Page 33 of Awakened By the Guardian

Time stretched out. They both quieted. Eventually his hand slipped away. Margaret still felt his warmth along her spine, and she swore she could feel temptation throbbing in her nether parts, but she wouldn’t indulge. She had to be still long enough for him to fall asleep. Then she could get up and pace.

It didn’t take long for his breath to deepen. She felt his body go lax and heard the rhythm of his breath. How soothing would it be to listen to that low rumble every night before drifting off? How wonderful would it be to have her best friend right next to her just in case something happened, like a bad dream or a bad day? Or what if she thought of something funny she wanted to share? He could be right there for her. She could whisper just what she wanted into his ear. Wasn’t that what she’d secretly yearned for all those times she’d stayed on his couch?

She was still imagining the wonderful possibilities when she fell asleep.

Delicious feelings stirred from her slumber. A tickle at her neck. A tingle as it spread down her spine.

She hummed deep in her throat as she stirred. The tingling continued, and she arched her back as her toes curled. Someone pushed her hair aside, and the teasing at her neck became stronger, almost like teeth scraping down toward her shoulder. It felt good, and she took a deep breath as she began to wake. Oh good. A full breath. No asthma issues.

“Shhh,” someone whispered. “Stay asleep a bit longer…”

It was Gary, and he’d said exactly that a thousand times before when she’d fallen asleep on his couch and he let her sleep in, but she’d never awoken to feelings this good. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, letting her lips curve in happiness.

“Is this okay?”

She felt a brush of heat against her hip, sliding up under her tee shirt. His hand stroked her belly until it quivered.

Gary.

Should she tell him to stop? She was sleeping, after all, but she also liked what he was doing. Loved it, actually.

“Okay,” she whispered.

She felt his mouth on her neck, the press of his lips on her skin, and the occasional scrape of his teeth. It felt really nice.

“I’m not sleeping anymore,” she finally said.

“But do you feel good? Do you like this?”

She did. Very much. But what would come next? Guys always went from sweet kisses to groping at her breasts. Then he’d want to dig between her thighs with his big hand. Then⁠—

“Hey, hey, you’re okay. Just relax.”

She grabbed his hand where it was pressed flat on her belly. Weirdly, her breasts ached to be held, but the rest of her was clamping up tight.

“Gary, I don’t like sex. I’m not built that way. Why can’t you understand?”

“Because your body is reacting, and you said, ‘okay.’ You liked it when I kissed you, and you liked my hand here.” He twitched his fingers on her belly. “So, where did you go in your head? What happened in that moment? Unless it’s that you don’t want to be with me.”

She took a deep breath, trying to sort through her feelings. “It’s not that. This is nice,” she admitted as his breath heated across her back and neck. He’d licked a tiny spot, and the wet sensation was kind of erotic.

“But?” he prompted.

“But this is bound to end. We’re asking for too much, no matter how I feel about you. You’re going to push too far, want more. I like cuddling. That’s about it.”

“So we’ll cuddle, and I’ll just stroke you lightly. Tell me to stop if you get nervous.”

She believed his intent for a moment. He hugged her gently then pressed a light kiss onto her neck. She’d started to relax—and to appreciate that she was a little disappointed—when she felt his hand at the back of her bra.

“This thing is so tight,” he whispered. “Wouldn’t it be more comfortable if it was off?”

A hundred times more comfortable. But…

“Come on,” Gary coaxed. “You’ve gone braless around me lots of times.”

She had. Halfway through movies she would take a bathroom break and strip it off. It was so much easier to relax on a couch without an underwire digging into her ribs. With her asthma, she hated anything that restricted her breath.

“Okay,” she whispered.