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She didn’t know it, but the silverback’s attention was trained on her. He was quiet, sure, but he was watching, and even more than that? He would rip any threat to her in two.
And that…that…was something Lucas Slater had never felt before.
He’d tensed just thinking about any harm ever coming to her, and when she made a small sleep sound, probably due to his arms tightening around her, he forced himself to relax again.
He was still on top of the covers out of respect for her, but he’d never wanted anything more than to be under the sheets with her, his body pressed against hers, the knowledge that she was safe in his arms and had nothing to worry about while she let her body go unconscious. He would protect it.
The animal wouldn’t let him sleep.
He laid there, thinking of her, thinking of the kiss they’d shared under the waterfall, thinking about her showing up to his fight tonight, even upset with him. Thinking about how fucking sexy she had looked tonight. Thinking of what a badass she was as a falcon. Thinking of how pretty she looked when her eyes were all full of tears as she admitted that she got lonely sometimes.
Thinking about how when he was around her, he felt less…empty.
Lucas was startled by the sound of her alarm going off.
He shouldn’t have been, because outside of her bedroom window, with its open blinds, he’d watched the dark sky lighten to gray in the early-morning hours.
He wondered absently if she was a woman who hit the snooze ten times, or got up at the first alarm. As she snuggled into him for a three-count, then slipped carefully out of bed and hit the alarm “off” button, he gave a private smile. She was going to hate how many times he pressed snooze in the mornings.
Wait, no. Last night was a one-time deal. He was leaving right after Damon’s dinner, or meeting, or whatever the blue dragon and his mate had planned tomorrow night.
He watched her stretch in front of the window, and the movement lifted the hem of the oversized T-shirt she’d slept in, exposing her smooth, tan legs. Her hair was perfectly messy from sleep, and he would totally admit he loved her morning look best. She had rock-and-roll hair, all flipped to the side and wavy. She turned with a smirk. “I can feel you watching me.”
“Can’t help it,” he murmured unapologetically.
“I’m going to be a nice friend and make you some coffee.”
“Mmm.” Friend. The word was a splinter. “How about I make us coffee and you go get ready for work.”
“You’re taking the day off your job today?” she asked cheekily.
“Yeah, no shifters to keep in line here.”
“The day is still young.”
He chuckled and pushed up in bed, ran his hands down his face. He really hadn’t slept a wink and God, his body was sore from head to toe.
“You look less dead,” she pointed out as she walked around the bed and toward the door. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and yelped, leaned into her reflection and pressed her fingers under her eyes. He couldn’t tell what she was glaring at though. She looked like a goddess. She was gorgeous in full makeup and just as gorgeous bare-faced. He should tell her that. Sometimes women liked when men said the nice things in their heads out loud to them. “Your ass is perfect.”
Well, there it was. That little gem had slipped out and there was no tucking those words back in his throat, so he just arched his eyebrows and waited for her to respond. She’d frozen with her back to him, but he could see her face in the mirror just fine, so he got to witness the slow smile creep across her lips.
“Pretty girl,” he murmured.
“Really?” she asked.
He nodded. “You know you are.”
She stood and faced him, leaned her ass against the dresser. “Now I know I am to you. I could hear the truth in your voice.” Her cheeks turned a deep petal pink and she ducked her gaze to the carpet. “Thank you for…” She gestured to the bed. “I slept good.”
“Why did you sleep good?” he asked. Could she hear his heart hammering against his ribcage? Why did her answer matter so damn much in this moment?
“Because I felt safe.” She pushed off the dresser and escaped, calling over her shoulder, “I like the salted caramel creamer in the fridge. A ton of it.”
He grinned. Fuck. Yes.
He made her feel safe.
He made her feel safe.
