Nightmares

**Nate's POV**
We finished dinner, then just talked. And talked. For hours. Maybe it was the wine that had us loosened up, but fuck did I enjoy it. Allie had more than the outer beauty everyone else saw. She was lovely through and through. It had been ages since I laughed that much, and I could still feel it in my stomach hours later.
She told me about hers and Sasha's antics growing up, even though I could tell she got hesitant talking about her childhood. She told me about her love for cooking and how when she first started, the fire department had to be called. She told me about the time her guard, Rob, walked in on her skinny dipping in the pool, and how he wouldn't look her in the eye for at least a week after. She told me about Wells teaching her how to dance the waltz, and about her personal assistant's wedding last year where she got to show off her new skills.
I had never realized how boring my life had been up until now, but I still shared what I could, about my mum and dad, and even a little about Cooper, my best mate in London. How we met in university where I studied Theatre and he was pre-med. He passed his exams last month. The man was a damn genius, as long as he didn't have a pint in him. Complete lightweight.
Eventually midnight came, and we both decided we should head to bed. She had training bright and early, and I planned on hunting for a birthday gift. I was considering a cookbook? Maybe a nice dress? What do you gift a millionaire?
I was staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take me, but I was restless. The bed was comfortable enough, plenty warm, but… empty. The silence was eerie, and the room was so impersonal. It didn't feel like home. I closed my eyes, picturing my childhood flat. The warm lighting perpetually seeping into my room from the hallway, the smell of mum's cobbler lingering long after dessert, the creaky floorboards that always gave away when they would come to check on me in the middle of the night.
Just as I started to drift, a loud noise startled me, forcing me to sit upright.
What the hell…?
The fogginess cleared, and I heard it again.
"Don't touch me!" Allie screeched.
"Fuck." I leapt from the bed, rushing down the hall before I even knew what I was doing. Her screams echoed around me, and I pushed on her door, thanking God it wasn't locked. When I finally got in there, she was thrashing around beneath the covers, loose strands of hair obscuring her sweat covered face. It must've been one hell of a nightmare. She sounded horrified.
"Please, make him stop." She whimpered, and I felt it deep in my chest. *Don't touch me. Make him stop.* Holy fuck. Who the fuck hurt her?
I climbed onto the bed, stilling her body with a gentle press of her shoulders, but it only made her scream louder.
"Allie. Allie, it's me. It's Nate." I assured her, but she couldn't hear me. She was lost in the world only she could see, but I needed to find her, to pull her out before she could hurt anymore. I moved my hands to her face, wiping away the hair and cradling it softly in my palms. "Allie. Wake up. It's just a nightmare." Tears began to fall, tugging at my heart. "Alexandra!"
She shot up, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she blinked in her surroundings. Her first sight of me startled her, making her flinch and cover her face. "Please." She begged softly, but what for, I had no idea. I sat back on my heels, placing my hands on the tops of my thighs.
"Allie, are you okay? I think you had a bad dream. You were shouting." She seemed to relax at the sound of my voice, her shoulders falling as she peeked between her fingers.
"A bad dream?" She asked, her voice hoarse and weak. I nodded. "Did I, um, say anything?" I felt a lump form in my throat. *Don't touch me. Make him stop.*
"No." She let out a brief sigh of relief, her eyes filling with new tears. She was remembering it, I could tell. "Come here." I opened my arms. She hesitated for just a moment, but after a searching look, decided to accept. I held her close, taking deep breaths until hers matched mine. Her skin was still damp, and even though the only fabric separating our chests was a thin piece of silk from her nightie, I couldn't think about my sexual urges. She needed me. She needed comfort.
After ten minutes of her in my embrace, I leaned back, taking in her placated appearance.
"Feel better?"
"Yea. Thank you…" I offered her a kind smile, making her blush. "Hey, um, do you think you could…" She started, before trailing off, her eyes landing in her lap.
"What?"
"Nevermind."'
"No, tell me. What do you need, love?" She swallowed hard, her fingers twisting in her sheets.
"Could you maybe sleep in here tonight? You know, on that side?" She nodded towards the right side, where I could tell she never slept based on the stiffness of the pillow. She wanted me to sleep with her? "I'm sorry, that's weird to ask, right? I'm tired and not thinking straight. You can-"
"I don't mind." I cut her off, shuffling to the other side of the bed and sliding beneath the covers. My gaze met hers in the soft glow of her bedside lamp, and I saw her eyes widen with something new. But it was only there for a second. She followed behind me, snuggling into place on the left. Even with the distance between us, I could feel her all around me. Her scent filled my nose, her breathing crowded my ears. It was peaceful, calming, and in no time at all, I found myself succumbing to the sweet call of sleep, Allie by my side.
.
.
.
I finished rolling the sleeves to the shirt Allie had picked for me, glancing down at the foreign object on my left hand. A solid white gold band. Simple, but beautiful. I smiled, the memory of being woken up this morning by Allie removing herself from my embrace coming to mind. I must've latched on while we were sleeping. She was so damn warm and soft. I pretended not to hear her muttering to herself, voicing her disbelief in what had happened. Still, I couldn't fight my smile when she placed her hand on my shoulder before leaving, wishing me a good morning.
That woman. My wife.
"You almost ready?"
"Uh, yea." I ran a hand through my hair, turning to face her where she stood, leaning against the door frame. "Bloody hell." I breathed. She was wearing a little black dress, a built in chiffon scarf tossed over one shoulder while the rest of it hugged her curvy body tightly. It fell mid-thigh, and her long ivory legs were accentuated by her tall black pumps. Dark red stained her lips, and she looked every bit the model of elegance and sex.
"What? Is it okay?" She glanced down at her outfit, splaying her hand over her flat stomach as if to hide it.
"You look beautiful." Her eyes shot back to mine, and I could see the flush on her heavily exposed chest. The dip in the dress fell at just the perfect place, making her full breasts pop against the dark fabric. I had to force myself not to drool. She was perfect, in sweats or designer gowns.
"You look good, too." She muttered, turning to leave. "Come on. I can't be late to my own birthday party." I chuckled, grabbing the small gift wrapped box I had set on the bed, placing it in my coat pocket before sliding it on.
I met her and Wells by the door, taking the elevator back down to the ground level with them. It was freezing out, but Allie's wool coat barely covered her thighs. Was she cold?
"Here." She handed me a pair of sunglasses. I glanced out the glass doors, taking in the blackness of the cold winter night.
"Allie? It's dark." Wells chuckled and she smirked, pulling out her own pair and setting them on the bridge of her nose.
"You'll need them. Trust me." She grabbed my hand, and I fumbled to get them on as she led me out the door that a man held open, who, based on the description I got last night, must've been Rob. I offered him a smile and a nod, which he returned, eyeing me curiously. He was a handsome gent, middle-aged with graying dark hair and a stiff black suit.
But I couldn't focus on him long, because as soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk, bright flashes stole my attention.
"Jesus." I pushed up the glasses, trying to find the car through the crowd of eager photographers. I felt a hand on my shoulder guiding me, and looked over to see Rob with a hardened look on his face. Turning my focus to Allie, I took in her cool demeanor with awe. If it weren't for her trembling hand in mine, I would think she were completely unaffected by the ambush of lights and shutters. She was one hell of an actress, I'd give her that. I squeezed her fingers, and she shot me a brief smile.
Within a couple minutes, we were in the backseat of the Royce, and I could finally breathe again.
"You alright, sir?" Wells asked, eyeing me in the rearview mirror. When the hell did he get in here? I nodded, clearing my throat.
"Yea. Is it always that crazy?" They both laughed, and I glanced down, noticing Allie's fingers still wound around mine.
"Just wait til we get there."
She was right. As soon as we arrived, there was a whole new set of people desperate to get the perfect shot. Or maybe they were the same ones and they somehow beat us here, I couldn't tell. I couldn't even see their faces past the flashes. Allie hugged my arm against her chest this time, a bright smile on her face as if she were walking the red carpet. Shit, was I supposed to smile? I corrected it by smiling brightly myself, hearing a small cluster of gasps as I turned my attention back on them.
I was told to remove my glasses before getting out, so I did, and holy hell the lights were brutal on my sight. But she said she wanted them to get a good look at me. We reached the top of the two steps leading into the darkened club, and I stopped. Allie turned to me, her smile still there but her eyes asking what the hell I was doing. I leaned down, whispering in her ear, "Happy Birthday, love."
Then, I scooped her in my arms, pulling her flush against my body as I captured her lips. The gasps surrounding us became louder, and if it were even possible, I was pretty sure the clicks of their cameras increased in number. Not that I cared about that. Deep down I knew I was just using it as an excuse to taste her again. She was just as sweet as ever, but this time, she kissed me back without prompting. Her hands circled my back, grabbing onto the back of my coat as our lips tangled casually. If it looked half as natural as it felt, I knew they would be fooled into thinking we'd done this a million times.
I broke away after a solid ten seconds, the grin on my face genuine as I looked into her eyes. Then, with one final kiss on the forehead, I led her inside.