Wordlessly, Erik scoops me up and tosses me over his shoulder. “Sorry, y’all. I’ve got to teach this one a lesson.”
Levy shakes his head. “I will never get used to hearing y’all in a Norwegian accent.”
Still holding me, Erik hugs Javier and promises, “We’ll get this all figured out in the morning.”
He nods. “We’ll come by for breakfast.”
“Um, Erik, can you let me down now?”
“Nah. I kind of like you here. I’ve got you right where I want you.”
After saying goodbye to Javier and Levy, Erik walks us into the bathroom, where he gently puts me down and starts the shower. We strip and stand under the water, wrapped around each other. After a few minutes, we quickly bathe and shampoo, then dry off and brush our teeth as though it were a normal day.
With towels wrapped around our waists, we carry our clothes and shoes to my room and dump them all on the ground before sliding into bed naked and exhausted.
“As horny as I was on the plane, I’m fucking exhausted,” I admit as the back of my head sinks into the cool pillow.
“No worries, baby,” Erik says, patting my chest. “I’ll have my way with you in the morning.”
Pulling the soft sheets up to my chin, I murmur, “Sorry that my kidnapping and near death are interfering with your fuck schedule.”
Too tired to move his head, Erik side-eyes me. “Oh my God. So dramatic. According to Anders and Hopper, who watched your brutal takedown with a bowl of popcorn, you were never in any real danger.”
Offended, I sit up. “I was kidnapped by my traffickers, told I’d be forced back into the life, then shot and stabbed. I don’t think I can overdramatize that,” I say, gesturing broadly.
Laughing, he slowly pushes into a sit, then presses his shoulder into mine. “The bullet barely grazed you, and the serum took care of super unimpressive stab wounds. I swear, one little kidnapping and you become such a drama queen.”
Deepening my voice, I imitate—badly—his accent, “Sorry, not all of us can be unaffected Viking assholes.”
He cracks up, then cups the back of my head and gently pulls me in for a kiss before touching our foreheads together. His smile dissolves into a serious expression. “I have never been more scared in my entire life. I have never been more willing to bring down an army than I was today.”
I close my eyes, leaning into the pressure. “Who needs an army when you’ve got me?”
“True enough,” he whispers, and I hear the smile on his lips.
After another moment of breathing in while he breathes out, Erik scoots back down to his pillow, taking me with him as he tucks me into his side. Snaking his arm down my back, he cups my tiny ass with one large, perfect hand.
“This is my favorite way to sleep now,” I say, snuggling into him.
“Mine too, little one.”
After a few quiet moments, I break the silence. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next,” I admit, “and that scares me a little.”
Erik adjusts, somehow fitting me just a little bit closer. Kissing the top of my head, he answers, “Whatever your choice is, you will have all of us backing you up. Me specifically. This has been a long, shitty day though, and everything will look better after a solid night of sleep.”
I make agreeable noises in the back of my throat, then lift my hand to his soft cock.
“You know what would really help me sleep?”
“Hm?”
“A little warm milk.”
He groans at the bad joke, then goes quiet when I lean over and take him in my mouth. He runs his hands through my hair. “You don’t have to,” he whispers.
I pull back from nursing him and look up, capturing his eyes. “I do.”
His eyes fill with understanding, and he nods.
