Page 67 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

Aftershocks pulsed through him. How many times had he come today? It had taken everything out of him.

Yeah, so, that’s why he couldn’t budge. He was exhausted.

It wasn’t because her hair smelled good. Felt nice, too, as it teased his chest like feathers. It wasn’t the press of her breasts or the memory of her cries. That look of ecstasy taking hold of her features.

It wasn’t any of that.

“I know.” She sighed. “No snuggling.” She rolled off him and got out of bed. “Be right back.”

The moment she left him, the cold air swooped in. Her absence left him with an acute sense of loneliness. Which made no sense. None.

Fuck it. He got up and joined her in the bathroom. Tossing the condom in the trash, he got a washcloth from the towel rack and saturated it with warm water. Standing behind her, his body so much larger than hers, he set his chin on her shoulder and gently rubbed between her legs.

Her eyes went soft, and she leaned back against him, wrapping one arm around his neck. Silently, they watched each other in the mirror. Emotions tumbled through him—a painful longing, a near-paralyzing fear, confusion…and an alarming flutter of hope.

Why did it have to end?

Why couldn’t they see what happened between them? He could go into town, take care of business, and then come back. Spend Christmas Day with her.

What if…?

When hope swelled so big it displaced fear, he brushed the hair off her shoulders and whispered, “Damn, Hellcat. You snatched my soul right out of my body.”

She turned within his arms and got up on her toes, giving him a sweet, intense kiss. When she pulled away, she sighed. “You’re a complicated man.”

But I don’t want to be.

It’s easy with you.

And he had a feeling the more time he spent with her, the less complicated it would feel.

But then, she patted his ass. “I need a nap now.” And she led him back to the bed.

As they slid back under the covers, he turned on his phone and plugged it in.

“That’s a good idea.” She reached for hers. “That way, we’ll know when the Wi-Fi comes back.”

“If it does, our phones are going to be pinging like crazy. You might want to turn off the sound.”

“I sleep like the dead.” She settled under the covers. On her side, one hand laying on the pillow, she smiled. “I won’t notice a thing.”

Staring into those beautiful blue eyes, her kindness radiating out and heating him like sunshine, he thought his heart would surely explode.

But as they lay side by side, tension crept in. He knew she wanted to touch him. Maybe rest her head on his chest.It’s just not my thing. He couldn’t sleep like that.

And so, he turned his back to her and punched his pillow up.

He didn’t want to be a dick. But he needed a quick nap.

Bullshit. At the very least, don’t lie to yourself.

He couldn’t sleep. Not while his mind was racing.

Because he could see a future with this woman.

And that scared the shit out of him.

Pinging sounds woke him. Dozens of them.

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