Page 58 of Untamed Sinner

He follows me over, his hips stuttering as he comes with a low groan, his forehead pressed against mine.

Then stillness.

For a moment, we just breathe. Finally, he pulls out slowly, disposing of the condom before collapsing beside me. His arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me into him.

Hendricks—a cuddler? Who’d have thought?

I snuggle into him, which is also mind-blowing, because I’ve never snuggled before. I lie there, trembling in his embrace, cheek pressed to his chest.

It feels safe—physically and emotionally.

I turn my head to look at him. He's watching me, his gray eyes steady and unreadable.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod, even though it's a lie. I'm not okay. Because for the first time in thirteen years, I’m not thinking about how to escape. I’m wondering what it would take to stay.

48

HENDRICKS

She's thinking too hard.

I can see it in the way her breathing hasn't settled. There’s tension in her shoulders despite the fact that she's wrapped in my arms. Something shifted during the sex—something beyond the physical release.

I felt it—the moment when this stopped being about obsession and became something else entirely. Something permanent.

She felt it too. She’s too aware not to have. I run a hand down her back. She won’t like it, so I’m going to have to ease her into it.

"Have you ever been in love before?" she asks almost accusingly.

Case in point. "No."

She lifts her head to look at me. "Never?"

"Never." I hold her gaze.

Her mouth purses into a faint frown. “Not in high school?”

I’m amused, but I don’t let it show. I value my cock. “No.”

She arches her brow. “Not even some prissy twat who strutted around the Pentagon in pencil skirts?"

"I didn't spend much time at the Pentagon." I take the opportunity to kiss her neck. "I worked in the field mostly."

She shivers, nudging me with her foot. “That’s no answer.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No.” She shifts onto her elbow, staring down at me. “It’s an evasion. You’re annoyingly good at those.”

I shrug. The CIA trained me well.

“So what happened?” She waves her hand. “You just skipped the whole falling-in-love thing? For what, forty-five years?”

“Forty-five?” I take her chin. “Are you asking for a spanking?”

“How old are you?”