Page 125 of Unexpected Heroine

Eventually, her tears stop falling. Once her breathing steadies, her grip on me lessens. Mine stays the same.

While she sleeps, I stay awake. I have a million things I need to do to find Yev and the others. Steps I should be taking to cover my tracks from tonight.

But I won’t let her go.

Correction. I can’t let her go.

If I were capable of doing that, I’d have done it a long time ago.

Before she got hurt.

My eyelids grow heavy. My shoulder and upper arm are nothing but pins and needles from being locked in this position for so long.

Still, I don’t move. Rigid and unyielding.

With all the crying she’s done tonight, her breathing sounds congested. Her delicate snores make me want to smile and cry simultaneously.

“I love you,” I whisper, unable to hold it back any longer. “I love you so fucking much. Everything good in my life begins and ends with you.”

Since she’s asleep, I can say the words.

She can’t reject them or accuse me of saying it out of guilt or sympathy.

“I’ve always loved you, Lettie. From the moment I saw you on that screen. And I’m so sorry for every lie I told. For every time I’ve failed you. I’m sorry I’m not a better man. I’m sorry I let you down. And most of all, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. That’s all I ever wanted to do. I’m so fucking sorry I couldn’t.” My voice grows shaky as the grief clogs my throat. “No matter what happens, I’ll never stop loving you.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, giving my tears no means of escape. Holding them captive the way Lettie was.

After forcing a series of deep breaths, I smother all the agonizing emotions.

Cutting them off as best as I can.

Rustling under the comforter wakes me, my consciousness slowly returning.

My cock stiffens with a surge of sleepy arousal.

Something warm.

Wet.

My hips pulse involuntarily. Once. Twice. Three times.

Through my grogginess, I realize something’s . . . off.

When my hips thrust for the fourth time, I figure out what’s wrong. Instead of searching for something to grind against, which would normally happen when I awake with an erection, my throbbing cock is wrapped in a silky, warm mouth, applying tantalizing suction.

My eyes spring open, quickly scanning down my body. A Lettie-shaped lump under the covers brings a smile to my face.

The room is bathed in the muted glow of the early morning sunrise peeking through the shades. After removing the covers, my hands reach out, finding her nestled between my legs with her butt in the air. Sadly, that delicious ass is facing away from me.

I run my fingers through the loose strands of her hair. She opens her eyes, looking up at me from under her long lashes. A sly smile brightens her expression as she plunges her mouth around my fully engorged dick.

Beautiful.

We’ve talked about this before. Being woken up like this. She has my blanket consent to do it at any time, same as she gave to me. It never gets old.

But why the fuck is she doing it now? The last time she was awake, she was crying into my chest because my stupidity sent her into a fucking blackout. And now, just a few hours later, she’s removed the panties and tank top she fell asleep in. The boxers I was wearing are nowhere to be seen. I must have been out like a light not to wake when she removed those.

“Lettie baby, what are you doing?” I rasp, my voice husky from sleep.

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