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I shifted, rubbing my breasts against him. I pulled back enough to watch as I dragged my pebbled nipples along his gorgeous tanned skin.

Declan’s delicious, sleepy morning drawl reached me. “Your dad is going to shoot me.”

I shifted until I could see his face.

He was propped against my headboard like he’d spent most of the night being a pillow for me instead of sleeping comfortably himself, both huge arms still wrapped around me.

His eyes were open now.

Those eyes were unfair even when he looked half asleep. Brown shadowed the outer edges of his irises, green took over toward the middle, and bright gold circled his pupils. Thick dark lashes made the whole thing obscene.

It was heaven. I shifted until our lips touched.

His mouth opened under mine almost immediately. Sleep made the first kiss slow, warm, lazy. Then his hand slid into the mess of my hair and held me closer, and lazy disappeared.

I kissed him harder.

His tongue met mine, smooth and unhurried at first, then deeper when I made a small sound into his mouth. I could feel his smile against my lips for half a second before he kissed me again, hotter this time, his hand spreading against my back and pulling me fully over him.

I could have stayed there until somebody actually shot him.

He pulled back eventually and said, “Shoot me dead, and no one would blame him, including me.”

“He won’t. He knows I need you too much.”

“You’re really going to abuse your power over all of us, aren’t you, babygirl?” The words would have been harsh but his eyes were so warm on me, his mouth curved in a slight smile that would have been an outright grin on anyone else.

I’d have given anything to keep him locked in that moment, looking at me like that forever.

My tone was lighthearted. “What’s the fun of being a total mental case if you can’t get any perks out of it?”

He stroked my hair, cupped my face. His hazel eyes were so beautiful they made my chest ache. “Don’t say that about yourself. You’re doing better than anyone else would be with the things you’ve been through. Whatever happens, you keep fighting your way back to me. That’s all I ask. No matter what. You fight. You survive. I’m proud of you. Always have been.”

I went from horny to teary-eyed in a heartbeat. That was a very intense speech from a man of few words. They hit me harder than they would have coming out of anyone else.

I buried my face in his neck and tried to blink the tears away, tried not to sob like a baby.

His arms tightened around me.

He didn’t say anything else.

He was smart enough to know he’d already done enough damage.

I breathed him in until the ache behind my eyes eased.

“C’mon, babygirl, get dressed. We don’t want to rub Buck’s face in it.” His words were in direct contrast to the warm hands that were rubbing my butt and the erection trying to pierce through my navel.

“He won’t come in here,” I told him.

“Maybe not. But if we don’t come out, he’s gonna know what we’re doing. I respect Buck. Let me at least show him that,” he paused, “as much as I can.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Getting dressed reminded me that my body had done substantially more than have a good night.

My ankle complained the second I put weight on it. My heels were wrapped, one knee bruised ugly purple beneath the skin, and scratches crossed my arms and legs in thin red lines. I had another across my ribs that pulled when I lifted my arms.

Declan watched me stand.