So close.
****
Wraith stared back at his reflection in the mirror. This had changed everything. He’d waited for so long, even he was in disbelief that she was finally all his. It had always been in his plan to claim her. And now, he had.
Wraith walked out of the bathroom expecting to see her cuddled under the sheets. It’s what he wanted. Instead, Cleo was pulling up her jeans and buckling them.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around, smiling as her gaze traveled over his bare chest.
“Cleo,” he snapped, and her eyes darted up to meet his stare.
“I was getting ready to leave.”
“We’re staying here tonight.”
Her mouth fell open. “We are? Like the whole night? Together?”
Her shock had Wraith turning his head to conceal his smile.
“Yeah.” He stalked toward her, grabbing her waist and pulling her against his chest. “So take off your clothes and get back in bed.”
A pink blush spread across her cheeks. “I don’t usually sleep naked?”
“You do when you’re with me.”
Cleo hesitated and slowly lowered her jeans with her panties in tow. A minute later, she was nestled in the bed. He checked the lock and answered a few texts. They were planning a run, which had him on the rotation. It would take him away for a few days. It’d never mattered much in the past, but the idea of not seeing Cleo had his tension rising. There was a lot to consider and things would change. The MC already made concessions for Cleo to live at the clubhouse. This was different, they’d be a couple which would shift the dynamic.
“Can we do this again?”
The corner of his mouth curled, and he walked to the bed, dropping the phone to the table. He had to keep it close, but he wouldn’t be answering anyone else unless it was urgent.
“We’re gonna do this a lot.” Wraith got into bed next to her with his back against the headboard.
Cleo wiggled her way to a seated position while keeping the sheet covering her breasts. For all her eagerness, she was still shy around him. He’d change that, but it’d be at her pace.I got all the time in the world for you.He’d waited years for her, and now she was his.Mine.
There were a few revelations about being with Cleo for the first time. One he didn’t see coming. Virgin. It was a discovery he found peace in. For Wraith it wasn’t about ego in being the only man. She’d been abused for years, and he knew some details but not all. Confirmation that she hadn’t been violated in that capacity was a small saving grace for Cleo. But she didn’t escape it all.
“Do you always take women to hotels?”
The question caught him off guard. He had no intention of discussing his past while naked in bed with her. There’d be time ifshe wanted to know, but for now that subject was off limits. He didn’t need her doubting or comparing herself with others. For Wraith, she was theonlywoman.
“Do you always go to hotels with men?”
Her brows knitted. “You’re my first.”
Wraith lifted his brow, and she immediately shifted, tightening the sheet around her.
“I mean, the first man I’ve been to a hotel with.”
“Is that the only first?”
She licked her lips, stalling. Cleo could try to play it off, but there was no chance of masking the blush spreading across her cheeks. Or the reality. The second he was inside her, he knew.
“I had a boyfriend in high school.”
Oh, we’re playing this game.Wraith steeled his features, holding back his smile.
