Rocket’s comment came back to me, as I sat there cradling the woman I’d always wanted in my arms, pressed against my entire body, with the parts of me that wanted more firmly cradled where they wanted to be.
“That’s better than your last kiss assessment.”
Her smile slipped a little as she frowned. “What? When did I assess a kiss before?”
I wanted to devour her, and that little crease in her brow just made me want to smooth it away, by giving her so much pleasure that she’d never frown again.
“Last time I kissed you, you said it wasn’t bad. This time it was amazing. That’s much better for my manly ego.” Although I was pretty sure I didn’t have one, because I just kept putting myself in a position to look like a pathetic twat in front of her, and I had no intentions of stopping anytime soon.
Glory cupped my face with her good hand, resting the other on my shoulder.
“With the greatest of respect, Henley, shush. We’re going to kiss a little more then get some sleep. I’m exhausted, and I’m still processing what happened tonight. That’s not the time to be making decisions for the future, but this? Me and you? Not going away, okay? So kiss me, then hold me while I sleep.”
“You’re so hot when you’re bossy,” I said with a grin, pulling her lips back to mine to taste her once more before we sleep.
Holding her while sheslept was great, until it wasn’t. She suddenly began to flail and scream and her elbow hit me right in the face as she tried to escape whatever was in her nightmare.
I ignored my pain as I carefully tried to wake her, holding her close as she sobbed in the wake of whatever had terrorised her in her sleep.
“Shhh it’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“It was so real,” she sobbed, reaching up to stroke my face, gasping as she sat up a moment later.
“Your face is wet.” She sat up and flicked the lamp on, and that’s when she realised it was blood. That elbow hit me right inthe fucking nose, and throbbed like a bitch, but I couldn’t hold that against her. She didn’t choose to have a nightmare.
The knock on the bedroom door a moment later made me groan, so I slid out of bed, telling her to stay under the covers, while I ran to the door, cupping my nose with half of my t-shirt.
“What?”
At the door was a guy in a security type uniform and he looked concerned.
“Reports of screaming coming from this room?” He eyed my bleeding nose and his eyebrows lifted.
“You were screaming?”
I snorted, and that hurts like hell when your nose is throbbing, plus I nearly drowned in my own blood, but I backed up and held the door open so he could see Glory, who was wrapped tightly in the covers.
“You okay, love? Did he do something to you?”
She shook her head. “I had a nightmare, I’m so sorry. Can… can I focus on fixing what I broke?” She pointed at my face and the guy chuckled.
“Ah, so nothing untoward happened here?”
I nodded frantically, which also added to the throbbing in my face.
“She’s a psycho, man.”
“Henley!”
The guy looked at her again, eyeing the stack of my leathers warily.
“So you don’t need help?”
Glory shook her head. “I’m so sorry if I woke anyone. I promise we’re fine, even the man-child over there. Thank you, though. I appreciate you checking on us.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, she slid out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, dragging me along with her.
“Let’s fix you up, poor injured baby.”
