Crave (Talon Security #1)(21)

“Yeah,” I replied. “I think I have to stop,” I added.

“Okay, come here.” He beckoned, gently taking hold of my arm and guiding me to sit on the couch. “Let me get your medicine. Where is it?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “In my purse. Thanks.”

He was back in moments with a glass of water and two tablets. I took them gratefully. “Just snuck up on me,” I muttered.

“Let’s get you to bed. You need to rest.”

Before I could answer, he stood up and swept me into his arms. I had the presence of mind to wrap my arms around his neck. “What are you doing?” I sputtered.

“Carrying you.”

“Uh, yeah, I gathered that,” I muttered as we entered my room.

He deposited me gently on my bed. “I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”

I lay on the bed in confusion, my head pounding out of my skull. I was too exhausted to demand answers. Trixie’s collar jangled as Sid placed her beside me and she burrowed immediately into my side.

“Get some rest, baby. I’ll be here.” His deep voice held a promise I didn’t understand.

I closed my eyes, the current of pain radiating from my temples too intense to bear. The only real medicine was sleep, and I let myself drift off, ready for a cure.

****

“Sam.” His voice was gentle as his big hand stroked over my forehead.

“Hmm?” I was disoriented as I fought to open my eyes. Had I been sleeping for minutes or hours?

“Just checking on you,” his deep voice replied.

“I’m okay,” I mumbled sleepily. “Trixie should eat and go to the bathroom.”

“Okay, I’ll take her,” he replied, and I felt him scoop her up.

The rest of the night was much the same. Sid checked on me every few hours, trying not to wake me. I was hyperaware of his restlessness. When a glimmer of light shone through the blinds, I reached a hand out, grasping his forearm.

“Stay. I think it’s the only way you’ll get some sleep.”

I could hear the surprise in his voice. “You sure?”

I was anything but sure, but I nodded anyway.

He didn’t need more coaxing. He had to be exhausted, and so was I after a restless night. He crawled in under the covers in the gray pajama bottoms I’d seen on him often, and nothing else. Trixie lay between us and remained nuzzled to my side.

“Night, Sid.”

“Night, Sam,” he replied with a jaw-cracking yawn.

When I woke up, my first thought was one of relief that my headache was gone. My second thought was too lustful to articulate.

Sid was asleep on his back. He was gorgeous. He never failed to make my heart pound.

I took advantage of the rare moment to openly admire him. One muscular arm was thrown over his head, his broad chest gently rising and falling in sleep. The bright colorful tattoos covering both arms and the center of his chest only added to the beauty that was Sid.

Was I still angry with him? I studied him thoughtfully, surprised to discover that I wasn’t. It was a shitty thing to walk out on me as he had, but he’d also explained himself to me in a way I’d never expected. That combined with sleeping out in his truck and everything else he’d done in the last few days in a bid to be close to me, had the last dredges of emotion sliding from anger and into mere confusion over what lay ahead.

As though he could sense my gaze on him, he shifted slightly. His eyes snapped open, zeroing in on me and in the process, catching me ogling him.

I looked away immediately, feeling a blush warm my cheeks.

“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice gravelly with sleep and unbelievably sexy.

“Okay.” I nodded as Trixie wriggled out from under the covers. “She probably has to go out,” I noted.

“I didn’t even realize she was under there.” He chuckled. “I’ll take her out. Be right back.”

I watched as he picked her up, his muscles on glorious display as he walked out of the room. I tried not to stare at his ass as he left and failed miserably.

It was a gorgeous ass, after all.

I lay my head back down with a sigh as I listened to the sounds of the back door opening, followed by what sounded like coffee being made. I felt a bit like I was in the twilight zone—things with Sid were confusing at best, but for the moment I was rolling with it.

When I wandered out to the kitchen the glorious smell of bacon and coffee greeted me. Sid was manning the stove with Trixie at his heels.

“Smells great,” I commented as he handed me a cup of coffee. “I’m starving.”

“I figured you might be. Luckily, breakfast is one of the only meals I can do.” He winked.

“Hmm, I seem to remember the burned toast incident of 2014,” I mused.