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He’s always been my safe space, my favorite person in the world from the moment I first met him.
Maybe he could be that for me forever.
When Shawn sets me on his lap and pulls my shirt over my head, I see it in his eyes.
He’s thinking it, too.
THIRTY-SEVEN
SHAWN
I wakeup to Lacey mumbling about penguins.
I’m barely on the edge of consciousness, still somewhere stuck in a dream, but I can hear her loud and clear.
I blink into the half-dark room and find her, arms looped around my stomach and her head on my chest. When I see her, I smile.
We clung to each other all night long. I didn’t mean to, but subconsciously, I drifted toward her. It looks like she drifted toward me, too, because her legs are tangled with mine and her hand is on my ass.
I didn’t know I was into my ass being touched, but I guess I am.
Maybe it’s because Lacey is the one doing it.
She stirs beside me and stretches her arms above her head. The white sheet slips down her chest and pools around her waist as she burrows into the pillows, and I see the pink marks I left on her stomach last night when my hands were between her legs.
I left one on the inside of her thigh, too, just above her knee.
I’m really,reallyglad we’re kissing each other.
“Hey,” she croaks, and her eyes flutter open. When she smiles at me, I feel it behind my ribs. It fills the empty places in my chest and the spots that are slowly becoming hers. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” I bend down to kiss her forehead, and she smiles even wider. “How’d you sleep?”
“Really well. You’re a human furnace. Thank you for keeping me warm.” She sits up and brushes a strand of knotted hair out of her face. “What time is it?”
“Early. Too early. I’m going to get up and get started on a few things, but you should go back to sleep. I’ll come wake you up when you need to get ready.”
“That’s okay.” She yawns and rubs her eyes. There’s a line on her cheek from the pillows, and I trace over the crease with the tips of my fingers. “I’m up. How did you sleep?”
“Great. You’re like a fluffy pillow, Daniels. I’ve never slept so hard in my life.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” She lifts an eyebrow and flicks me off. “Seems like you could come up with something a little better.”
“Alright.” I climb over her, one leg on either side of her naked waist. “Your hips drive me wild. I like that you were the first thing I saw this morning, even if you were talking about sea creatures.”
“I was not,” she says, aghast. “I don’t talk in my sleep.”
“You definitely do. What else? Even when you have drool on your face—” I use my thumb to wipe away the dried mark on the corner of her mouth. “You’re the most beautiful person in the world.”
“Oh.” She dips her chin and blinks a dozen times. She reaches out and outlines the tattoos across my chest. Sharp nails dig into my skin, just over the vine of an inked plant, and I huff out a strangled breath. “That was way better than what I was expecting.”
“Good.” I kiss the end of her nose and climb off of her. “I’ll make us some breakfast. Today is usually a grab and go morning since we’re all going eight different directions. Tomorrow you’ll get to try some of Mom’s frittata. Fuck, it’s so good, Lace. You’re going to love it. I’ve tried to make it myself, but it’s shit compared to hers. And I—what?” My train of thought derails because she’s staring at me with a brightness in her heavy-lidded eyes, and now I’m distracted. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just like seeing you so…” she trails off and gestures up and down. Lets out a breath and bites her bottom lip. I want to bite her bottom lip, too. “So you,” she finishes.
“Is that a good thing?” I ask, and I didn’t realize how badly I want her answer to be yes.
“It’s a very good thing. I’ve known you as Shawn, the football coach. Shawn, my friend in D.C. And I like that I’m seeing you as Shawn, the son, uncle and brother. I like that you get excited about the little things. Like frittatas and those little cannulas we had after dinner last night.”
