Page 55 of The Pilot

Linc.

More specifically, Linc snoring.

She was still lying next to him, except this time she was on her back and he was the one snuggled up to her. His arm was heavy over her breasts, and one of his legs was thrown over her own. His head was buried in the crook of her neck, and his hot breath against her was part of the reason she was so warm. That, and his body heat was intense. And they still had the comforter on top of them as well.

But Harper didn’t care. Not one little bit. She could lie there until she was a pile of sweat with eyes and still be completely happy. Linc was sleeping. Snoring quietly. Completely out and relaxed in her arms.

She had no doubt it was because he’d purged all the hateful things he’d been thinking about himself earlier. And he was exhausted from days and weeks of not sleeping enough. But she couldn’t help but be proud of the fact that maybe, just maybe, she had something to do with it as well. He’d said that he’d slept that one night when they’d fallen asleep in his chair, and she’d like to think that being next to her brought him a form of comfort.

Most women would be offended that their boyfriends considered them some kind of sleep aid, but not Harper. Not after hearing what he’d been through. How bad his insomnia really was.

She lay there with a huge grin on her face, and risked bringing the hand that wasn’t pinned to her side to the arm thrown over her chest. She gently stroked him, loving that he could relax his mind enough to sleep.

How long she lay there, grinning, forgetting all about her own nightmare, she had no idea. But eventually she dozed off again.

When she woke a second time, the room had lightened. And the first thing she saw was Linc up on one elbow, hovering, staring down at her. She was still on her back next to him, and his leg was no longer pinning her down, although his arm was resting along her sternum.

When he saw she was awake, he smiled.

“Morning.”

“Hi,” Harper said, suddenly feeling shy. They’d opened up last night. Been vulnerable with each other in ways they hadn’t been with anyone else before. She felt as if this morning was a new start for both of them, but she wasn’t sure how he felt.

“I slept,” he whispered, his tone full of awe. “I mean, like real sleep. For hours. I knew it was because of you.”

Harper chuckled. “I think it’s more that you reached the end of your rope. Your body finally shut down.”

“Nope. It was you.”

She rolled her eyes, blushing. “Whatever. I’m just glad you finally got some sleep. You look much better this morning. I mean, you always look good, but you look rested now. You don’t have those dark bags under your eyes.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Yeah, I was kind of turning into a zombie there.”

“I think your brain was glad that you got some of that self-recrimination off your shoulders.”

“Maybe. But I still think it was you. You’re an amazing pillow.”

Harper laughed again. When had she started out a day with so much laughter? Never. That’s when. “Maybe I can market myself that way. Make a body pillow that looks like me and make millions of dollars.”

“Nope, I’m keeping you all to myself. I’m selfish that way.”

Harper warmed from the inside out. She wouldn’t mind being kept by Lincoln Young. It definitely wouldn’t be a hardship. “What do you want to do today?”

“You.”

She blinked. Had she heard him right?

His arm moved then, his hand slowly inching down until he was palming her breast. She still had on the T-shirt she’d brought to sleep in, but it had hiked up considerably, leaving her covered by nothing but her underwear from about her belly button on down. And suddenly it still felt as if she was wearing way too many clothes. She wanted this man’s hands on her.

But she also didn’t want him to make love to her out of some warped sense of gratitude. She wanted him to want her because she was Harper Bates. Because he couldn’t wait another moment to get inside her.

Because that’s how she felt about him.

She reached up and grabbed his wrist. He immediately stilled.

“Don’t. Not if all you’re feeling for me is gratitude. You didn’t sleep because of me, Linc. Not really. It was just being able to unload all the things you’ve been holding inside for too long. I gave you permission to forgive yourself, and you did. That’s why you were finally able to sleep.”

“You’re right. You said some things that made me think after you fell asleep in my arms. I’ve been punishing myself for something I literally had no control over. And I hate not having control of anything.”