Page 27 of Midnight Danger

“Do I need to do anything?” he asked, putting two bags filled with containers on the work surface.

“Just hold me.”

“I can do that.” His arms closed around me and his chin propped up on my head. He smelt like he’d just had a shower.

“Were you at a gym?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

“Why do you have that just-showered freshness?” I asked suspiciously.

“You don’t want to know, Cas.” The tone in his voice said what he didn’t want to say.

“Is he gone?”

“Hmmm. Are you wearing my shirt?” He changed the topic of conversation, his hands roving over my ass. “I could get used to this.”

“You’ll have to when I’m the size of a whale.” He laughed when I rolled my eyes.

People say you’re eating for two when you’re pregnant. I was pretty sure the baby wasn’t even the size of my thumbnail, but Xavier had brought enough to feed an army. He spread the boxes out and handed me a fork.

I wasn’t sure if it was weird that he pretended the past few days hadn’t happened, or that it made me relax. He chatted about the latest Midnight property, picking up the conversation from nearly a week ago.

He made me laugh at some of the fantasies people asked to be included, vampires and werewolves being close to the top of the list. Who knew that people wanted to be bitten by fake fangs or wear a big, hairy wolf costume during sex?

The day caught up with me and Xavier noticed me yawning. “Bed,” he instructed.

“I preferred my own bed,” I bitched.

“Your bed made my back sore. The mattress needed replaced and you know it. You’re being a diva.”

My grin made him smile, and I padded into the bedroom to hunt for my nightdresses. His shirt hung from the handle into the wardrobe when he walked in.

“Hmmm.” His hands traced down my arms. All I was wearing was panties and the bandages the hospital put on me.

“I was looking for my nightdresses.”

He kissed the side of my neck and I leaned back into his chest. “I need you naked tonight.”

In other words, whatever happened today, Xavier needed human touch. There were times we went for walks or watched crap on television together and he never once took even my cardigan off. Other nights, he needed the touch of skin on skin.

Grabbing his hand, I led him to the bed and pushed him onto it, straddling his hips.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, running my hands down his chest.

He shook his head, staring up at me with those blue eyes that bored deep into my soul.

Wrapping myself around his neck and tightening my legs around his waist, I held him. “Thank you for saving me.”

“You saved me first.”

Every day, I’d expected the anvil to fall and herald the end of our relationship. Xavier was so far out of my comfort zone that I’d felt I was on borrowed time. The past few days had put a lot of my fears to rest in that regard. He could have turned off his phone and left me to a grisly fate.

He lifted my head until he stared deep into my eyes. His lips coaxed the tension from me, his hand splaying over my stomach protectively. Everything about our relationship had been secret. Now the dynamics had changed and there was a permanency that had never been there before. It gave me a confidence that had been lacking in the past.

Xavier put me into bed while he got ready. He paced the room, putting his watch in the display case, his jeans on the chair in the corner. All the little things that he did unconsciously. He caught me staring and gave me that salacious smile that made my insides tighten in response.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

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