Grayson grunted when I grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to the couch with me, just a little too hard. He caught himself on the cushions, part of his body sprawled over part of mine.
Our eyes locked.
"You can sleep with me here, but I can't leave," I whispered.
"Why not?"
"The price of my magic is overstimulation. The price of Dare's is the opposite. When he doesn't stay busy, depression sets in, and it gets dangerous. The moments before he really starts the day and before it fully ends are the darkest for him."
I saw the gears turning in Grayson's mind as he put it together.
He finally clenched his jaw."At least you're not asleep in his fucking bed."
"I do sometimes. With a pillow wall between us. We've never had sex, obviously. I'd end up draining him if we tried, but we've never been interested in each other."
"Has he ever used his magic on you?"
"Once, a long time ago."
Grayson's nostrils flared.
"I worked closely with Jazz for eighty-something years, and you didn't tell me that you'd fucked her," I hissed back. "You don't get to be mad about him using his magic on me centuries ago without even touching me."
"Fine." He lifted me off the couch long enough to roll beneath me, and pulled me securely into his arms. My back rested against his chest again, our sides on the couch. His arms banded over my front and middle, and my head was tucked beneath his chin.
Everything was easy again, now that he was touching me.
My heavy eyelids closed.
His breathing was steady against my back, though he was undoubtedly waiting for me to fall asleep.
I could understand why he wanted to feed in the real world. He couldn't get off in the dreams, and he said he struggled to sleep afterward.
We'd seal the bond tomorrow. I'd made up my mind.
Since I'd decided I wasn't going to leave him, or let him mate with someone else, there was no reason not to.
I fell asleep quickly, with Grayson's deliciously hard body cradling mine on that couch. The moment I was out, I slipped into a dream.
My forehead creased as I blinked and looked around, finding myself in the same place I'd just fallen asleep. Dare's living room was dark. He was sleeping on the couch, snoring just as loudly as he did in reality. Grayson held my body to his, his arms aroundmy middle, and the sensations felt more real than anything in my dreams ever had before.
Probably because he was genuinely holding me.
"This is new," I murmured. "I've never dreamed of us in the same place I fell asleep."
"I didn't know what your bedroom looked like."
"Good point."
I'd never exactly sent him an invitation to my room.
"Make it quick, Darke. I'm tired."
He chuckled. "Where would be the fun in that?"
His voice was strained, though.
He remembered our conversation that morning, and I hadn't told him what I'd decided. It wouldn't hurt him to wait a little longer to learn the truth, but he was clearly struggling with it.
