CHAPTER 13
Light hit the back of Noah’s eyelids, making him frown.
Shit, what was the time? Usually he woke before the sun. Hell, he usually woke in the dead of night after a couple hours of broken sleep. But right now he felt rested, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
A small mound of warmth covered his chest, making his frown deepen. It was only when he felt the weight rise and fall, followed by air brushing against his skin, that he realized what it was.
Addie.
His eyes shot open, and he looked down.
He’d fallen asleep with her.Shit. He’d only meant to hold her until she fell asleep, then go.
But he couldn’t remember waking. Not once. Did that mean there’d been no nightmares? He couldn’t remember any.
He lifted a hand off Addie’s back. It wasn’t shaking. And his heart wasn’t racing. There was no pit in his gut that simultaneously made him want to be sick and claw his own skin off.
That hadn’t happened sincebefore.
A small feminine groan filled the air. Then Addie lifted her head. The second her gaze landed on him, he fell into the deep blue of her eyes. They were still hazy with sleep and so fucking beautiful that they almost took him hostage. Paralyzed him in the best way.
A slow smile curved her lips. “Hey.”
“Good morning, Addison.”
Her lips twitched. “So formal. How did you sleep?”
“Good, actually. No nightmares.” The words were so foreign that they didn’t feel like his. Because the nightmares had just become part of his life and who he was.
Her eyes softened. “That’s good.”
It was better than good. It was kind of unbelievable.
She trailed a finger down his chest, and it sent spirals of warmth somewhere deep inside him. “Maybe you didn’t need therapy. Maybe you just needed me.”
She was joking. But there was a truth behind her words, because one night of holding her had achieved what countless therapy appointments hadn’t. “You might just be right.” Without his permission, his thumb grazed her hip. “Didyousleep well?”
“I would say ‘like a baby’ but my mother told me that I was a terrible sleeper as a baby. She prefers the term ‘like a father.’”
He chuckled. “Your mother sounds very knowledgeable.”
“Hence why I need to learn to live without her voice in my ear.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “So…because last night wasn’t terrible, maybe you can get home a little earlier from now on?”
He wanted to say yes. He wanted to spend every waking moment with this woman. But there was still uncertainty there. A shit load of it. “It was one night, Addie. I don’t want us to get too relaxed. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you by my hands.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. But you’re right, it was only one night. We should try another.”
“That’s a risk.”
“I like to think of it more as an experiment.” Her gaze lowered to his mouth.
And the combination of the heat of her body, the feel of her bare legs tangled with his, and her warm breath over his skin…it stole the air from his lungs, and he had to remind himself to breathe.
“Addison.” But even as he said her name, his fingers curved around her neck and slid into her hair. Her head started to lower…
And he tugged her down that final inch and kissed her.
Fuck, she tasted good. Like oxygen he’d been deprived of for too long. Like everything good he’d been missing this last year.
