Page 76 of Bennett

“Depends on who it is,” he muttered, stalking toward the door with more heat in his veins than he knew what to do with.

“Put the charm away, Vaughn,” she called after him, teasing and sweet. “Save it for me.”

Damn right, he would.

Once this interruption was handled, he had every intention of finishing what they started.

And this time?

He wouldn’t stop until she was too blissed out to remember who the hell knocked.

Chapter Sixteen

Sunlight filtered through the slats of the blinds, drawing pale golden lines across the bedroom wall. Bennett blinked awake slowly, the kind of slow that only came after being thoroughly wrecked in the best damn possible way.

Laurel was curled into his side, bare and warm, and together, they were tangled in the sheets as if this was where they belonged. Her head rested on his chest, one leg thrown across his, her hand lightly fisted near his ribs. The soft rise and fall of her breath grounded him more than any damn mission ever had.

For a long moment, he just lay there, taking in the feel of the incredible woman, the weight of her gorgeous body against his, the press of her delectable thigh, the faint scent of strawberry shampoo clinging to her hair.

He didn’t move. Didn’t dare.

Because hell if this wasn’t the kind of moment that made a man forget the shadows outside the door.

Last night had been a blur of heat and laughter and something deeper he still didn’t have a name for.

After Carter’s interruption announcing the official completion of the building’s full security set-up minus the future additions for the storefronts, Bennett had walked him out to get the rundown. Motion sensors, reinforced entry points, updated feeds…everything was now locked up tight. Brandi’s team had also wrapped for the day, tools packed and lights off in the other units. The place had finally gone quiet.

And when he’d come back inside, he’d made his intentions a reality that rocked his damn world.

And now here they were.

His arm tightened around her slightly, fingers brushing the small of her back. She stirred, her breath hitching softly as she shifted against him, her hand sliding along his ribs in a way that made his thoughts take a hard turn from peaceful to primal.

She blinked sleepily and tilted her chin to look up at him. “Morning,” she whispered, her voice still thick with sleep.

“Hey,” he murmured, his voice low and scratchy. “Sleep okay?”

She nodded, her fingers lazily tracing a line down his chest. “I don’t remember the last time I felt that relaxed.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, a teasing glint there. “Even with your snoring.”

“I do not snore.”

“You absolutely do,” she said with a grin. “But it’s weirdly comforting.”

Bennett huffed a laugh and turned his head to kiss her hair. “You’re weirdly comforting.”

They fell quiet for a beat, the kind of silence that wasn’t awkward or heavy. Just…comfortable.

And that scared the hell out of him more than any ambush ever had.

He brushed his thumb over her spine. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

Her hand paused on his chest. She looked up again, her brow lifted, amusement lighting her eyes. “That almost sounded like something a romantic would say.”

“I thought we already covered this,” he said, deadpan. “I’m secretly poetic, remember?”

“Right.” She snickered. “Next, you’ll be building me bookshelves, which, by the way, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

He smirked. “I could, but it depends. What’s the prize for finishing Banned Book Bingo?”

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