wasn’t insane. I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself again.
I cleared my throat, which was the equivalent of an explosion in the silence of the room. “I’m going to turn around.” Mauro didn’t say anything. I quickly rolled over and my ass bumped against his crotch.
His low exhale made me swallow. God, this bunk was too narrow for two people who weren’t intimate. “You can wrap your arm around me.”
What was wrong with me?
But I wanted him to wrap his arm around me.
He shifted again and hesitantly touched his palm to my hip. It was warm and big, and more distracting than I thought a touch like that could be.
Mauro was almost… shy? Though maybe shy was the wrong word. He was careful. Maybe he was worried to scare me? He knew I’d never been in bed with someone. Heat washed over me.
He finally wrapped his arm around me, his heat singeing my back and stopping my trembling. I released a soft sigh, snuggling closely against him. His palm against my belly felt perfect.
“You’re so warm and strong.”
Had I just really said that?
Mauro let out a strangled sound that might have been a laugh.
Of course, I couldn’t shut up because when I was nervous, and for some reason, Mauro suddenly made me very nervous, my mouth always ran free. “I’m glad we’re family so nobody can construe any crazy rumors when we share a bed. It’s not like something could happen between us. I mean, we’re practically sister and brother.” But damn it, my feelings weren’t sisterly in the slightest.
“But we’re not,” Mauro said in a low rumble that made me melt.
“No, we’re not,” I agreed quietly.
Mauro’s scent engulfed me, his warmth was everywhere. And the feel of his body shielding mine, it was better than anything I’d ever felt. Despite my worry about what was going on in the house, I drifted off, knowing Mauro would keep me safe.
Mauro
Stella fell asleep, her body softening against mine. Sleep was out of the question for me. My body thrummed with adrenaline and worse, desire. Feeling Stella’s body so close to mine, her firm, little butt pressed against my crotch, my dick was getting ready to rumble.
I tried to bring at least a few inches between my hardening cock and Stella’s ass, but the wall behind me made that impossible.
With a sigh, I tried to get some rest. Stella was oblivious to my body’s reaction to her closeness. She released a small sigh and moved closer to me once more, bumping into my cock. Knowing it was a losing battle, I wrapped my arm more tightly around her middle and settled comfortably against her.
I must have fallen asleep because sometime later I startled awake. Stella stirred at my sudden move. She had turned around while we were both asleep and now faced my way. She blinked up at me, disoriented, her face so close to mine our lips were almost touching. I’d never woken beside a woman. It was too intimate and too risky for someone as distrustful as me.
“What’s wrong?” Stella mumbled, yawning before flashing me an embarrassed smile. She shifted and dug my morning erection into her lower belly, causing me to groan. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. Even in the dim light of the gas lantern, her embarrassment was unmistakable.
I had no way of pulling back with the wall against my back. Gritting my teeth, I pushed up on my elbow. “Can you sit up? I need to check on the door. A noise woke me.”
It was a fucking lie. I wasn’t sure what had woken me from my dream—a dream with Stella in a leading role. Stella scrambled back and sat up, slanting me a quizzical look. I slipped out of the bunk and stood, glad to be rid of her tantalizing warmth. Her gaze darted to my sweatpants then jerked back up and she got even redder, which seemed hardly possible. I stifled a laugh. She pointedly avoided looking at me after that and I went over to the door, peering up. It was still safely locked. I didn’t hear a sound above our heads.
“You’re not thinking about opening it, right?”
Stella stood and came over to me, her arms wrapped around her chest.
“No,” I said. The silence above could be a trap. The attackers could be lying in wake. Even though I was a good shot, it would be near impossible to win against several opponents.
Stella yawned again.
“Why don’t you try to sleep