When the last tremors subsided, she sagged against him, boneless and sated.
"Tommy, that was..." She struggled to find words, her mindwonderfully hazy.
He pressed a tender kiss to her temple. "Shh, just rest now."
Minnie turned in his arms, reaching for him, wanting to reciprocate and give him the same earth-shattering bliss he'd just given her. But Tommy caught her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips.
"Not tonight, love," he murmured. "This was for you. To take off that edge that was bothering you. To send you to sleep."
Minnie reached for him, her hand skimming over the hard planes of his chest. Did he not want anything from her? "But what about you? I want to touch you..."
He caught her hand, bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to her palm. "Another time. You're not ready for more yet.”
What did that mean? She was tired, and yet she didn’t feel right about taking from Tommy and not returning.
Part of her wanted to protest, but exhaustion was already tugging at her eyelids, and Tommy held her firmly in place as he stroked her hair with his other hand. Cocooned in his warmth, she finally stopped fighting him and the slumber that reached for her.
She closed her eyes and, most shockingly, slept more soundly than she ever had in her life.
Chapter Eighteen
“She’s not really your wife, then, Tom.”
Tommy crossed his arms over his chest as he stared Jonny down.
“She is sure as shit my wife.”
“But you’ve not done the deed with her yet.”
“So? I’m just giving her time.”
“I think you’re scared,” Jonny said, smirking at him before reaching down to tie his boot.
“Scared of what? I’m no choirboy.”
“Far from it,” Jonny said with a snort. “That’s not what you’re scared of. You’re scared you’ll fall too hard if you slide that final piece into place.” He wiggled his brows, grinning at his own joke.
It was one that Tommy would have appreciated, had it not been at his expense.
“Ah, leave the poor fellow alone,” Colin said, walking by the bench where they stood, waiting for practice to begin. “It’s not every day a man falls in love.”
“I’m not falling in love!” Tommy said, hearing the desperation in his own voice.
“Tell yourself that, Tom,” Colin said with a grin as he continued by, whistling to himself.
“He’s right, you know,” Jonny said, leaning in before whispering. “Just do it, Tom. What do you have to lose?”
Everything. He had everything to lose. But he wasn’t about to admit that to Jonny.
Practice was gruelling, but then, it always was with Rhys. It had been three nights since Tommy and Minnie had their moment together, and while he was now sleeping in the bed, he kept himself far away from her, too scared to slide in close for fear he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back this time.
He had seen the sadness on her face every time he was about to turn away, had known that he had likely made her feel that he didn’t want her, but his friends were right. He was scared.
He was scared that he would fall too deeply, and it would hurt too much to lose Minnie when she decided to leave him.
For she would. How could she stay with a man like him, in this life that was half of what she had left behind?
Once they were free of danger, he would let her go. Find a way to annul the marriage, if that’s what she wanted.
