My eyes fluttered closed despite the raging storm in my head.
“Let me take care of you.” He pressed his lips on my forehead.
What was a few hours in the grand scheme of things? I could always grab my stuff after a good nap and disappear later.
“Okay,” I breathed.
“Good.” He kissed me again. “Sleep. I’ll have food in the fridge. What do you like to eat?”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“Rae,” he groaned. “Stop it.”
I huffed.
“Why is it so hard to let me in?” he muttered, more to himself than me.
Thatwas something we weren’t talking about.
“What is your favorite food? Your cheat meal, your absolute favorite.” He tipped my face back and studied me. “Tell me what you like, baby.”
I didn’t even hesitate. “Brisket. Fatty, not lean. Corn bread, bread pudding, greens, and grits.”
He cocked his head slightly. Those black eyes zeroed in on me as if I spoke a foreign language.
I pressed my lips tight, but the laugh bubbled out despite my effort to hold it in.
“Go take a shower if you want or go straight to bed. The food will be in the fridge when you’re ready,” he murmured.
His thumbs brushed under my eyes. Right before I leaned into his hold, he tore himself away. I jerked forward, my body drawn to him like a freaking magnet. Nico tapped on his phone for a few minutes, shoulders hunched, back turned.
Reluctantly, I trailed down the hall. A shower sounded great, but the moment I saw the massive bed, I dismissed that thought. I collapsed on the mattress. It took less than ten seconds for my eyes to close. About thirty for sleep to tug me under. The last conscious thought was how nice this felt. If it was only a delay, at least the dream of belonging to this man was nice.
***
I jolted awake. I could have sworn I’d only been asleep for a few minutes, but the digital clock claimed it had been much longer. Something was different than when I’d drifted off. My sleep deprived brain tried, and failed, to immediately recognize what that was.
The bed was warm.
The room was silent.
There wasn’t any immediate threat to make my heart pound, but it did. The rapid thump-thump made me breathe hard. It almost sounded like I was snoring.
No, that wasn’t right.
I held my breath to listen. Before my brain sorted out the sound, it registered a delicious heat radiating along my back. It was as if there was an electric blanket just a few feet away. I heard it. The rough catch followed by a deep exhale.
Nico.
He was here, snoozing on the other side of the mattress. I listened to him for a few more moments. When his breathing didn’t change, I decided he was asleep.
I rose carefully and braced myself on my elbow to look over. In the faint glow of the room, it was easy to see him, arm tucked under his head and bare shoulder not covered by the sheet. He wasn’t using the blanket.
It was intimate to be this close to him. While we’d had animalistic sex, being with him like this felt closer. But yet, I wasn’t close enough.
I want…him.
Carefully, I removed my shirt and bra. Wriggling out of my shorts was trickier, but I managed. Then? I closed the distance. My back pressed against his front. My legs curved around his.
