CHAPTERTWENTY
“I can’t believe we’resleepingagain.” Rune snarled.
I sighed in contentment, fluffing my pillow under my head. “Double shift, remember? And we have to be up early for the planning thing.”
“I hate and love that you’re responsible.” The black panther huffed. “I couldn’t even see you after I got off work.”
“Does it make you feel weird that I work more than you do?”
“I certainly don’t like it,” he mumbled. “I want more dates with you. I enjoyed our time together today. But you’ll be a princess soon, and all of this will be behind us.”
I turned inside his hold, placing our noses mere inches apart. “I liked spending time with you today too.” I touched my nose to his and brushed it back and forth twice.
He hummed deep in his throat. “This is nice too. I think we’re getting the hang of it—except for the sex part. We need to be doing that a lot more.”
I snickered. “Your mind is always in the gutter.”
“I told you I liked pussy the first day we met.”
“You’ll get mine soon, stud. I don’t like this any more than you do.”
The black panther huffed again. But it was a satisfied noise.
Just as I was dipping into sleep, Rune asked hesitantly, “How attached to this apartment are you?”
“It’s mine,” I replied through my haze of sleep. “I like having something that’s mine.”
He hummed. “What if you could keep it and move into a bigger place?”
I peeked open one eye. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
“And if I was?”
I closed my eye again, while my forehead wrinkled. “That’s a little fast, isn’t it?”
“My home is on a much more secure property. You’d be safe there.”
I yawned and opened my eyes. I stared into a golden gaze. “Would it make you feel better?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
He rushed to say, “It makes my skin itch thinking of you here alone. I am a possessive male with everything that is mine, and it’s hard to control the environment here. My men are having issues with a few of the tenants. They won’t leave so my men can stay here—even after a hefty bribe. It’s taking all of my self-control not to throw you over my shoulder and get you the fuck out to the safety of my home.”
My eyes had gradually widened with each word he’d said. “Whoa.”
His chest heaved. “You asked, beautiful.”
Eventually, the shock of his tirade wore off, and my brows puckered. “You’re really that worried about me here? Truly?”
“Yes. Other than the fact Mr. Valentine is a kill-happy motherfucker, I am one of the most powerful men in this world. You may be immortal, but if you were kidnapped and tortured, it wouldn’t be pleasant. Healing over and over again while someone hurt you.”
“Do you just want to lock me up in your house or something?” I questioned cautiously.
“I’m not that bad. But when you’re sleeping, it’s best to be protected.”
My face scrunched in anxiety. “This is getting complicated.”
