She remained stiff in his arms for another few seconds, then, as if his words had unlocked them, her tears poured forth. Again, she barely made a sound as she cried, burying her face into his chest while the silent sobs wracked her. She felt so small, so fragile in his embrace, when he knew the opposite was true. Her arms tightened around him, holding him as if he was the only thing keeping her upright.
Matt closed his eyes and savored the feeling of her needing him, trusting him this much. He didn’t say a word as the awful spasms tore through her, her tears dampening the front of his T-shirt. He stood unmoving, never lessening the pressure of his arms as her grief ran its course and eventually left her leaning against him, little hiccupping breaths stuttering through her.
When she gave a tired sigh he relaxed his grip and ran one hand up and down her spine, the other smoothing over her hair. Briar exhaled a long breath and dropped her arms from his back, easing away. But rather than duck her head or try to turn away, she gazed up at him as she wiped her face with the heels of her hands.
“I’m so sorry,” he told her.
She nodded, hitched in a little breath as she dried her tears. “Thanks. I know you get it.”
He did. And so he knew exactly how raw and exhausted she must be right now. “It’s late.” Or really early, depending on how she wanted to look at it. “Let’s get some sleep, okay? We’ll figure out where to go from here in the morning.”
Briar slid a hand into his, looking into his eyes. “I’m tired.”
“I know, honey.” They both were.
“No, I mean, I’m tired. Of…a lot of things. But mostly right now I’m tired of being alone.”
It was like kryptonite, that rare glimpse of vulnerability she let him see. He could almost feel himself melting inside. “You’re not alone.” He squeezed her hand.
“Stay with me.”
He didn’t think she meant stay in the room, because she couldn’t seriously think he’d leave her right now. The only other thing she could mean was to crawl into bed with her, and as much as he wanted that, he wasn’t going to take advantage of her when she was torn open like this. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She didn’t let go of his hand as she turned away. Matt followed her over to the bed, stood there with his heart hammering while she pulled off her boots and coat, then turned down the covers. She crawled in, fully dressed, and turned onto her side, watching him expectantly.
Even though he knew it was likely asking for trouble, there was no way Matt would turn down the invitation. He dumped his jacket and boots onto the floor and got in the opposite side, a squeezing sensation tightening his chest when she instantly pressed against his front. The feel of her small, firm breasts flattened to his chest and her hips cradling his, knowing this was Briar in his arms and wanting to be there, had the inevitable result.
He set one arm around her waist, high enough not to touch her stitches, and eased his hips back a little, putting some distance between her and his growing erection. Briar made a sound of protest and wiggled closer, pushing her body flush to his.
Withholding a groan as her lower belly settled against his swollen dick, Matt rolled slightly and reached past her to turn off the light. In the darkness they lay together, him enjoying the feel of her in his arms, listening to the sound of her even breaths.
She shifted again restlessly, trapping his cock between them and he tightened his hold on her to keep her still. In the near darkness she tilted her head back and set a hand on the side of his face, her fingertips stroking over his whiskers. Then she leaned up and touched her lips to his jaw in a lingering kiss that fired the lust he was trying so hard to ignore.
Her mouth sought his, a soft press of lips on his, her tongue flicking out to tease him. He gave a throttled groan and opened, touching his tongue to hers. Getting more involved than he already was probably wasn’t the smartest idea he’d ever had, but he was already attached to her, already insanely protective of her. If this was what she wanted to help dull the grief, he wasn’t going to stop it.
Chapter Thirteen
Briar made a murmuring sound and slid her hand around the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Matt’s heart pounded, everything in him wanting to roll her onto her back and cover her, thrust into her and hear her gasp, feel her tremble around him. But she was sore from her wound in addition to just having gone through an emotional meat grinder. He was used to taking control of every aspect of his life, most definitely including his sex life, but she seemed to need to be in charge right now though. He was going to let her set the pace here, even if it killed him.