I wasn’t sure how long I had been staring at Price’s sleeping body. A chill made its way through me, only increasing the desire for his fire.
A war raged in my mind. It would be easy to wake him and demand he leave, claiming last night had been another mistake. I could even use it as leverage for cutting off our deal. Willow wouldn’t fuss too much, I didn’t think.
By tomorrow, I could go back to my normal life. Though I’d have to find a new area to work in, since those other guys hated my guts.
And I’d never be able to forget Price’s touch.
Or his amber eyes, a color that felt like nostalgia for a memory I didn’t have. Bonfires I never attended. Campfires I never started. Life I never lived. I’d never taste his cooking again, either. Pasta had forever been ruined for me since eating the masterpiece he’d made so effortlessly.
My hands trembled as I reached down. I hovered my palm over Price’s arm, hissing at the intense wave of warmth that came from him. Seriously, was he running a fever?
If I got him to leave now, I could listen to the voice screaming in the back of my mind. It would be so fuckingeasyto do what I had done for nearly a decade already. My body was a roadmap of my mistakes, each bump and ridge a tally Thompson made sure I’d never forget.
Thompson
Thompson
Thompson
Moving the bed as little as possible, I sank back down into Price’s embrace. The cold melted away immediately, pulling a satisfied sigh from me. I took full advantage of his bare chest, placing my cheek on it and listening to his heartbeat.
It thundered in my ear, clearing every last thought away. He shifted, wrapping an arm around my lower back in such a gentle way it almost brought tears to my eyes.
To be held so gingerly, so sweetly, was something entirely new in my world. I let my eyelids fall shut, listening to his breathing like I’d done with my mom when I was young. His had a different cadence to it, slower, and easier than Mom had ever breathed.
The easiest breath my mom took was her last one. Although it was labored, rumbling with fluid, I remembered the smile on her face when her chest fell for the last time.
“Good morning.” Price’s words were muffled against my ear.
Prying my eyes open, I tilted my head to look at him from below. My heart started to race, no longer in sync with his. “Morning.”
He smiled. Oh, fuck he smiled. I could see the dangerous point of his canines I adored. My body responded against my will, my cock pumping with more blood than was necessary this early in the morning.
His eyes roamed my face. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah.” I glanced away, a blush darkening my cheeks as my erection dug into his hip. “I’m fine.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No, you did the exact opposite.”
“How are your injuries?”
“So many questions, Prince Charming.”
“Forgive me for worrying, My King.”
I scowled. “Don’t call me that, it makes it weird.”
“Huh?”
I shook my head, dropping myself back onto his chest. “Just stick to Pretty Boy.”
Price pulled me in closer, wrapping both his arms around me until I was officially suffocating in his warmth. I let out a groan, muffled by his chest. “Are you sick or something?”
He pulled back, raising an eyebrow in question.
“You’re on fire, dude.”
