a chance to ask, he lifted her—without even flinching—and dragged her onto his lap, until she felt the swollen heat of his erection pressing between her legs.
Okay then…
He’d lifted her with ease and he obviously felt he was healed enough for strenuous activity.
She’d take his word on it.
He felt so good against her. She savored the hardness of his thighs, his muscled abdomen and chest. He was hard and hot, smelling of the soap and shampoo he used, exactly as she remembered. He fit her perfectly, like the missing puzzle piece that made her life and heart whole.
“I have to warn you, babe.” His voice rasped against her ear. “This is gonna be quick. Hard. These past two weeks have stripped away my reserves. My control is hanging by a thread. And that thread is fucking frayed.” His mouth dropped to her collarbone and suckled.
She’d known that, known how sexually on edge he was. The fact he’d left her bed to go sleep in the guest room had been a dead giveaway.
After they’d returned from Dark Falls, he’d moved into her home, as well as her bed. There had been no discussion. He’d simply walked through the door and hadn’t left. Lucas had hauled over a couple of suitcases later that evening, and Brett’s clothes had joined hers in the closet and dresser.
It surprised her how much contentment she got from seeing his clothes hanging next to hers, or his deodorant and toothbrush next to hers on the bathroom counter. How satisfying it was to see him invading every inch of her living space.
She’d been afraid, for so long, that they’d never be together again. Having him beside her was priceless.
At first, they’d been healing and in too much pain to do much except cuddle. Those first few nights in bed had been…comforting. Having him wrapped around her, his heavy body a furnace in the night, or the way he’d hold her so tight when the nightmares hit.
But by the end of that first week, the mood in bed had shifted, turned hungry and sexual. And when that desire led to more than cuddling, which led to flinches and gasps or groans of pain—well, frustration had set in too.
His removal to the spare bedroom had been his way of removing temptation. She’d known that instinctively. He’d wanted her, maybe too much, so he’d given them more time to heal. Or at least her more time. He wasn’t the one who’d done the flinching or gasping and groaning. He hadn’t given any indication of pain at all.
Her wound, on the other hand, had been more painful than she’d expected. She barely noticed the tenderness during the day, but at night when he’d tried to take the cuddling a step further—man, had that ever hurt. Which was a big part of her current frustration. They’d be engaging in a lot more than snuggling by now if she hadn’t been such a big baby. He’d been injured a whole lot worse than she and didn’t seem to feel the effects.
“This morning was the third day in a row you did your aerobics workout.” His breath was hot and humid as it bathed her ear. “I’m taking that as a good sign?”
The comment made her smile. He noticed everything. That was the best thing about Navy SEALs. They were observant. And they used that superpower for the greater good, like picking up subtle hints.
She’d never had to ask for sex before, and she didn’t intend to start asking now. But since he wasn’t sharing her bed anymore, it wasn’t like she could subtly initiate the activity herself. Not unless she marched into the room he was currently occupying and climbed into bed with him. Which was more forthright than she was comfortable being.
Luckily, he was good at picking up on subtext and signals.
“And I’m not even sore,” she said with a meaningful smile.
The grin that edged his lips was suggestive and sexy as hell. And then he assumed a fake look of despondency. “Unfortunately, I can’t make the same claim. I’m cranked, babe. Which means you’ll have to do all the work.”
She scowled. Bullshit! He hadn’t been the one to put a damper on their bedtime activities. She had. There was no doubt in her mind that he was perfectly capable of performing his sexual duty. So why—
Ohhh…
Heat hit her face as the obvious answer to his ruse reached through her annoyance and whopped her upside the head. She blushed. He’d remembered.