is … complicated.”
    She
nodded and scooted closer to him. “I would like a change of clothing, if you don’t mind.” She chewed
her lower lip while she watched him. After a moment, she confessed her fear to him.
“ Cryo -sleep isn’t what we were told. We were told
that there would be blissful oblivion, but that’s a lie.” She looked down and found herself stroking a marking on one
of his hands. “It’s a living nightmare, ”
she told him softly. “For God only knows how long, I had nightmares. I’m
honestly more afraid of going to sleep and dreaming again than I am of anything else.” She had been
trapped in the nightmare and unable to wake. It had been hellish. “And for the
first time I’m without fear and it’s all because I’m touching you. I don’t
understand it, but I can’t question it. I know I’m safe with you, but it’s more than
physically safe.” She touched her finger to his chin. “It’s mentally, too. I
know how crazy that sounds but it’s true. I feel like you are my
anchor in the tsunami of memories of those nightmares.”
    He
captured her hand and lifted it to press his lips to her palm in a gentle, warm kiss. Stroking
the pad of his thumb to the spot, he stared at her. “The mind is never truly at rest, even in the deepest sleep . Only time will heal the wounds from
such a traumatic journey. One day, though, it will happen. Now, let me get
something for you to change into. I’ll stay with you, Samantha. You don’t have
to be afraid to go to sleep.” Petr squeezed her hand before sitting up. He went
to a wall, where he pressed a hand to it. The panel slid to the side, revealing
a military-neat closet. He opened one of the drawers and turned back to her with some items in his hands. “I can turn my back, or I
can step out in to the other room.”
    She
shook her head. “I trust you,” she told him, and once his back was turned she took off her top first,
then put on the new shirt. She stood, her legs shaking as she did so, but she did it all the same. She
braced her hand on his back and slipped her panties off, then pulled on the
shorts he had given her. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him.
“I’m dressed.” His jacket lay on the bed beside her and she