Kristen shifts, rolling onto her back, the sheet slipping down to reveal the swell of her breasts. My body responds immediately but I don't move to touch her. Not yet. She needs sleep more than I need another round.
When did I start thinking about what she needs?
The question rattles around my skull like a bullet in an empty chamber.
Kristen's hand finds mine in her sleep, fingers curling around my palm like it's the most natural thing in the world. Like we've done this a thousand times. Like she belongs here.
Fuck.
Kristen makes a soft sound and presses closer. Her bare leg slides between mine. Her breath warms my shoulder.
I've negotiated with cartel leaders. Stared down federal agents. Watched men beg for their lives without blinking.
This woman, asleep and drooling slightly on my sheets, terrifies me more than all of them combined.
Because I want this. The quiet. The warmth. The feeling of someone choosing to be here instead of running.
I want it, and that wanting makes me weak.
But maybe...
I shut the thought down before it can finish. Maybe nothing. This is temporary. She's temporary. Everything good is temporary.
Kristen's eyes flutter open, catching me staring. For a moment, she looks confused and then recognition softens her features.
"Hey," she whispers, voice thick with sleep.
"Hey."
"Were you watching me sleep?"
"No."
She smiles, slow and knowing. "Liar."
"You snore."
"I do not."
"Like a dying chainsaw."
"You're terrible," she says, but she's smiling. Still holding my hand.
Yes, I think. I am.
And I kiss her anyway.
Kristen pulls back from the kiss, her palm pressing flat against my chest. "You need sleep."
"I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar." She shifts, rolling away from me until her back faces my direction. The sheet pools at her waist, leaving the elegant curve of her spine exposed in the dim light filtering through the curtains.
I prop myself up on one elbow, tracing the line of her shoulder blade with my gaze. "You have a pretty hot back."
She snorts. "That's the weirdest compliment anyone's ever given me."
"I'm a weird guy."
