His thumb brushes against my cheek, and I marvel at the incongruity of this rough man who can still be so gentle when he wants to be.
Chapter Twenty-Four
In which coping methods are discussed, like sex and biometric locks. Both for different reasons, of course.
Aria…
I wake up the next morning feeling all loose-limbed and dreamy, a little smile on my lips while I’m brushing my teeth. A warm weight covers my back as two hands, the size of dinner plates, press down on the counter on either side of me.
“Good morning, my bonnie bride.”
Lachlan’s voice is deeper from just waking up, raspier.
“Good morning, how do you feel?” I smile at him before realizing my mouth is still full of toothpaste and I look like a rabid cat. A horny, sexually satisfied rabid cat.
He chuckles as I groan and hastily rinse out my mouth. “Fine. After a decade of running MacTavish clubs and restaurants, gettin’ up at such an unseemly hour is feckin’ with me.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn around, still pinned against the counter by his hips. “Running the MacTavish properties? Sounds rather sanitized for a man who chases innocent women through dungeons and trusses them up.”
The shameless bastard just grins, kissing me. “The only woman I chase through dungeons these days is my wife. And she is by no means innocent.” His eyes drift down my body. “Are you wearin’ that out of this bedroom?”
I glance at my sports bra and leggings. “I’m going down to the gym to work out before I start managing what I’m assuming will be a train wreck of a day. I’m going to need all the endorphins I can get.”
One dark brow rises. “Are ya’ sayin’ I didn’t give you enough… endorphins last night? I’m not doin’ my duty as your husband. I’ll need to up my game, then.” Those huge hands slide to my hips and I groan, remembering him moving me up and down on his dick last night, his hands tightly around my waist.
“No! You’re doing fine, I-”
“Just fine?” He’s laughing at me.
“Will you stop it?” How can I blush like a teenager at a BTS concert? I’m a grown woman!
“I wore you out last night to make sure ya’ finally got some sleep, woman.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask. It’s true, I don’t sleep, I’m used to tossing and turning, but since he’s shared a bed with me, I’ve been careful not to move much and disturb his rest.
“Ya’ think I don’t know you lie awake every night unless I fuck you into a coma?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, “I didn’t mean to wake you up. It’s just hard to turn my brain off sometimes.”
He gives me a wicked grin. “I’m happy to rail you unconscious anytime you need it.” He steps away, heading into the closet before coming out with one of his enormous t-shirts. Slipping it over my head, he pulls my hair loose, spreading it over my shoulders, and fabric falls to my knees.
“Why am I wearing your shirt?”
“Because you were wearin’ those tight little yoga pants when Monroe dropped off those files for you yesterday and I’m pretty sure he walked around with a hard on the rest of the day.”
“What?” I’m laughing.
“Aye, when he called me I could hear his erection through the phone.”
“Are you serious? Do you want me to dress in a nun’s habit in the gym?” I’m still laughing because he’s got a little grin but I can also tell it’s possible he’s a bit possessive.
“Only if you want your security team to live,” he agrees pleasantly, “because those stretchy things are huggin’ your arse like they’re getting paid to do it.”
Covering my face with my hands, I can’t stop laughing. Peeling them away, he gives me another kiss before reluctantly stepping back. “Back to work. It’s gonna be a rough day.”
My good humor deflates immediately. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
His hands are back on my hips, under his shirt, and stroking the sliver of skin between my sports bra and leggings. “That means I’m gonna be in a bad mood tonight,” he warns, voice going even deeper. “Irritable. I’m gonna take it out on you.”
