sank into him, relaxing against his chest in a way that sent satisfaction blazing through him.
Holding her as tightly as he dared, he rubbed a lazy thumb back and forth over her stomach. It must have soothed her, because Tess fell asleep fast. A few minutes later, Bonk picked his way over Shade’s thigh, angling for a spot in between Tess and him. He wasn’t about to let that happen, and the tabby finally gave up and went back to where he’d been before, warming Shade’s back. Bonk started purring, his paws pressing into Shade’s shoulder. Knead, knead, prick.
Shade was worn out like he’d rarely been before, but he didn’t want to close his eyes just yet. As he lay there in between Tess and Bonk, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. The last time a similar feeling had barreled through him, he’d been young and cared for, with loving parents and what he’d thought was an easy future ahead. Now, he wanted to be the provider, the protector, but nothing about the future looked easy to him.
There were a thousand differences, but the core of the feeling remained the same: family.
He just hoped Tess felt it, too.
Finally giving in to fatigue, Shade let Bonk push against his shoulder and cradled Tess as she slept.
Chapter 32
Shade was asleep. His breathing was deep and even, his body relaxed. He was nice and warm now, and I didn’t move, not wanting to wake him up.
I let him rest, leaving my thoughts to carry me away. After an hour of lying there nestled against his warmth and strength, my imagination had taken me all over—to some places we’d already been together, and to a whole bunch of others I still wanted to explore with Shade.
Desire coiled low in my belly, and I started to ache for his touch.
To hell with it; he could sleep later. I turned in his arms.
Shade opened his eyes as I half sat up and pulled off my sweater.
His lips parted. “Excellent choice of wake-up,” he murmured in a gravelly voice.
I nudged him onto his back and eased on top of him. His hands found my waist and then skimmed up my bare ribs.
I kissed him hungrily, licking and nibbling his bottom lip. “I’m dying to feel you inside me again.”
His expression sharpened. All trace of sleepiness vanished from his eyes, and he flipped us over, his gaze turning hot.
Disturbed by the sudden movement in the narrow space, Bonk jumped off the bed—probably for the best.
Shade looked down at me, his arms caging my head and his legs between mine. I slowly drew my knees up.
“Clean or dirty?” he asked, his voice dropping so low it sank right into me and teased my sex. “Slow or fast?”
Heat unfurled between my legs as tiny muscles clenched. “Do I have to pick just one?”
Shade chuckled. He dipped his head, his mouth brushing my cheek in a slow caress of a kiss. In my ear, he whispered, “That’s my Tess.”
The possessive affection in his voice sent pleasure fluttering through me. “You mean your Captain,” I teased.
“In bed, I steer the ship.” A mischievous glint lit his eyes when they met mine again.
My mouth twitched. “Is that so?”
He nodded. “I have to press all sorts of complicated buttons. You’re the copilot. All you need to do is grab the handle and pull.”
I burst out laughing. “Like this?” I asked, snaking my hand between our bodies.
His hips shifted away from my questing fingers. “Careful, baby. That’s a delicate instrument. No replacement parts available.”
Still smiling, I reached for his hard length again and gave it a gentle stroke from base to tip.
“Believe me”—I lifted my head and sucked on his earlobe—“it’s in my best interest to not damage the tools.”
Shade’s husky laugh turned into a groan when I stroked him again, squeezing this time. He rocked into my hand. Our eyes met, and the need I saw in his gaze was like a gravitational pull, drawing me in, body and soul.
Angling my hips up, I guided him inside me. Shade’s broad shoulders bunched with tension, and a slight vibration rolled down his back. Even after an hour of working myself up in my head, he still had to push his way in slowly. I was so hot and throbbing that I wanted him to move faster and satisfy the ache inside me, but I was also—
“So tight,” Shade muttered, sounding pained.
I tilted my head back on an exhale when he stopped,