Eventually this forced me to ask irritably, “Are you ever going to turn out your light?”
“In a minute, my pet.”
God, I hated it when he called me his “pet”. It was way too close to the bone.
“I can’t get to sleep with the light on,” I informed him waspishly, still with my back to him, speaking to the opposite wall.
“You’ll learn,” he replied casually.
I clamped my mouth shut. Then I lay there and seethed. Lucien took his time which I thought was incredibly inconsiderate. Finally, he turned out his light.
I began to force myself to relax.
This effort was immediately rendered futile when he pulled me into him, the length of my back pressed to the length of his front and his arm tight around me.
“I’m not a cuddler,” I shared.
“You’ll learn that too,” he returned.
What a jerk!
“Lucien –” I started.
He cut me off. “Quiet, Leah, I’m tired.”
He said this like he expected me to obey without question. Which I supposed he did. And worse, I had pretty much no choice but to do so.
“My life sucks,” I announced into the dark.
He chuckled into the hair at the back of my head.
I didn’t know when he fell asleep. I didn’t even know when I did. I just knew I did because now I was facing him, staring at his glorious chest.
I had to get out of there.
My body tensed for flight. The instant it did, his hand came up, grasped a handful of hair and tugged it down, forcing my head back. I looked up into his still-drowsy face and caught my breath.
I hated him but there was no denying he was gorgeous, especially in the morning with that still-drowsy face.
His head was tilting toward me and before I could process the meaning behind his movement, his mouth was on mine.
This surprised me. Not that he would kiss me because the detail to my job description was pretty freaking clear.
No, what surprised me was that the kiss was soft, gentle, exploratory, not hard, demanding and invasive.
I was so surprised I didn’t even think to pull free.
His lips moved on mine in sensual discovery, his head slanting ever so slightly to press deeper. It was nice, stirring me but not frightening me.
I felt him then, the heat from his body, the soft skin over strong muscle of his chest under my hands. That was nice too.
His hand at my hip slid to the small of my back, just above my bottom and it pressed in.
More heat, more hardness, more pressure on my mouth, all of it controlled but delicious. Without a thought I helped, wriggling to get closer, liking what I was feeling.
His mouth opened over mine and, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, mine opened under his.
His tongue slid inside.