“Me too, baby. Me too.”
We lay quietly, both catching our breath, wrapped up in each other. Finally, he disengaged, getting up to take care of the condom before returning to bed and immediately pulling me back into his arms.
“Your nightmare, was it what we talked about last night with Trav that caused it?” I asked quietly, my palm spread over his chest.
“Probably,” his deep voice rumbled. “Sam, the thought of you being in that kind of danger isn’t something I can handle. There has to be another way.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I assured him. “I can’t believe Zitto’s dead,” I murmured, my voice filled with the shock I felt. “I mean, I know he put me in this position and maybe he wasn’t the man I thought I knew, but I’m struggling to believe that it was all a lie. How could it have been all a lie?” I lamented.
He squeezed me closer and I felt him kiss the top of my head. “I’m not making excuses for him, Sam. The fucker wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me if he was still alive.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
“But people make mistakes. They get into situations they can’t dig themselves out of. I wouldn’t doubt he cared for you—after knowing you so many years, how could he not?”
“You’re biased,” I argued with a sad smile.
“Maybe,” he allowed. “I’m also right. It’s okay to feel confused and sad that he’s dead. It’s natural. Regardless of what he did to you, he was still your friend.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, relieved that he understood. I didn’t know why I’d ever doubted he would. “You okay now?” I asked quietly.
He nodded. “I am, but I think I better hold on to you just a little bit longer—just to make sure.”
I grinned. “Yeah, you’d better do that.”
*****
I woke up to a warm hard wall of muscle at my back. I grinned, relishing the feel of him before I slipped out from under his arm and headed for the bathroom.
I stepped into the shower, placed my hands on the tile, and leaned into the warm spray.
When I saw movement in my peripheral vision, I gasped audibly. Sid stood outside the glass, his gorgeous, naked body on prominent display. His blue eyes smoldered as he pulled open the glass door and stepped in behind me.
He put his mouth to my ear. “Mornin',” he murmured as he pulled me back against his firm body.
“Good morning,” I replied breathlessly.
He turned me in his arms. “You ran away before I got a chance to do this,” he accused just before he took my mouth in a scorching kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as his hands went to the globes of my ass, squeezing firmly. I let out a low moan as his mouth conquered mine.
We explored each other’s mouths with a hunger that spoke of years of deprivation. My hands wandered his body leisurely as I relished in the fact that I could. Then something happened that I’d never dreamed of. Sid washed my hair. Then I washed his. We toweled each other off as I marveled yet again at how natural it felt, being with him like this.
I tracked my gaze over his naked form, my heart rate quickening as I openly admired him. He grabbed my hand, raised it to his mouth, and kissed my knuckles. “Breakfast?”
I shrugged with a sly grin. “I’d much rather eat you, but all right.” I walked out of the bathroom naked, knowing his eyes were on my ass.
He groaned dramatically. “You’re going to kill me, woman.”
I turned to look at him over my shoulder, suddenly serious. There wasn’t much I was certain of, but if he felt for me even a tenth of what I felt for him, then of this I was sure. “No, Sid, with me—with me you live.”
His gaze softened as he watched me disappear into the bedroom to get my clothes.
I wandered out to the kitchen and we made a simple breakfast side by side.
“So about what Travis said last night,” he began. “Sam, I know you have a hard time staying put. Cade can come over, the three of us can jam. We can set up a space for you to write. Whatever you need while staying safe at the same time.”
I knew that was the point of his whole argument. He didn’t want me to be in danger, but he didn’t want me to feel stifled either. He was protecting me on the inside as well as on the outside.
Sid was a wall of muscle; he was highly trained to protect me physically. There were many who could probably perform that particular duty. But no one knew how to protect all of me, all the hard edges and softer curves, the neuroses and quirkiness that made me, well, me.
No, only Sid could do that.
I looked at him, feeling a sudden lump rise in my throat. He was beautiful with his electric-blue eyes watching me intently. “Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll need to look for a new job soon, but I can get by on my savings for a little while. Living rent free right now is really helping.”