Alpha Male Romance(116)

Gently, I lowered her legs, then eased from between them. I reached down for my towel and used it to clean us both up as best I could. I didn't want to leave her, not even long enough to get a washcloth. She rolled onto her side, and I settled back down behind her. Her eyes were closed, but she smiled when I brushed my hand over her face. I pulled the blanket over us and wrapped my arms around her. I didn't care that she could feel my scar tissue against her bare skin. She saw me more than anyone other than Father O'Toole ever had.

“Mine,” I whispered as I kissed her shoulder. “You're mine and I'm yours.”

She didn't say anything, her breathing slow and even. I pulled her closer, tucking her against me.

“Whatever you need.” I made the vow out loud even though I doubted she could hear me. “We'll work everything out so we can go back home together when everything's taken care of here. Whatever it takes.”

No matter what I faced out there, I could do it, as long as I had her.





Chapter Eight





Nori





So, that happened. Again.

The couch wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but I managed to sleep better than I had since...well, since the last time we had sex. Part of it was exhaustion, but I knew that most of it had to do with how safe I felt. I'd told X that trust was going to be an issue, but he'd gone quite a way toward convincing me last night.

My body was sore when I woke up, only partially from the uncomfortable couch. X had taken me hard, and I was pretty sure I had a nice set of bruises on my neck from his mouth. I wasn't going to complain though. This was a part of what I'd been craving, the edge that Tanner hadn't been able to give me. X hadn't completely let himself go last night, but the fact that I'd been able to tell that he'd been holding back meant that he had something to restrain.

And I really wanted to be there when he let it go.

I opened my eyes and found myself alone on the couch. My stomach clenched, and everything good I'd been feeling began to drain away.

Until I realized that I smelled toast.

I sat up, catching the blanket against my chest almost automatically. I was still naked, my robe beneath me, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. I was too busy staring at the man standing in my mother's kitchen.

He was dressed. Sort of. The last time I'd woken up after the two of us had slept together, he'd come out of the bathroom in jeans and a hoodie. Right now, he was wearing a pair of shorts. And that was it.

Damn.

I'd seen this much of him, and more, but the sight of him took my breath away. Maybe it was because I knew now I could touch him, and that made all the difference. I'd been on the verge of sleep last night, but I heard what he said.

You're mine and I'm yours.

My heart gave an unsteady thump.

Mine.

I'd never been a possessive person, and I'd never gotten into that whole macho-man thing of a guy saying I was his. But when X said it, something inside me shifted. It'd been that, more than anything else that had made me feel like I could go to sleep.

A burst of pride went through me as I looked at him. He was mine. I didn't care about the scars, other than the story they told of his bravery. They didn't take away from the beauty that was him, because it wasn't about his physical appearance. I knew what he thought of himself, but I also knew the truth that Father O'Toole had seen, the truth that I was pretty sure his fellow soldiers had seen as well.

“See something you like?”

I gave a yelp of surprise when X spoke. He turned around and grinned at me, a genuine, real smile...that turned into a leer when his gaze dropped.

I looked down and realized that I'd dropped the blanket. I jerked it back up and glared at X who just shrugged.

“You didn't answer my question.”

“What?” I couldn't get over how different this was than the last time we woke up together. He wasn't hiding, wasn't sniping. The change that had seemed so miraculous last night was still going on now.

“I asked if you saw something you liked.”

I dropped the blanket again, distracting him as I reached beneath me to pull on my robe. When I stood, he was still watching me. I winked at him as I pulled the robe closed, then walked over to where he stood next to the toaster. I looked up at him, moving slowly in case he wanted to take a step back, and slid my arms around his waist. He tensed but didn't pull away. Instead, his arms went around me.

“You're okay with this?” I asked quietly. “With me touching you?”

His expression sobered a bit, but I didn't see any of the prior darkness in his eyes. “I trust you,” he said simply.

Tears burned my eyes and I leaned my head against his chest so he couldn't see them. I could feel the differences in his skin against my cheek, but all I cared about was the heartbeat I heard.