She stretched against him, a languid movement that pressed her lush curves more firmly against his body. The blankets shifted,revealing the creamy skin of her shoulder, and his grip on her hip tightened reflexively.
“You’re staring,” she murmured.
“Can’t help it.”
“Creepy.”
“Devoted,” he corrected, echoing their exchange from the night before.
Her lips curved into a sleepy smile. “Mmm. What time is it?”
“Early.” He didn’t actually know. He hadn’t looked at a clock. He didn’t care. Time felt irrelevant when she was here, when he could feel the warmth of her body seeping into his bones.
“You’ve been awake for a while.” It wasn’t a question. She could read him already, this woman. Could see through all his carefully constructed walls like they were made of glass.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Bad dreams?”
“Good reality.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, inhaling the vanilla-sugar scent of her hair. “I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.”
Her hand found his chest, her palm warm against his fur. “That’s either very sweet or very stalker-y. I haven’t decided which.”
“Let me know when you figure it out.”
She laughed—that bright, genuine sound he’d become addicted to—and tilted her face up to his. Her eyes were soft with sleepand something else. Something warm and open and terrifyingly vulnerable.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi.”
He kissed her. Gently at first, just a brush of lips, savoring the way she melted into him immediately. No hesitation. No resistance. Just Sara, soft and willing and his.
The kiss deepened.
Her fingers slid up his chest, tangling in the fur at his nape, and he groaned against her mouth. She tasted like sleep and sweetness and everything he’d been denying himself for six long years. His hand found the curve of her waist, pulling her closer, her body fitting against his like she was made for him.
“Ben.” His name was a sigh on her lips. “It’s barely dawn.”
“I know.”
“We were up half the night.”
“I remember.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, her jaw, the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “Every detail.”
Sara shivered, her breath catching. “You’re insatiable.”
“You knew what you were getting into.” He found the place where her neck met her shoulder and scraped his teeth lightly across her skin, making her gasp. “Rabbit Other. Mating season. I warned you.”
“Did you though?” She was laughing again, even as her hips shifted restlessly against his. “I remember something about nesting and claiming, but no one mentioned the stamina?—”
“I can stop if you want.”Probably.
“Don’t you dare.”
He smiled against her throat—a real smile, one he seemed to be giving freely now that she was here. His hand traced down her side, over the generous curve of her hip, along her thigh. She was so soft. So perfectly, beautifully soft, all warm skin and welcoming curves that made his head spin.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
