In a Badger Way (Honey Badger Chronicles #2) - Shelly Laurenston Page 0,131
her breasts sliding along his chest as she moved her arms around his neck, and she pressed her mouth against his ear.
“You better. Because I’ll be on my knees,” she whispered. “Sucking you all the way down until you hit the back of my throat. I’m going to make you come so hard.”
Then she bit his earlobe with her incisor and that was it, Shen came. It was so intense, he worried he wouldn’t be able to ever stop, his hips pounding into her, his fingers still holding her hips against his. When he groaned, she pressed her mouth over his, like she was taking the sound into her body.
And later, when they lay on his bed, panting and momentarily exhausted, Shen said the only thing he could think of . . . “Zing.”
Stevie looked at him. “What?”
“Forget it.” He pulled her close, resting her head on his chest. “It’s too much to explain.”
chapter TWENTY-SIX
Naked but clean, Stevie feverishly worked on her latest piece. Oriana’s ballet. That’s how she thought of it. Originally, she’d planned an opera and had been working on it when she and her sisters had first arrived in New York. But once she’d met Oriana and decided she wanted to help her, she’d changed the opera to a ballet.
And since she’d approached Oriana’s troupe about the work, she’d been getting calls constantly. It was kind of funny, the way they were clamoring. Funny and a much-needed ego boost.
Writing her work out in her third music notebook, Stevie almost didn’t notice that Shen was talking in his sleep again. She couldn’t say whether he did that sort of thing often. She hadn’t been with him that long, but the few times they had slept together, he had. Usually muttering something about bamboo. She continued to work at the end of the bed, not really bothering to listen to his sleep-induced ramblings about his food until she heard, “Come on, Stevie. Stop fooling around.”
Shocked, she instantly looked up from her work.
“Give me the bamboo,” he implored sleep-Stevie, making reality-Stevie roll her eyes that she’d bothered interrupting her work for—
“Of course I love you.”
Stevie gawked at the panda in her bed, watching him sleep-eat bamboo he didn’t have.
She might have briefly become catatonic. She wasn’t sure.
Putting her notebook aside, Stevie stood and quickly pulled on some shorts and a tank top. She tiptoed across the bedroom and went out, closing the door behind her.
When she got to the top of the stairs, she heard Charlie in the kitchen and, relieved, ran down the stairs to talk to her.
“Morning,” Charlie muttered when she saw Stevie in the kitchen doorway. “I checked with the vet. Benny is doing great. We’ll be able to bring him home soon. They sent pictures. They’re on my phone. And I’m making cinnamon buns so I don’t have to hear you bitch about how not everybody loves honey.” When Stevie didn’t say anything, she looked up from the dough she was kneading. “What’s with you?”
Stevie pointed up; shook her head.
“I know we’re close, but I have no idea what you’re trying to tell me.”
She stepped into the kitchen and whispered, “Shen just said he loved me. But he was asleep. He was also sleep-eating bamboo. So . . . that doesn’t mean anything, right?”
Lips twisted to the side, her gaze focused on the ceiling, Charlie took a moment to reply. Making Stevie wait.
Finally, she said, “Wellllll . . . he loves bamboo. And he mentioned you while dreaming about eating bamboo.” Those brown eyes locked on Stevie. “I think it’s love,” she whispered.
“It can’t be.”
“Why does it bother you?” Charlie went back to kneading. “You’re obviously crazy about him.”
“I am not! I’m in total control of this relationship.”
Charlie laughed. “You may have marked that panda with your scent, but you have no control over the relationship.”
Stevie heard Shen coming down the stairs. She jumped onto the stool by the counter and attempted to look casual. He walked into the kitchen smiling.
“Morning,” he greeted them and held up his duffel bag. “Thank you so much for the fresh bamboo, Charlie.”
“No problem.”
He glanced between Stevie and Charlie. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Charlie said. “When I’m done with these cinnamon buns, we’ll have a little meeting about next steps.”
“Sounds good.” He leaned over to Stevie and kissed her on the temple before walking out the back door.
“Just so you know,” Charlie said once Shen was gone, “even when you’re silent, you’re as subtle as a brick to the head.”