Chuck rushed to his side, sitting on the mattress next to him, putting her hand on his arm. “Malachi,” she whispered as he glanced up at her.
Demon. Incubus. You got this,he scolded himself. He let the barest hint of fear come to his eyes. “Chuck,” he murmured back. “I don’t knowwhoI am anymore. I’m scared.” His hands crept to her waist. “I… Chuck…” his voice quavered, and she threw her arms around him.
“Shh, Malachi, it’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. I’m here. You have me,” she reassured him, stroking his back just the way he hoped she would.
Burying his face in her hair, he pulled her close against him, relishing the feel of her slender form against him. He sighed happily. “This. I needed this,” he murmured and held her tighter.
A pink glow surrounded him as her aura brightened. She sighed happily, too. “You know I’m going to miss our nightly argument about you sleeping on my bed.” She laughed.
“We could still do that. I would be glad to come curl up with you.”
Her arms dropped like stones, and she leaned back, her mouth open wide. “Malachi…”
“Sorry!” he blurted, his eyes widening for good measure. “I didn’t mean likethat.” He let color creep into his cheeks. “I just meant that I’m used to being with you, so being in here by myself…” his gaze wandered the sparsely decorated room before he shivered slightly. “It’s a little lonely.”
Biting her lip, Chuck stared at him before taking his large hand in hers. “Just this one night, then you’re sleeping in your own bed.” She rose and tugged on his arm, pulling him with her.
Wordlessly, he followed as she led him to her room. The familiar warmth and the soft scent of lavender instantly loosened the knot in his chest. He stood at the end of the bed, watching her as she crawled under her blanket.
She pulled the other side of the large comforter down and patted the sheet. “Come on.” The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled invitingly, reassuring him.
Slowly, uncertainly, he crept to the other side and stood there. “Do you um… mind if I take the shirt off? It’s a little… small.” His lips quirked the tiniest bit.
When her lips curved up higher, he yanked the offending item over his head, then flung it down. “Oh man,” he groaned, stretching. He rubbed his arms where the material had dug in and sighed in relief. “Much better.” When he looked back at Chuck, her mouth was just slightly open, and he chuckled in his head. Her aura was again tinged with pink streaks. Outwardly, he gave a shy smile and slipped under the blanket with her. He kept to the far side of the bed and folded his arms behind his head, flexing his biceps innocently.
Chuck swallowed hard and quickly flicked off the lamp. “Night, Mal,” she whispered.
“Night,” he whispered back. Then, “Thank you, Chuck. I feel a lot better already. Just knowing you’re close in case… well, I don’t know in case of what. But you make me feel safe.”
A rustling noise and a shimmy of the mattress were followed by a heartbeat of silence before Chuck’s hand patted his arm. “Me too, Mal.”
Feeling relaxed, truly, Malachi turned on his side to face Chuck and could just barely make out her eyes in the soft light coming from outside.She was facing him and watching him closely. He took her hand in his and entwined their fingers, then closed his eyes.
The chirping of birds the next morning woke Malachi, and he blinked groggily at the ceiling, trying to clear his vision. He realized something soft and warm was lying across him, stirring a deep need in his body. Glancing down, he found Chuck had moved over to his side of the bed and wrapped herself around him in her sleep. One arm and leg were thrown over him, and her head was on his chest. Equal parts amused and turned on, he lay still, not wanting to wake her and embarrass her.
He studied the way her dark lashes lay on her smooth cheeks and how her sleep softened lips were parted just the smallest amount. Unable to resist, he traced a finger over her jawline, inching closer to that full bottom lip he desperately wanted to bite. She stirred, and his hand froze before dropping quickly to his side. He saw her eyelids flutter and quickly closed his eyes to see how she would react when she realized where she was sleeping.
A quiet gasp filled the room as Chuck woke fully with a start. He felt her twitch against him as her head lifted. He could almost feel her gaze on him, so he kept his breathing shallow and steady, willing his heart not to pound out of his ribcage. Figuring she was about to pull away, he started to mourn the loss of her warmth, but she surprised him and lay back down. Her head snuggled back into his chest, and her hand spread over his stomach, fingers trailing over his abs, pressing slightly for more contact.
Malachi was in agony. Split between trying to seduce her or working further to gain her trust. He thought hard and decided he would doboth. Giving her time to decide how she wanted to act, he stirred slightly, pretending he was just waking up. She began to pull away from him, and his arms wrapped around her, a low murmur from his throat.
A stifled squeak slipped from her lips as he pulled her closer and turned, pressing himself firmly against her. Trapped against him the way she was, there was no mistaking what his body thought of the contact. He sighed happily but kept his eyes closed, nuzzling her hair and settling further into the pillow.
“Um… Malachi?” came her fervent attempt to wake him. She tapped him on the chest. “Why did I get gray sweatpants…”
“Hmm?” he mumbled sleepily.
“Malachi!” she called a little louder.
Quelling the huge grin that wanted to spread over his face, he blinked at her a few times, then dramatically widened his eyes as he glanced down to see how wrapped up in each other they were. “Oh shit, Chuck, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize!” He quickly let go of her and tried to scoot back, only to realize they were on his side of the bed, and there was nowhere for him to go. A fact that did not escape her notice.
“No, Malachi, it’s um… my fault. I think I got cold, and I woke up lying on you. I tried to move but you ah… um… You turned over and pulled me back. You were asleep and didn’t know you were doing it. Just like I didn’t know. So, yeah, no harm done, right? Anyway, we should get moving so we can get you some better-fitting clothes and things today. I’ll uh take a shower, and if you want to use the guest bathroom, you can. And then we should uh…” her frantic explanations trailed off as he placed a tentative hand on her waist.
“Chuck?” he called softly. “It’s okay. I don’t mind you curling up with me if you’re cold. I liked it. I mean, I must have if I didn’t want you toleave.” He studied her eyes, watching them cloud with indecision. “Come back,” he whispered, tugging gently on her hip.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she responded and leapt from the bed. She stared at him a little wild-eyed.
Slowly, he got out of bed and stood on the other side. He watched her eyes tracking him as he rose to his full height. Raking a hand through his wavy black hair, he sighed. “I’m sorry, Chuck. I just still feel a little lost, and I had no right to put that on you. I get it. I’m your dog. Your K-9 partner. That’s weird. I’ll uh, go use the other bathroom.” He glanced around, looking for the too-small shirt, grimacing as he stretched it over his chest. Smoothing the fabric over his stomach, he saw her greedily covering every inch of it with her gaze. He kept his smile inside as she returned her eyes to his. “Maybe it would be easier if I just turned back into a dog.” He gave her a lopsided smile, flashing his dimple, and hurried off to the other bedroom.
