Page 76 of Unapologetic Love Story

She switched on the light and sat on the tub. She pushed her slightly damp hair away from her face and looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. She let out a snort, locking eyes with herself. Her hair wasn’t just damp, it was a complete nest. Her lips were swollen. Her skin was lightly flushed. The faint sign of a love bite was starting to form on her neck.

It had been astonishing. Unfortunately for her, a few hours of him hadn’t been enough to work through the irritating attraction. She’d been hoping to get the desire to sleep with Tom Branimir out of her system. She’d wanted to sweat him out like a fever, but her plan had backfired completely.

Instead, she was feeling the early flickers of addiction.

When they’d finally retired, he’d tried to make conversation before sleep swept in and shut him down like her old computer. He’d been mid-sentence about how much he loved looking at her, and then out like a candle flame.

Raina didn’t mind. He’d earned the rest.

She splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. She spritzed a little product into her hair and ran a brush through it, before slipping back into the bedroom. The faint glow from a streetlight was bleeding into the room through a gap in the curtains and Raina used it to mark her way back to the bed.

She settled on her side and was ready to start drifting when she felt his fingers brush her face. She opened her eyes to see him drowsily watching her. Before she could tell him to go back to sleep, he pressed his lips to hers. It was slow and soft, and it quickly escalated into something more insistent. He slipped a hand against her back and pulled her closer.

‘I need sleep,’ she sputtered, laughing against his mouth. ‘So do you.’

‘Nope, just need you.’

‘I have a meeting tomorrow.’

‘Cancel it.’

‘No, Your Majesty.’

‘I’m allegedly the king and I’m ordering you to cancel it.’

Raina laughed once again. ‘No. You’ll have to lock me up.’

He deliberately made a face which revealed just how much he liked that suggestion. However, he did relent. He kept his hand on her, but rolled back onto his side of what now no longer felt like just her bed.

Raina was sure he’d fallen back to sleep when . . .

‘I’ll take you out tomorrow. After your meeting.’

‘You do owe me a chicken.’

He smirked. ‘I can still salvage that meal. Not my fault dessert was sweeter.’

This earned him a playful shove. He apologized by scratching his nails gently and rhythmically against the open palm of her hand. The sensation was so deliriously soothing, she instantly started to drift in and out of consciousness.

She felt his mouth brush her knuckles before she finally slipped away.

Tom woke just before noon, after one of the best sleeps of his life.

Sunshine was creeping into the room and he was alone in the bed. The realization made him frown. He’d been hoping to continue last night’s activities, and his body missed hers. In a way that was different and sweetly strange.

He did hear her voice somewhere in the house. Clear and gracious, and obviously speaking to someone else.

A meeting. She was working.

He sauntered into the bathroom and blasted some water from the shower over himself. He washed quickly and efficiently, then squeezed a tiny dollop of toothpaste onto his forefinger. He scrubbed his own teeth with it and rinsed his mouth. He borrowed some dental floss, mentally making a note to buy her some more. He wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way onto the landing.

Her office was at the other end and the door was open. She sat before a desktop, where she was obviously speaking to someone. Her hair was in a messy bun and she was wearing a little splash of mascara and lipstick, as well as an oversized white dress shirt and bra.

Tom had to smile at her bottom half. A lacey thong and nothing else.

Her fellow meeting attendees weren’t enjoying the same view as him and he was glad of it. She glanced up while someone else was speaking and they locked eyes. She smiled at him, and it was a knowing and welcoming smile. One that filled Tom with relief. It wasn’t the look of someone who wanted him to shower, grab some breakfast and then leave without any pleasantries or goodbyes.

It was a smile that said, give me fifteen more minutes.