“Not the bad kind.” She eased back, stared up at him, all blue eyes and ruby lips. “But I do plan on winning.”
“Sounds like a challenge. And seeing as it’s my turn…”
She palmed his chest, took a healthy step away. “Your turn to hold me all night.”
He matched her movement, backing her up until her calves hit the bed. “Oh, I’ll be holding you. It’s just gonna be a bit more physical than what you’re picturing.”
“Next time.” She shook her head when he shoved her onto the mattress. “Coulter, I mean it. I don’t want our first time to end with me racing down the hall to grab Darwin because you punctured a lung. And yeah, that’s how physical I’m hoping it’ll be, so…” She offered him her hand. “Come to bed. I’ve waited this long, I can last one more night as long as I get your good side as a pillow and you promise not to let go.”
He sighed, tugged on his boxers in the hopes the flimsy material might help him maintain some measure of control, then climbed in, rearranging their positions until she curled against his least injured side, her head gently resting on the crook of his shoulder. “You can ride my thigh if it’ll help.”
She laughed. “God, I’ve missed you.” She kissed his chest. “And don’t be surprised when I’m humping your leg like a dog.”
“Just say the word, sweetheart, and I’ll take one for the team.” He pulled her closer, breathing her in. “And I still want all the details you left out from Bralorne. How those fuckers hurt you.”
She traced the bands across his abdomen, skirting the worst of the bruising. “It’s not that I won’t tell you, but it’s not going to change anything.”
“Trust me. It’ll directly affect my response when we run into them again. Especially Fraser.”
“Fraser’s mine.”
He smiled, dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I suppose I can throw you a bone. Now, sleep. I’ve got your six.”
She hummed, drifting for a moment before jerking back awake. “All night, Coulter.”
“Wild horses, sweetheart.”
She settled, faded a minute later, her breath evening out, body lax against his. He stared at the ceiling, a comfortable silence falling over them. No gunfire. No tangos hiding in the bushes, waiting to ambush them. Just Neve’s head on his shoulder, the safety of the bunker allowing him to fully disengage.
He swore he’d only just dozed off when someone pounded on the door, easing it open a second later.
Zadie poked her head in, an amused smirk curling her lips. “Guess I’m lucky I didn’t bust in sooner.”
Neve grunted, slivering one eyelid open as she burrowed closer to Coulter. “The entire bunker better be under siege, Zadie, or I’m tossing my clock at the door.”
“Pretty sure you broke that last week tossing it at me. And it’s not a siege, but… I’ve intercepted another communiqué. You’re both gonna want to see this.” She backed up a step. “I made coffee. And Shepherd’s got muffins. I didn’t ask why. You might want to toss on some clothes, first, though.”
The door closed, the urgency in Zadie’s voice still lingering.
Neve looked up at him, her hair tousled about her head, her mouth still kiss-swollen. “Did you get any sleep?”
He shrugged. “I got something much better. You would have, too, if you weren’t so damn stubborn.”
“I believe the word you’re searching for is compassionate. And I plan on thoroughly wrecking you later, so…”
He palmed her jaw, kissed her. “I’m holding you to that.”
He slid out of the bed, ribs grinding a bit, though, not quite as red-hot as before. Even his thigh didn’t ache as deeply, though, he wasn’t sure if he’d healed in the past few hours, or if it was the aftermath of Neve giving him the best damn blowjob of his life.
He detoured into his room, tossed on cargo pants and a hoodie before offering her his hand.
She smiled, slid her palm over his, then leaned in. “We’ll move you over once we’ve dealt with whatever this is. Assuming you still want to share.”
“Considering I’m going to spend every available minute we’re not chasing Ramsey, inside you, it seems like a wise choice.” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. “I should have asked you a year ago. And I’ll be damned if I give you any more time to come to your senses. Realize you could do so much better.”
“Not a chance.”
They walked down the hallway, around the corner, then into the comms room. The others turned, gazes dropping to his and Neve’s joined hands before snapping back.
