Before I could finish telling him what I thought, he let me go. Then he twisted, bent his torso and tugged his boots off. Then before I knew it, off went his sweater and I was treated to a view of a highly tanned, supremely muscled, obviously powerful back. I was still blinking as that vision burned into my brain (and I had to admit, it was pleasantly) when, still seated in the bed with me, off went his breeches.
Ho boy!
Now frantic, though unfortunately belatedly, I started to scoot back, saying, “Um… would you mind if –?” but I again didn’t finish.
This was because, without appearing to move, he was reclining in bed and I was reclining with him. He flicked the covers over us then both his powerful arms locked around me and yanked me to his side.
“Cradle my thigh,” he growled and I blinked at his chest, pushing lightly against it, registering it was as powerfully muscled as his back and so wide it seemed to go on forever.
“Wha… what?”
“As you did the quilt,” he stated then got impatient. His hand, starting at my hip, moved swiftly down my thigh, his torso (and me, I might add, since his other arm was still locked around me) lifting in order to reach, then his fingers hooked the back of my knee and he yanked my leg up until I was doing what he asked, half straddling his thigh like I did the covers.
Then he settled back down in bed and kept firm hold on me.
“Well, uh… okay, uh… do you think –?” I started but he cut me off again.
“This is not the welcome home I’d like, wife, but it’ll do and you’ll sleep here, like this, until the morning. You don’t, I’ll take the welcome home from you I’d like and I won’t delay. Do you understand me?”
I understood him. I was totally okay with sleeping like this because I had a feeling I knew what kind of welcome home he’d like.
And incidentally, I was right about drunk guys not minding lesbians.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Now shut your mouth and sleep.”
I pressed my lips together in order not to inform him that he hadn’t actually let me open my mouth to say much of anything. I didn’t think he’d appreciate that reminder at that juncture.
What I did not do was sleep.
He was out in seconds.
I still did not sleep.
Penelope clawed her way back up the rope, curled at my one free foot and purred herself to slumber and I still did not sleep.
I knew that dawn had to have touched the sky (though I couldn’t see it with the curtains closed) and then, only then, did I find sleep.
And unfortunately when that happened, in sleep, I curled deeper into the big, hard, stranger at my side, my arm snaking around him and holding tight, my thigh curving around his, my knee and calf falling between his legs, my hips cradled by the side of his, my cheek pillowed on his massive, hard chest.
This was something I did normally in my sleep with covers and pillows.
Something I did that night with something a lot warmer, a lot more comfortable and a lot more dangerous.
And when I slept curled tight around my dark stranger husband, I slept deep.
Chapter Six
Phew
I slept in but Penelope was still with me when I woke.
And Penelope was my only bedmate.
Phew.
I lay in the warm cocoon of covers that was pulled up to my neck and wondered if my dark stranger husband pulled them up after he left me in bed which would be a surprising indication he could be thoughtful.
Then I figured he did because I likely didn’t.
Then I didn’t know what to do with that so I set it aside and listened to the house.
Nothing.
I couldn’t even feel his presence.
Phew. Okay. Good.
Space to get my head straight.
Penelope sensed I was awake and sauntered up the curved line of my body then jumped down to curl in the warm shell of my belly, lap and thighs and there she started purring. I noted the windows were covered by the heavy curtains and the curtain was still drawn at the railing but sunlight was coming through there (not at the windows, they didn’t mess around in Lunwyn with curtains, total blackout situation, nothing got through, they even had draft protectors to set at the base of the doors). This had to mean it was late morning for Lunwyn’s days were very short, by my estimation, starting around nine or ten and ending around two or three. Then it was moonlight all the way.
I tipped my head and saw the fire was blazing, heating the small nest of space.
Definitely my dark stranger husband did that for me unless Lunwyn had heretofore unknown fire fairies.
Another surprising act of thoughtfulness.
Hmm.
I pulled just an arm out of the covers to scratch Penelope behind the ears as I considered my dilemma.
First, I was married and my husband was home.
Second, I was not a lesbian like he thought I was.